Time for a short drive from central Cape Town to one of its legendary wineland regions. One of the many great things about the Western Cape is the stunning wine farms and the restaurants in the vicinity. Somerset West and its surrounds are particularly close to central Cape Town and offer a plentitude of magnificent views, wine and food.
My mother lived there for over a decade when she had to leave Zimbabwe (not a happy story). Fortunately, this sad story has its positive aspects as it meant we got to spend a lot more time with her, exploring the vineyards and restaurants in the area. Since she died in 2019…well for whatever reason we just haven’t been back.
Maybe it just felt too sad without her there. But today we drove down the N2 to the place with the aroma of wine in the air. Where the mountains stun you in shades of blues and greens and the sea sparkles in the distance. We turned off the highway onto a small tar road which soon became a dirt road lined with the pinkest of bougainvilleas. Welcome to Pink Valley.
Snuggled on the slopes of the majestic Helderberg Mountain, Pink Valley is the first South African wine endeavour by the Oddo family from France. They only make one wine – a specialist rose – a first for South Africa, though it does serve every colour in the restaurant. And there’s a special pink drinks section. I couldn’t resist the sun-kissed sangria with drunken pink fruit and MCC. Absolutely the best way to start a lunchtime in the sunshine.
Whats on the Menu
So it’s a sharing kind of concept. How I love that. And the first two items on the menu involve brood (that’s bread in Afrikaans). Well we just had to order both of them. Starting off with the mieliebrood with biltong butter. Never has bread tasted so good – here it is with the bowl of creamy smoked snoek apricot pate.
And then there was the sweet potato potbrood (pot bread) served with curried butter. Another bready work of art posing here alongside the duck liver, dried pear and roast chicken terrine. 
The two starters we chose to accompany our delightful breads were delicately flavoured and oh-so-moreish.
Mains to Share
For mains we order a double portion of the sticky pork belly with cucumber and kimchee mayo. A table of pork belly lovers, you see. It’s one of my favourite things if it’s done properly like it was today and the cucumber and kimchee mayo did a great job of cutting through the richness.
And then there were the little crispy pani pur, filled with prawns, pickle curry and pea salsa. Delectable mouthfuls of crunch with the perfect combo of the sweetness of the peas and the prawns with a pickle hit.
The First Taste of Skaapstertjies
And now for something completely different. I was very keen to try the skaapstertjies. Translated from Afrikaans, this means sheep tails, served here with a monkey gland glaze. I’ve never tried a sheep’s tail (not a fan of the pig’s one I tasted once) and I’m a huge fan of monkey gland. But on googling I read that they are incredibly rich so I was nervous about tackling a whole portion by myself.
Fortunately one of our party was feeling as adventurous as me so we ordered a bowl. And they tasted incredible – really not like anything else I’ve ever eaten but beautifully meaty and the glaze was fabulous. I only managed to finish one and nibble on a second – possibly the richest thing I’ve ever sampled. They’re a bit like ribs on steroids. Would I have them again? Most definitely – if someone was happy to share the experience with me.
Our final dish was the aubergine, parma harm fior di latte involtini. A deliciously cheesy, tomatoey concoction with a salty hit of Parma ham.
The road to Pink Valley is punctuated with bougainvillea – and of course they would have to be pink, wouldn’t they? One of my favourite flowers, they certainly make for a vibrant welcome to this delightful little eatery in the heart of country.
Another incredible-value delicious meal in beautiful surroundings. Boy are we going to miss Cape Town.
Today’s Price Point
So lunch for five people came to R1,245. That’s around £53 at today’s exchange rate.
Their rose (which is lovely) sells for R200 (£8.50) in the restaurant and there’s also red and white wine starting from R275 (£11.70). That’s for a bottle.
www.pinkvalleywines.com
Pink Valley is off the R44 on Cordoba Road.
