Today we’re heading into the leafy Cape Town suburb of Constantia. And down a long and winding road to the historic Klein Constantia wine estate. It nestles on the upper foothills of the beautiful Constantiaberg and dates back to 1685.
Klein Constantia is famed for producing some of South Africa’s top wines including the famous Vin de Constance which was already recognised in the 18th and 19th centuries as one of the best sweet wines in the world. Jane Austen and Charles Dickens wrote about it and it was a favourite of Napoleon, King George IV and Bismarck. It is a wonderfully delicious after-dinner drink.
We were headed for lunch at newly opened The Bistro at Klein Constantia. A meander through the beautifully cool tasting room and we were showed to our table on the terrace under the shade of a Jacaranda tree looking out across the estate. So peaceful! Just where you want to chill out for lunch on a hot, sunny day.
What’s on the menu
The menu offers a choice of four starters, three mains, one dessert and a local cheese plate. And everything sounded delicious. We opted to share two starters between the three of us.
The coal-baked beetroot and Chèvre Frais salad was the perfect summer starter. The beautifully smokey beet was perfectly matched with the crispy leaves and the creamiest of goat’s cheese.
Next up, this delectable country pork terrine. How I love a terrine, they take so much effort to make, it’s always a real pleasure to enjoy someone else’s handiwork. This was a particularly luscious one, served with the sweetest of relishes.
One of the main courses was vegetarian and had two of my favourite ingredients – asparagus and tomato – too good to resist. All topped with a beautiful hollandaise-style sauce and local aged Parmesan. The tomatoes were slow roasted and beautifully sweet and the silken sauce was the best accompaniment for the fresh, crunchy asparagus. I could eat this dish every day!
The Wagyu skirt steak was beautifully tender and flavoursome and served with crispy little shoestring potatoes and a delightful salsa verde. Classic Bistro food.
For dessert we all shared the rich chocolate almond torte which was served with zesty lime cream and berries.
And we couldn’t resist also ordering a local cheese platter which came with amazing watermelon preserve and wonderful muscadel grapes from the estate.
It’s harvest time in the Constantia Valley and we watched truckloads of freshly picked grapes being delivered. Wonderful to see, knowing that they would soon be on their way to becoming my favourite of drinks.
I had to take this picture looking up towards the magnificent Jacaranda tree with the brilliant blue sky behind. Always look up I say!
And here’s the view as you’d drive out of the estate. As if it wasn’t already hard enough to drag yourself away!
Today’s price point
R400 for 3 courses
R300 for 2 courses
Wine starts at R200 a bottle
The Bistro is on Klein Constantia Wine Estate which is at the end of Klein Constantia Road in Constantia.
