The Cape through the Winelands

There's hope at last that the ingredients of the Cape are finding their way to the plate. Four days of feasting across Stellenbosch - and a bit of work - uncovered some sublime tastes. Even tofu gets a look-in

- Tony Jackman

This was a first: a restaurateur put me to work. Should I feel used? Nah. It was too much fun for that.

I was at De Warenmarkt with owner Daniel Kriel, designer Pieter Burger, and the Foodie's Wife, along with Daniel's French restaurant manager, Sebastien Castelot, while the kitchen crew delivered a brief Daniel had set for them.

He had just returned from Europe, and what he does when he visits other parts of the world is dine in restaurants. And when he encounters a dish that impresses him, he sends a photo of it to his head chef, Johann Piek. Recreate this.

That was pretty much the gist of the brief. But rather than just copying and pasting, they were to feel free to be inventive, to use an image, and a dish's concept, as inspiration.

Some standouts: ox tongue with blue cheese aïoli; and superb burrata surrounded by freshness, including strawberries, blueberries, mint, basil and candied pecan nuts. We agreed the balsamic reduction on the burrata obscured its whiteness, but that's merely a presentation issue that's easy to fix. I loved the zing of freshness on the plate.

Four pasta options came out next, and the table loved them all. The consensus was to swap a couple of things around - the gnocchi would be served with a truffled mushroom ragu, rather than linguine. This, along with the burrata dish, seemed likely to make the summer menu, giving the dinners a vegetarian and gluten-free option. I enjoyed this insight into how menus are constructed.