Fresh flavours at Avondales's new Faber

Situated just outside of Paarl, the recently opened Faber restaurant at Avondale Wine Estate, with acclaimed Chef Eric Bulpitt at the helm, should be a must-see on your wine farm dining itinerary.

Seasonably sustainable

I experienced the five-course Chef’s Menu at Faber restaurant last weekend and was truly impressed. The menu is seasonable and utilises ingredients from Avondale’s own vegetable and herb garden and stone fruit and citrus orchard, while eggs are harvested from the eco-friendly egg-mobile which houses Avondale’s free-range chickens. This is in line with the ethos of Avondale, which is a biodynamic and organic farm.

Before the five-course menu started (which turned out to actually be six courses) we were presented with a tasty bread board. Steaming hot buns, seed bread and moreish pumpkin fritters were accompanied by Baba Ganoush and creamy pâté - a great way to wake up your appetite.

This was followed by the first course, a chunky steak tartare with mayo and wafer thin cracker. 10 out of 10. Then an autumnal vegetarian course, and one of my favourites, a creamy chestnut soup with chestnut chunks and raw sweet fig - beautifully unique and taste bud satisfying.

Velvety velouté

After a little break between courses, we were treated to Elf, a firm white fish, poached in butter with a herb crust and sweetcorn velouté - an absolutely sublime balance and layering of flavours and my favourite course off the menu. Then we sampled the rich and sumptuous braised Avondale Black Angus Beef, with onion three ways; braised, jammed and onion marmite, this was served with chunky hand-cut chips.

Fifth course was an interesting one, boerenkaas cream was topped with a goats cheese parfait, strawberry pâte de fruit (a little block of gel) and a crisp tuile de pain.

Then, lastly, we indulged in a tropically inspired dessert. Coconut panna cotta wrapped in charred pineapple was complimented by a pineapple beer sorbet and tennis biscuit crumb. Refreshing and tart, it hit the sweet spot satisfactorily.

Even though six courses sounds quite indulgent, each course is quite light and elegant so one leaves comfortably full.

The five-course Chef’s Menu is R490 per person and with Avondale wine pairing is R780 per person. As the menu is seasonable and changes often, you can expect a different experience each time.

The restaurant is open for lunch from Wednesday to Sunday from 12pm – 2.30pm and for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday from 6.30pm – 9pm.

Reservations recommended. For bookings and more information go to avondalewine.co.za/faber, phone 021 202 1219 or email az.oc.eniweladnova@rebaf.