Chef Rikku Ò'Donnchü brings theatrical and interactive dining to the Winelands with new restaurant Gåte
26 Nov 2018
Calling all foodies, there's a new restaurant in town and you're gonna wanna make sure you make a booking. Destined for top 10 Eat Out Best Restaurant lists, the Gåte Restaurant at Quoin Rock in Stellenbosch is a one-of-a-kind 16 (!) course theatrical and interactive feast for the senses.
Brought to you by UK Chef ÒDonnchü - who has worked for Heston Blumenthal at The Fat Duck and for Thomas Keller at The French Laundry in Yountville, California - the menu shows great influence from these culinary legends.
Executive Chef, Rikku Ò'Donnchü © Michael le Grange
© Greg Cox
A culinary circus
But it’s Grant Atchez from Chicago’s Alinea – currently #34 on The World’s 50 Best list – that Ò’Donnchü is most inspired by.
“I have a very similar food philosophy to Atchez,” says Ò’Donnchü. “Food should be playful, it should be enjoyable. It shouldn’t just be about eating. It needs to be a circus for the mind and the body.”Gåte is the Norwegian word for ‘riddle’ and that is exactly what one will encounter when seated, quite literally, as the menu takes the form of a brass icosahedron on which each course is inscribed. Offering poetic titles such as Birth of Liver and Not an Ashtray and From Russia with Love, you know you will be in for a treat as you decipher the menu and gaze out over the beautiful Simonsberg mountain range.
Earthy aesthetic
The restaurant itself is eye-catching with many stunning details. A cascading water feature around a vine branch sculpture as you enter, a spacy circular bar made from old wine vats in the centre of the room, leather-apron-clad waiters and outlandish crockery and cutlery all give the place a unique yet earthy aesthetic.
© Greg Cox
As there are 16 courses, I’ll just share my absolute highlights because there should be a few surprises for those visiting and err word count. Let’s dive right in shall we?
The bread course titled Not an Ashtray, which includes a cigar-shaped tube of rye bread and a literally smoking ashtray of delicious black garlic mousse and smoked tomato ash immediately lets you know you are in for something quite different. Better buckle up, pop open the top button of your pants and enjoy the ride.
© Ruth Cooper
© Ruth Cooper
Next cured oysters in a puff of dry ice appear at your table, a pure inhalation of ocean.
This is followed by Birth of Liver an “egg” that, once cracked open, reveals ethically sourced foie gras, chocolate and miso and is served alongside caramelised banana bread, so rich and decadent with a happy harmony of typically non-paired ingredients.
© Ruth Cooper
Another noteworthy dish is the Cauli-Cheese a technically driven yet still comforting dish of cauliflower in various preparations; charred, pickled, confit, and puréed and three ages of parmesan in velouté, foam and crisp form. Sweet, creamy and umami - my kind of food.
Wagu my way
The Ramen, one of the most intriguing and interactive dishes is also one of the most delicious. A syringe of honey noodles is gently injected into a delicate broth of egg, radish, and seaweed and served with a slice of buttery Wagyu beef that one DIY sears atop a sizzling hot stone. Don’t mind me I’m just drooling at the memory.
Curry Candyfloss was one of my absolute favourite dishes and included red-curry flavoured ice-cream (my new favourite thing), white chocolate, smoked meringue, candy floss, and forms of mango. Spicy, fragrant, and tangy – a perfect pairing.
The only dish that lets technique overshadow flavour was the Caprese, with muted flavours and perhaps a little too much liquid nitrogen in play, I felt this version didn’t surpass the flavours and textures of a simple classic Caprese salad.
Other noteworthy mentions go to the succulent peacock and the Black Russian nightcap served with delectable petit fours, however, there are many more surprises.
Ethical ethos
Not only groundbreaking in flavours, presentation, and technique, Gåte strives to sustainably source all produce from the farm and on-site, with greenhouses and vegetable gardens planted with seasonal produce and a hydroponic system installed in the kitchen to provide fresh micro-greens. Mushroom cultivation huts provide everything from enoki to shiitake mushrooms, while in season pine rings and porcini will be foraged wild from the woodlands on the farm.
Gåte officially opens on 1 December 2018, don’t miss out!
A vegetarian 16-course menu is also offered on pre-order, both menus cost R1,250 and R1,950 with wine pairing.
© Greg Cox
© Greg Cox
Contact details:
+27 21 888 4750
Quoin Rock Wine Estate,
Knorhoek Road, Knorhoek Valley,
Stellenbosch, 7600
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Saturday: 6.30pm - 10pm
Sunday: 12pm - 4pm
For more information visit: gaterestaurant.co.za or follow @gate_restaurant on Instagram.
