My foodie safari bags fresh flavours

Are you here for business or pleasure?” asked the uniformed lady at Cape Town airport. “Eating and writing,” I replied, “in that order.” She looked interested, so I said she could come with me if she wanted, but she just laughed. In a nice way. Welcome to South Africa.

I checked in at Kensington Place, a small relaxing hotel in the Higgovale area, but, as I had solemnly declared, I was not in town to chill out — so on to my first lunch, with Chris Weir, the hotel’s owner, as my guide.

During the 40-minute drive to Overture, at the Hidden Valley winery near Stellenbosch (00 27 218 802 721), Chris told me about Bertus Basson, its 30-year-old chef: he had travelled the world, worked at the highly rated Chez Bruce in London and was now trying to do something new back in his home country.

The sun was bathing the distant mountains in soft light and at the smart modern restaurant, opened two years ago, all the windows and doors were open. The kitchen at the back of the dining room was open-plan, so we could see half a dozen chefs beavering away. Under the direction of the mohican-coiffed Basson, they cook a fresh menu every day, using local ingredients as much as possible. Mindful of my duty, I ordered the eight-course tasting menu with wine for R750 (£62), though I would have been happy with the £20 three-course lunch — wine included.

Click here to read the extended article >>