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Vegetarian tour de force
Restaurant review: Buitenverwachting,
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November 27, 2009
By Graham Howe
The humble beetroot, carrot, lentil, bean, pea and spud have never had such royal treatment - all transformed into a vegetarian feast fit for a king at Buitenverwachting.
Only a handful of fine dining restaurants in the Cape offer a degustation vegetarian menu - inter alia venues like Bosman's at the Grande Roche, Catharina's at Steenberg and Buitenverwachting.
Recently, I was treated to a vegetarian tour de force at Buitenverwachting - a set vegetarian menu with staying power spread across five delectable courses. Living up to the estate's name, the meal was truly "beyond expectations", a showcase for seasonal vegetarian ingredients, tastes and textures.
Constantia Wine Valley is a winelands destination in the city's green backyard with many culinary stars. Two restaurants - the Greenhouse at The Cellars and La Colombe (Eat Out restaurant of the year in 2008 and 2009) - made the Eat Out 2009 top 10 announced this week. Chef Edgar Osojnik of Buitenverwachting has also won many awards over the years - including Eat Out chef of the year in 2003.
Bistro 1682, a brand-new restaurant at Steenberg, is the newest member of the Constantia culinary pack - joining the ranks of Catharina's, Constantia Uitsig and The River Café.
Newly refurbished for the season, Buitenverwachting has a lighter, more ethereal ambience - whether you do the set or a la carte menu in the courtyard patio or in the dining room with its contemporary white tones, finishes and dreamy views of the terraced vineyards of Constantiaberg. Edgar creates three set dinner menus (classics, seafood and vegetarian) which demonstrate a mastery of classic and contemporary culinary techniques in the treatment of South African ingredients with a native Austrian spin.
Vegetarians can try a three, four or five course set menu (Rë to R298). Expect a novel spin in the transformation of ingredients - with a nod to the Feran Adria school of deconstruction. An unusual balsamic sorbet highlights the layered flavours of vegetable tian on parmesan crostini - and red beetroot sushi with soya caviar, ginger jelly and wasabi apple cream (a signature dish off the seafood menu). Menu-hopping, I enjoyed intensely flavoured asparagus soup off the seasonal menu - served in six variations from asparagus sabayon to risotto while fresh asparagus is available.
A spear of fresh asparagus is an aristocrat among vegetables. The concentrated green, herbaceous flavours of asparagus found a perfect partner in the flinty, green pepper and herbal quality of Buitenverwachting Husseys Vlei Sauvignon Blanc 2009 directly from a vineyard on the mountain slopes above us. (When I asked which hussy the wine is named after, I was told the vlei was once owned by an American heiress called Hussey.) Of course, one of the great advantages of wining and dining on a working wine farm is you get to try new releases in close proximity to the cellar door.
If your attention does not wander to the asparagus and you stick to the set vegetarian menu, next up is beetroot consommé - Edgar's take on classic borscht lifted by savoury dim sum and Asian mushrooms on the side. By now, the omnivores at the table were staring at the vegetarians with envy. Chef's light touch preserves the earthy tastes and textures of fresh seasonal vegetables, enhanced by classical sauces and foams - like spring vegetable feuilette with tomato coulis and truffled watercress.
Now for the piece de resistance of the set vegetarian menu - a signature dish called Indian Delights inspired by Edgar's passion for spicy food from the East. Drawing on his wife's wonderful Indian cooking at home (so she revealed across the lunch table), the main course is a tasting platter of breyani samoosas, aloo saag (potato curry) and mixed vegetable curry enhanced by homemade chutneys and a creamy lentil dhal. Waves of spicy flavour were complemented by the citrus aromas, scintillating acidity and oily weight of Buitenverwachting Rhine Riesling. I tried to leave room for dessert. Honest.
To be frank, I only just managed dessert. The versatility of Edgar's vegetarian repertoire makes for a filling feast - especially if your fork strays to the side platter of blanched broccoli, asparagus, peppers and sought-after broad beans (chef admits he has to ration these lime green delicacies in season to around four per customer).
The dessert was another triumph - deep-fried ripe banana raviolis with the cleansing citrus aftertaste of blood orange ragout with almond parfait and sublime lemongrass foam.
You can even have asparagus with dessert - white asparagus, rhubarb and strawberry gratin with a delicious saffron-honey ice-cream. We ended on a sweet note with the 2007 vintage of Buitenverwachting 1769 (the year the estate was founded) - one of only four dessert wines to win five stars in Platter's SA Wine Guide 2010.
Every wine tells a story. We also sampled a maiden double gold Veritas winner called Rough Diamond - a unique 2006 blend of Petit Verdot and Malbec inspired by the film Blood Diamond which featured Leonardo de Caprio in the estate's vineyards.
Buitenverwachting, Klein Constantia Road. Call 021 794 3522, or see www.buitenverwachting.co.za
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