It was a chance bumping into each other at Raith in the Gardens Centre less than a week before I flew to Germany that led Simon and Celia Obholzer of Simelia Wines from Wellington and I to arrange to meet each other in Munich, being in the city in the same period. Traveling with their fellow wine marketers Johanin Innerhofer and Laura Mauri from Capelands Wine Estate in Somerset West, we had a superb cosy cocooning dinner together last night.

Cocoon is the name which was given to the restaurant by its previous owners, and was kept when Chefs Marcel Braun and Andrea Wagner took over the restaurant nine years ago.  It is a smallish L-shaped space, with a tiny kitchen, we were told, having led the owners to not pursue a Michelin-star evaluation, even though the restaurant appears as a recommendation in the guide. Decor is minimalist, with panels looking like they belong to a blind changing color to green and pink with LED lighting. Usually they seat 30 patrons, quite closely seated together. Tables have white tablecloths and a material serviette was neatly rolled into a silver serviette ring, something I have not ever seen in our country.  Cutlery is by Solingen, slim and attractive. The two lamps hanging over the bar counter give a cocoon-like appearance. Daniel the waiter was welcoming when I arrived first via Uber, and I was impressed to receive wifi details to log into. I have found few wifi-friendly restaurants in Germany to date!

We were brought a basket of crispy bread slices, without butter, and the menu, which offered three (€ 45, €63 with wine pairing), four (€55/€79), and five (€ 63/€93) course options, as well as an a la carte menu. We chose the three course option, but with different items, all of which I photographed, even if I did not eat them all, although I was allowed a taste of each! Johann ordered a German white wine to begin with, which I skipped.

An Amuse Bouche arrived almost immediately, being a small bowl of chilled cucumber soup, with minute cubes of beetroot, dill, and North Sea shrimps. I heard about the ambitious marketing program planned for the two wine brands, including a visit to Merano in South Tyrol, where the Capelands wines are already stocked in more than 50 restaurants. Johann comes from the city, and is very well-connected to owners of top restaurants around the world, preferring to sell to select restaurants rather than via retail outlets. Their wines are stocked by Burrata, Buitenverwachting, Aubergine, Rust en Vrede, 96 Winery Road in the Cape, and by a select number of Johannesburg restaurants. They are also traveling to Austria, and further south in Italy.

It was interesting hearing Johann comment on each of the dishes, having a strong hand over the kitchen at Capelands, the restaurant which they have kept small, at about 20-25 patrons. He has cooked for 30 years, and is a food connoisseur. Every year he brings an intern from a different region in Italy to help him in the kitchen. South Tyrol is a German-speaking province of Italy, mainly inhabited by Germans and Austrians. Johann bought Capelands 11 years ago, but only moved to the wine estate six years ago to live their permanently, enthusing about his love for the Cape. His policy on restaurant size is ‘je kleiner, desto feiner !

The first course was a starter of home-smoked citrus salmon served with avocado crème, mango chili salsa, endive, and a wasabi sour cream, charged at €14 a la carte. It was beautifully presented, colorful, and light to eat. Johann loved the ‘minimalist‘ presentation of the dishes, not having too many ingredients. I had chosen the asparagus crème soup, with prawns and foam, served with a new basket of ultra-crispy bread slices, once again without butter. The a la carte price is € 10,50.

Capelands has its own vegetable and herb garden, and they also grow olives and avocados, with 100 trees of the latter!  Their restaurant wine list was judged the best international wine cellar by Top 100 Wines. Simon and Celia are marketing their maiden 2013 vintage Simelia Merlot and Syrah, of which they produced 3000 bottles, jointly presenting them with Capelands wines to restaurateurs and the trade in Germany, Italy, and Austria.

An intermediate course was a fillet of ‘Wolfsbarsch‘ fish, which Google translated as belonging to the Morone fish family! It had a very crispy skin, and was served with a saffron rice noodle risotto, with paprika, tomato, beans, and a red paprika foam, priced at €14/26 for two portion sizes on the a la carte menu.  The Capelands flagship Redstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 was served with this course (corkage was charged at €15 per bottle). A basil sorbet palate cleanser was refreshing and tasty, and kept cold for longer by being served in pre-chilled bowls!

The main course was the most delicious grilled Irish beef sirloin, served with artichokes, diced fried potatoes, salsa verde, spinach, and a jus of shallots. The main course costs €27 a la carte. This course we paired with the Simelia Syrah.  The meat was the most tender I have ever eaten, and was prepared ultra-rare.

Chef Marcel Braun came to greet us, and was interested to hear about the wines, and our link to Cape Town. We encouraged him to consider including South African wines on his wine list. He was intrigued about the blogging, not having an exact idea of what it is, and seemed to avoid Social Media.

Another highlight was my dessert, a study in red, white, and green, with marinated strawberries, lemon cottage cheese mousse topped with a Cape gooseberry, mint leaves, and a refreshing strawberry sorbet. Johann said that he ate my dessert with his eyes, it looked so good!

There were very few service glitches, and I was impressed with our waiter first pouring the wine for the ladies at the table, something I cannot recall from back home. He was attentive in topping up wine and water glasses, and even tested the South African wines, and sounded knowledgeable in his comments about our white wines, and the wines he tasted. The restaurant was fully booked, a birthday dinner filling up the rest of the space. Just two waiters effortlessly served everyone, carrying out three or more plates on their arms, a novelty for us too! It was a special treat to enjoy the company of the Obholzers and Innenhofers, especially so far away from home for all of us. They refused to accept my payment for my meal

Cocoon Restaurant & Bar, Christophstraße 3, München. Tel +49 89 255 419 66. www.cocoon-Muenchen.de No Social Media. Monday – Saturday Dinner.

Capelands Wine Estate, 3 Old Sir Lowry’s Pass Road, Sonerset West. Tel (021) 848-1477  www.capelands.com Facebook.

Simelia Wine & Accommodation, Woestkloof Estate, Wellington. Cell 082 447 7715. www.simelia.co.za. Twitter: @SimeliaWine

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio. Cell 082 55 11 323.  www.whalecottage.com   Twitter: @WhaleCottage Facebook.