SOURCE restaurant opened in the Hemel-en-Aarde Wine Village at the beginning of this month, and word has already spread about the quality cuisine which Chef Warwick Taylor offers at reasonable prices.

I had lunch at SOURCE during my attendance of the Hermanus FynArts Festival two weeks ago. I had first visited the restaurant in May, during its renovation phase, and met with Chef Warwick then to get to know more about his new restaurant, which is the site of the former restaurants Season and Biga. The interior colour is grey, on the walls, on the inside tables and chairs, in the new floor tiles, with unusual table decoration air plants, as well as the sound absorption panels which have been placed on the walls throughout the restaurant. The table offers gauze serviettes, with no placemats or tablecloths. Chef Warwick sourced his ceramics from Kleinmond. The restaurant has various sections, in which tables have been set up, therefore breaking up the large restaurant space.  At the entrance is a display unit with the breads which they bake (baguette, sourdough), as well as some Deli items. To the right one can see the open plan bakery as well as restaurant kitchen. In the entrance section a display of small-bake treats is a promise of what is on offer, including banana bread, muffins, and lemon tarts.

The outside seating area has been opened up, in that the pergola plants have been cut back drastically, letting far more light into the seating area, and therefore into the restaurant section facing the outdoor seating.

I had come from a Festival talk by Felicity Jervis entitled ‘Food Glorious Food‘, which she had focused on Chef Auguste Escoffier, who is regarded as the king of chefs. Chef Warwick told me immediately on mentioning this that he introduced the ‘brigade’ system into restaurant kitchens. Having worked for the military in the war, Escoffier introduced a hierarchy of chef staff , so that not all chefs did everything in his kitchens. His books and recipes still are highly regarded, Chef Warwick told me. One of his strengths was that he would go to the tables of his customers, asking them for feedback about his dishes.  This Chef Warwick has implemented in his restaurant too, coming to check with his guests after each course. Chef Warwick left Creation earlier this year, where he had run the kitchen, and received praise for creating excellent dishes to pair with the Creation wines. Chef Warwick told me that Chef Garth Stroebel was the first chef he had worked with, and how much good he is doing for young chefs, just having left to take a group to Sweden. Chef Warwick praised the HermanusFynArts Festival, receiving fantastic feedback, and being good for the area, in stimulating business in an otherwise quiet winter.

The menus, on cream and brown board, are neatly presented on wooden boards, held in place with elastics. A lovely touch was that a dry cappuccino arrived while I waited for my main course, without having ordered it.

In the section in which I had chosen to sit Anthony and Olive Hamilton Russell were also seated. I had seen them about two hours earlier at the Festival, where Anthony had addressed the audience on the French influence on wine-making. We spoke about restaurants, and Olive told me that Anthony’s daughter Ella works at Bocca and Burrata as a deputy manager, having a wine-making degree.

I ordered the pork belly served with an unusual whole-grain mustard mash, with an apple, radish, and pea shoot salad, and topped with apple slices and crispy crackling. The portion size was generous, and the cost of R125 very reasonable. Other main courses  offered are grilled linefish, green beans, smoked tomato, and mussel risotto (R105), venison and shiitake mushroom pie, potato purée, red wine carrots, and pickled beetroot (R85), and risotto of the day (mushroom, goats cheese, and truffle), with Parmesan, micro greens, and herb oil (right, which I photographed in the kitchen when we walked through it). Starter-type dishes offered are a salad of beetroot, chickpeas, smoked duck, crisp vegetables, quail eggs, and raspberry mustard dressing (R65); sourdough sandwiches (three options at R65); soup (R50); and a platter of artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, and accruements (R125).

Desserts are explained verbally by Chef Warwick, and it was a choice between a white chocolate Crème Brûlée (R45), and a slow-baked meringue dessert called ‘Ille Flotain‘, or floating island, one which I had never heard of before (R50). Chef Warwick explained that one cooks out egg white and sugar to give it body, and then it is served with a raspberry coulis, crème anglais, chocolate soil on the edge of the plate, and thin chocolate strips. It resulted in a most attractive, yet very light dessert dish.

The dinner menu is similar, with additional dishes of beef carpaccio with artichokes (R75); duck confit (R150); grilled loin of springbok (R170); and Chocolate Délice, chocolate soil, and salted caramel gel (R55).

Breakfasts start at R20 for sourdough muffins (right); offer Boerenkaas, compote and croissant at R32; granola, yoghurt and fruit (R50); savoury mince on toasted sourdough with poached eggs (R50); creamed eggs and bacon (R55, R70 with avocado and smoked salmon trout); poached eggs, bacon, mushrooms, and red pepper Hollandaise (R70);  and fried eggs with bacon, pork sausage, black pudding, tomato, and mushrooms (R75).

On Friday new Chef Wander Bester joins Chef Warwick in the kitchen.

I felt that the new interior at SOURCE looked elegant yet was comfortable, the food portions generous, were well-plated, and offered good value. Herbs have been planted on the property, and a vegetable garden is still to come, to be laid out behind the restaurant. The food is of the best that I have experienced in Hermanus, the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley road establishments offering the best quality dining in the town.

Disclosure: On requesting my bill from the waiter, he returned to say that Chef Warwick did not want me to pay for the meal.

SOURCE, Hemel-en-Aarde Village. Hermanus.  Tel (028) 125-0025. Website under construction. Twitter: @ConceptChef @SourceHermanus. Facebook. Monday – Saturday Breakfast and Lunch, Dinner Wednesday – Saturday.

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.whalecottage.com/blog  Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter: @WhaleCottage  Facebook:  click here Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein