Tag Archives: Chef Bjorn Dingemans

Nothing run of the mill at Lourensford’s The Millhouse Kitchen!

We had been eagerly awaiting the opening of The Millhouse Kitchen by Chef Bjorn Dingemans at Lourensford Estate, having been impressed with his country fresh cuisine at The Franschhoek Kitchen at Holden Manz. The menu has some old-time favourites, the portions are huge, and the prices are very reasonable, making it excellent value for money.

As my parents live in Somerset West, it was a good opportunity to pay them a visit and invite them to eat at The Millhouse Kitchen, as we had not been to Lourensford in years.   Signage on the estate to the restaurant is not good, so one should follow that to the tasting centre, as it is located close to the restaurant. The restaurant was previously The River Garden, and prior to that the home of the mill master, the estate having had a flour and a saw mill.  Walking from the parking to the restaurant, the neat landscaped garden and water feature, with garden sculptures as is so popular, was evident.  The restaurant building has been cleverly divided into sections, with an outside front deck, two inside separated sections, and an outside back deck, each section with different tables and chairs, and difference in style, Chef Bjorn explained.  The front wooden deck has smart white tables and white moulded chairs, branded umbrellas, is surrounded by old oak trees, the beautiful garden, and some peacocks wandering by.  Inside the two sections have wood top tables and silver Bistro chairs, with glass windows to show off the garden, and sporting lots of wood, all support beams clad with wood from branded Lourensford and Lanzerac fruit crates (Lanzerac is a previous sister property, having belonged to Christo Wiese too until earlier this year), a design theme carried through to the kitchen counter too.  The back outside terrace opens onto another garden, with play equipment for the children, a perfect and safe family section, where guests mainly order the pizzas prepared in Chef Bjorn’s new wood-fired oven, in which he is also preparing many of his meat dishes. In total about 120 guests can be accommodated, and we were surprised (and impressed) to see a Fully Booked sign as we entered, beautifully styled with vegetables, even though many tables inside were still available. Our charming waitress Gercia said that Chef Bjorn controls the number of guests he allows, relative to the pressure on his kitchen, so that service is not compromised, a commendable policy one would welcome at other restaurants too. The variable weather is another factor, so that all outside guests could move inside, if required.

Chef Bjorn is not only the chef but also operates the restaurant, with the assistance of his partner Rachel Davis.  Chef Bjorn was unable to leave his station, cooking in his open plan kitchen for a busy restaurant, and we missed him coming to chat at the table, as he did at the previous restaurant.  The staff wear white shirts and black pants, with black aprons, and the black tie makes the uniform look smart and professional.

There are no tablecloths for lunch, but they are used for dinner.  Material serviettes, still-shiny Wilkinson cutlery, and already-ground pink salt and black pepper are on the table.  The ciabatta is brought to the table on a branded wooden board, the butter being served in an espresso cup, but Willowcreek olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table too.  The water with slices of strawberry and mint leaves was an unusual mix, and very refreshing.  The menu is a double-sided laminated A4 sheet, with twelve starters, eight main courses, and five desserts. Each item on the menu has a suggestion for a Lourensford wine with tasting notes, all served by the glass and all reasonably priced.  Chef Bjorn is very focused on reducing the carbon footprint, and almost all produce is sourced less than 50 km from Lourensford.  Chef Bjorn is blessed to have a bountiful supply of plums, peaches, trout, honey, chickens, eggs, pears, grapes, and more on the estate. Urban farmer Matt Allison is consulting to the restaurant, to build a vegetable and herb garden.

The Chicken Liver Parfait starter was topped with rock salt and is served with pear chutney (R52), Chef Bjorn’s parfait has a new sophistication, served with Melba Toast.  The pairing suggestion is Winemakers Selection Viognier 2010 (R40/R120). My father loves calf’s liver, so had his ‘fix’ as a starter, topped with a strawberry salsa and drizzled with aged balsamic (R52), paired with Lourensford Selection Merlot 2010 (R47/R140).  My mother enjoyed three oysters (R60), the recommended pairing being the Lourensford Cap Classique 2008 (R44/R225).  Other starters are grilled squid; mussels served with cider and cream; a Caprese salad;  sardines served with an unusual combination of breadcrumbs, pinenuts, raisins, chilli and lemon; a delicious sounding mushroom risotto with black truffle, slow roasted tomatoes, and rocket; and grilled green asparagus.  None of the starters cost more than R60.

Three salads are available, a chicken, beetroot and goats’ cheese, and a Lourensford trout salad, costing between R60 – R68.  Pizzas are available with a wheat and gluten free base, at an additional R12.  Prices start at R55 for a Mozzarella, basil and tomato pizza; with wild mushroom, proscuitto, and salami, avocado, and chilli all costing R75.  Even though the main course portions are huge, one can order additional sides of Bearnaise or pepper sauce, vegetables, Parmesan sweet potato chips, a salad, or plain chips.  My dad loves duck, so he ordered the seared duck breast, potato rosti, grapefruit, blueberries, and sweet potato ribbons (R120), for which no wine pairing was suggested. My mother and I both had the pork belly, a huge delicious portion served with buttered mash, braised red cabbage, and an unusual apple and bacon sauce (R90), the pairing suggestion being Lourensford Estate Shiraz 2010 (R47/R140).  Other main courses include a Seafood platter at R360, which includes grilled prawns, crayfish, squid, mussels, fish, lemon butter, and aioli; lamb burger; rolled lamb shoulder; the Millhouse prawn risotto; and fillet and sirloin steak.

Chef Bjorn is a mean cheesecake maker, and his vanilla cheesecake with a kumquat preserve topping was no exception (R45), the pairing suggestion being Lourensford Noble Late Harvest 2009 (R27/R188).  I enjoyed the superb Summer berry stack, which was layers of crispy biscuit, vanilla mascarpone, and berry mousse (R42), the pairing suggestion being the Lourensford MCC 2008 (R44/R225). Other desserts are Crème Brulee, and Naked Chocolate Torte. The Millhouse Kitchen has just switched to Terbodore Coffee, and Chef Bjorn has created his own blend.

Breakfast is served from 8h30 – 11h00, the Full House of eggs, bacon, pork sausage, grilled field mushrooms, roasted tomatoes and toast costing R55, and a more simple Mini House costing R35. One can also order Omelettes, French Toast, Muesli, filled croissants, Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, Eggs Royale, and muffins and scones.

Corkage is charged at R35 for wines, and at R50 for MCC and sparkling wines.  The winelist is an A4 page, unlaminated, providing a short description of the 312 year old wine estate.  Its MCC costs R44/R225, and the three wine brands of the estate The River Garden, The Lourensford Estate Selection, and The Winemakers Selection range from R20 – R40 for Sauvignon Blanc, for example.

Chef Bjorn is onto a very good thing at The Millhouse Kitchen, and he proudly shared that he has already cooked for 21000 visitors since opening two months ago.  He has the right mix of decor, service, menu, Lourensford wines, and excellent fresh and locally sourced foods to make it one of the best in Somerset West, a town which has a shortage of good restaurants. He explained that the restaurant is a juxtaposition, a unique mix of rustic and fine dining.  When asking our waitress for the bill, she said that Chef Bjorn did not want me to pay, a most generous gesture.

The Millhouse Kitchen, Lourensford Estate, Somerset West. Tel (021)   www.lourensford.co.za Twitter:@TheMillhouseSA Tuesday – Saturday 8h30 – late, Sunday 8h30 – afternoon.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Wine business is boom-ing in Franschhoek!

About a year ago I wrote an e-mail to Franschhoek Wine Valley, as the tourism association is now called, and fed back my experiences about the off-putting security practices of wine estates in Franschhoek as far as their booms are concerned.   Yesterday I went for a drive to some of Franschhoek’s leading wine estates with my colleague, and this is what we experienced :

*   Allee Bleue – having had a history of tight security and rude boom operators, new GM Wolfgang Leyrer turned the security staff at the boom into his ‘welcome committee’, dressing them into smart blue shirts, black pants and blue bow-tie, even if they work for outsourced Centurion security company.  The boom is usually open, or is opened immediately, and it wins the top boom award for professionalism and friendliness.

*   Solms Delta – the boom off the R45 was closed on our arrival, and we had to hoot for it to be opened, but mercifully there was no sign-in procedure.  Thereafter the gates are open at Solms Delta itself.  I am surprised at the variability in the security – on many days the boom is open anyway, on weekends in particular, and one wonders why their boom is not open during the opening hours of the wine estate.

*   L’Ormarins has a non-negotiable security person, and one may not pass go until something/anything is filled into the security sheet.  This is more important than anything else at this wine estate, one gets the feeling.   They are absolutely consistent in applying the rule!

*   Graham Beck uses Peaceforce Security.  I have experienced variability in its boom operations in the past, the previous time the security guard sitting in the window of his ‘hut’, but facing outgoing traffic, so that we had to hoot for him to open.  There was no signing in then.   Even when he saw us, we had to hoot, so that he could press the button to let us out.  Yesterday we had to hoot to get him to come to the car, and we had to sign in.   He was signing in someone else when we wanted to leave, and he arrogantly let us wait until he finished with the sign-in before he let us out!  Once again, the attitude of this boom operator does not reflect the amazing welcome we received inside the tasting room, and does not reflect the Graham Beck ethos.

*   La Motte has mostly had an open boom since Pierneef à La Motte opened in September, or one could tell the boom operator that one had a booking at the restaurant, and then one was allowed in immediately.  On Sunday I observed the first ever signing-in, with the resultant queue building up, not an ideal situation for guests running late, as I was, and it was just a further hold up.  I smiled sweetly at the security man from Xone, gave him my name, and asked him to fill in my details, and he obliged.  When I arrived yesterday, the security person Inge was chatting to a person in a security company vehicle quite far from the boom, and she did not acknowledge my presence at all.   I thought they were her colleagues, as they were chatting.  I hooted, and overtook this vehicle.  She ignored me completely.  When she came to my car, she gave me a mouthful, and referred to me breaking the rules on Sunday (I had not dealt with her nor seen her then), and gave me the rudest “welcome” of the day, and almost put me off driving inside.   Her interaction with me was completely the opposite to every friendly interaction I have ever experienced at La Motte.  She is an absolute liability to the La Motte brand, and does not share this wine estate’s promise of “a culture of excellence”!

*   Maison is always open and welcoming, although it was closed yesterday.  Its gate is closed when the tasting room is closed, and there is no sign-in procedure at all, and this is a reflection of the friendly welcome one receives at this wine estate.  One hopes that it stays this way.

*   Grande Provence has a security presence via ADT at its entrance, but has no boom at all, and the security staff is a token presence.

*  Boekenhoutskloof has no security at all.  When the tasting room is closed, the gate is closed.  On weekdays the gate is welcomingly open during its operating hours. 

*   Holden Manz is the newest wine estate to be boom-ing, and ADT operates the security.  I mainly visit here at night, to eat at the Franschhoek Kitchen, and they should see the car lights approaching from their ‘hut’.  I have not once had them proactively open the boom or even walk to it!   Last night I was allowed to drive in without signing in when I said that I was going to the restaurant.  On my way out the security person was at the boom already, and opened it to allow me to drive out without stopping.  I suspect that Chef Bjorn Dingemans had done the necessary to achieve this service efficiency.

One wonders why some Franschhoek wine farms feel the need for security, and others don’t.   Other than Allee Bleue and Solms Delta,  it appears that the boom-ing Franschhoek wine estates do not realise how irritating it is to have to sign in.  I scribbled my name in all instances, and no security person stopped me from entering.   Most have security cameras anyway, and will capture on film any attempted criminal activity.  In all cases, other than Solms Delta, security is outsourced, and not unsurprisingly, the outsourced security staff tend to be the rude, arrogant or inefficient ones, with the exception of Allee Bleue.

My advice to Franschhoek (and other) wine farms : let your customers enter as easily as possible.  Make your security staff your ambassadors, guiding the visitors directionally as to where they want to be, and use them as part of your PR program.  Train outsourced security staff in customer interaction, and the values you and your wine estate stand for.   Make the arrival as welcoming and efficient as possible – if you have to have a boom, get the security guys out of their ‘huts’ and let them stand at the boom, to open or close the boom before the cars stop at it and have to hoot.  Then business on your wine estate should boom! 

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Twitter: @WhaleCottage

Restaurant Review: Franschhoek Kitchen refreshingly new!

Inquisitiveness led me to one of Franschhoek’s newest restaurants, the Franschhoek Kitchen, which opened three months ago, on the recently renamed Holden Manz Wine Estate.   I had not seen anything written about it nor heard anyone recommend it yet.  Despite the incredibly hot 42°C day, I was impressed with the refreshing approach to the restaurant, and its chef Bjorn Dingemans. 

The restaurant was previously called Genot, which had been built on the Klein Genot wine estate.  The estate had belonged to Angie and Joey Diamond, but they had to hastily sell by auction last year.  Surprisingly from a marketing perspective, the new owners have decided to change the brand name to Holden Manz, and even the Klein Genot wines will be rebranded in future.   Information about the new owners Migo Manz and Gerard Holden is scant from the staff, saying they are international businessmen.  They are about to open a contemporary African art gallery on the main road in Franschhoek.  The restaurant is into its third phase – it had opened originally under the eye of Bertus Basson from Overture and his colleague Mark.   They withdrew after a year when they did not make money there.  Then Angie Diamond tried to do her own Baia-meets-Franschhoek fish restaurant, which did not succeed either.  Now it has a new chef and a new name, with some of the old staff.

On the surface little has changed.  Branding off the Huguenot Monument Road refers to Klein Genot on the brown provincial signage, but once one reaches one’s destination, the new elephant-themed Holden Manz branding is visible on signage boards and flags.   The security is new, with one half of the narrow gate closed, which means that no one can enter nor leave, even worse so if cars arrive simultaneously from both directions, as happened when I visited.   When I spoke to the security guard, he was very defensive, and said he was busy with paperwork in his security hut.   Not a good welcome, with a wait in the Franschhoek heat.   I became even more nervous when I saw only one car parked outside the cellar and restaurant, and more so when I saw them sitting outside, and not in the restaurant upstairs.   I received an unplanned shower from two sprinklers, which were watering the vines on the way to the restaurant.  

A person looking like a Restaurant Manager asked if I wanted a booking.  However, I had called and made a reservation two days before, and found it odd that he did not seem to know about it, especially as there were no other guests!   He never introduced himself, nor came to speak to me.  I was seated outside, and it probably was a mistake, as the fans on the terrace just circulated the already very hot air.  But Chef Bjorn came to the table when I asked some questions which the waiter Lorenzo could not answer.   He indicated immediately that he knew who I was, as he follows bloggers!   We had never met, and he came to Franschhoek from the UK.   He exuded confidence, told me he grew up in Somerset West, trained at the Greenhouse at the Cellars Hohenhort, and then worked at Soho House in Babington, under Chef Ronnie Bonetti, who used to be the Head Chef at the River Café.  He told me that he has a patch of land behind the restaurant in which he can plant his vegetable and herb requirements, making him self-sufficient up to 80 % of his fresh produce requirements.  Salmon is sourced from the trout farm close by.  On Holden Manz he also has access to figs, peaches, grapes, apples and pears, which he can use in his dishes, and he proudly told me that he makes his own chutney.   He has free reign in terms of his menu and kitchen, and changes his lunch and his dinner menu daily, hence it is printed on paper.   The menu is introduced with “please ask us for the provenance of produce & seasonal offerings, we aim to source only organic and local food”.  It ends as follows: “fruits, vegetable & herbs are sourced from our gardens when in season”.  (The menu on the website is very similar to the one I received on Thursday, which means that only one or two items are changed daily).

As far as the decor goes, nothing inside the restaurant has been changed by the new owners – the chandeliers, the purple upholstered chairs around one table (the others are covered with a more subtle beige velvet) and two couches on one side.  The Kitchen is massive, and is open to the patrons to see from their tables.

The view from the restaurant terrace is onto the wine estate’s vineyards and the Franschhoek mountains in the background.   Tables are laid with good quality napery, and contemporary cutlery.  The waiter brought an attractive looking dish with fresh rosa tomatoes from the garden, mixed olive oil and balsamic, and ground salt and pepper.  A very crispy ciabatta was brought to the table, and I had to stop the waiter when he wanted to serve a second slice of the lovely bread.   I started with the Smoked salmon, rosa tomatoes and asparagus salad, beautifully presented and perfect for the hot day (R60).  Other starters that day were tomato, buffalo mozzarella and garden basil salad (R55); soup (R45); beef carpaccio, rocket and parmesan R(60);  grilled squid (R55); and sea bass carpaccio (R55).  Two persons can share an antipasti platter with cured meats, olives, mozzarella, tomatoes, spinach and grilled bread, good value at R75.   It was too hot for a main course, although I was tempted by the prawns and asparagus dish (R160), and will come back to try it.  Other main courses cost under R100, for a pasta of the day, angel fish, and linefish.  Duck breast costs R125, steak R100 for ribeye, and R135 for fillet; lamb chops cost R145.

I loved the description by Chef Bjorn of his Messy Martini dessert, served in a martini glass, with crumbed meringue, fresh cream, blueberries, strawberries and sprinkled with chopped nuts (R40), a steal at the price and a refreshing end to a surprisingly successful meal.  Other dessert options cost R45 for chocolate pot, lemon tart, and a cheese platter.

The winelist is also printed on paper, and Klein Genot wines feature in all varieties offered, and is the only brand served by the glass, except for the sparkling wine, which is by Pierre Jourdan, at R42 (R170) for a glass of Brut and R59 (R235) for the Belle Rose.   A small selection of no more than three brands is offered per variety.  Only the Klein Genot vintages are supplied, not those of the other brands.   No information about the region of origin is provided.   Other than the Klein Genot 2007 Shiraz (R57/R170), Heron Ridge (R120) and Kevin Arnold’s (R395) Shiraz are sold. 

The Franschhoek Kitchen was a breath of fresh (but hot) air, and I will certainly return, to see what Chef Bjorn has up his sleeve next.  He is planning classic movie nights on Wednesdays, accompanied by a three-course meal.  I wish him and the owners more business, as it felt extravagant to have the chef prepare the meal for me alone, but I did not complain!   I was impressed that the sprinklers had been switched off when I went back to my car, and that the security guard had the gate open for me when I left!

POSTSCRIPT: 11/1  I returned to Holden Manz for the Farmer’s Market last Saturday, which was not a typical representation of the foods which are normally available at the fortnightly markets, I was told.   Tonight I went for dinner with my nephew, and had a Caprese salad, with fresh rosa tomatoes and tender basil, served with a rich Buffalo Mozzarella, as a starter, and the prawns and asparagus for the main course.   I would have preferred the prawns to be deshelled, and had to ask for a finger bowl.   The sprinklers were set on a lower level, but still wet the pathway to the car.  The responsiveness by the security staff at the gate could be faster.   The restaurant has received a number of bookings since this review was published on Saturday, Chef Bjorn said proudly.  Now that I know the name of the Manager Martin, he is more responsive, and less introverted.   Chef Bjorn will also take over the Blog and start a Twitter account for Franschhoek Kitchen.

POSTSCRIPT 18/1:  I returned to Franschhoek Kitchen with two Whale Cottage Managers this evening, and all three of us had the linefish – Carole and I both chose the kingklip, served with baby potatoes, asparagus and the freshest Rosa tomatoes from the Holden Manz garden (R90).  Marianna had the sea bass, and found its taste ‘wilder’.   The kingklip was a generous and juicy portion, outstanding in preparation.  Chef Bjorn spoilt us with a platter of wonderful ham and salmon, mozzarella, greens, and olives, served with toasted ciabatta.   For dessert he sent us trial portions of new desserts that have been added to the menu – a brandy panacotta and a white chocolate mousse, the latter being an especially big hit, indulgently tasting a little like cookie batter with a soft meringue topping.    We had a wonderful evening, impressed even more by Chef Bjorn’s cuisine.   When one eats at Franschhoek Kitchen, one gets a glass of Klein Genot Rosé for free with the meal.

POSTSCRIPT 23/4: I returned to the Franschhoek Kitchen on a cold Easter weekend evening, and enjoyed the cosiness of the fire in the restaurant, as well as the good winter-style food prepared by Chef Bjorn Dingemans – wild mushroom and white truffle risotto starter, pork neck stuffed with sage and apple, and a selection of the desserts, including new pastry chef Stuart’s carrot cake, and poached pear and vanilla cream cheese, which the chef sent to the table.  It is good to hear that lunches are getting busy at the restaurant.  Evenings are still quiet, but guests can be collected from guest houses by the Holden Manz shuttle.

POSTSCRIPT 7/8:  Last night I enjoyed one of the Fondue is Fun evenings at Franschhoek Kitchen, which have been a sell-out success since they were introduced earlier this winter.  A fondue pot with boiling oil was set in the centre of the table, and surrounding it was a collection of glass jars, containing fish, chicken, beef strips and prawns, and bowls of boiled potato pieces and crumbed mushrooms.  Sauces one could dip the meat and vegetables into before cooking them were a champagne batter, sweet chilli sauce, and jus.  A collection of spices was also available for dusting one’s fondue items: cajun, fish and vegetable spice.  Delicious crispy bread was available.   We were offered a glass of new Holden Manz port, in an elegant glass.  The fun really started when all the diners were divided into groups, and wine manager Guy Kedian became the quiz-master, testing the Trivial Pursuit knowledge of all present.  Correct answers were rewarded with a point, and for each incorrect answer, the team lost a point.  This brain-taxing exercise was followed by a wonderful Lindt chocolate fondue, with which was served pieces of fruit, Brownies and donuts, all delicious when dipped into the chocolate.  Everyone had a wonderful fun evening.  Further Fondue is Fun evenings this month take place on 17 and 27 August, and cost R150, excluding drinks.

Franschhoek Kitchen, Holden Manz Wine Estate,  Green Valley Road, Franschhoek.   Tel (021) 876- 2729.  www.holdenmanz.com. (The website contains the menu, still lists the festive season specials, and has a small gallery of only interior shots, with no food shots.   A blog has been started, with only three posts to date).  Open Tuesday – Saturday 10h00 – 22h00, and on Sundays 10h00 – 15h00. (The menu says: “sunday is family day – slow cooked lunch or braai”).  No Breakfast is served, only lunch and dinner (the website says Breakfast is served every second Saturday when they host the Farmer’s Market, contrary to the waiter’s information).   Picnics are also offered.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com   Twitter: @WhaleCottage