Friday 14 January 2022, Day 106 of Level 1 😷
Corona Lockdown Gratitude 🙏
#grateful for the lessons learnt in a fabulous morning and a terrible afternoon, ending off on a good note; for a fabulous weather day, at 31C or more, perfect, with no wind; for an early departure from home, to take my car for a service to Audi in the Waterfront with barely any traffic on the way, with a very efficient car check-in; for a wonderful breakfast and temporary office table at The Granary at The Silo Hotel in the Waterfront, whilst waiting for my car for three hours, having the most Continue reading →
In November I was privileged to experience the 16-course Tasting Menu of the then newly opened Gåte Restaurant at Quoin Rock wine estate. On Friday my Parisian friend and I returned to Gåte, to experience the lunchtime Food and Wine Experience, pairing the restaurant’s homemade charcuterie and cheese dishes with the excellent wines of Quoin Rock. 
The new words on serious diners lips are ‘Gåte’ and ‘Quoin Rock’, both not having been heard of by most, but already associated with superlative dining, on a wine estate tucked away outside Stellenbosch where no expense had been spared to create eating and drinking experiences to take one’s breath away! This is what we experienced when invited to eat at Chef Rikku O’Donnchü’s Gåte restaurant on Friday evening. I was still pinching myself over the weekend as to whether this was real, or just a dream. I invited my friend Stuart Bailey to share this experience with me. 
Last year I visited Hartford House for the first time, better known to me over the years as the leading award-winning restaurant in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) when it was headed up by Chef Jackie Cameron. I found a young passionate chef in Constantijn Hahndiek, and an excellently run boutique hotel by GM Duncan Bruce. On my return visit this month, I found that the bar had been raised even higher at Hartford House.