{"id":15057,"date":"2010-12-26T10:37:57","date_gmt":"2010-12-26T08:37:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=15057"},"modified":"2011-08-07T22:38:26","modified_gmt":"2011-08-07T20:38:26","slug":"restaurant-review-delaire-graff-restaurant-is-friendly-professionalism-and-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/restaurant-news\/restaurant-review-delaire-graff-restaurant-is-friendly-professionalism-and-class\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: Delaire Graff Restaurant is friendly professionalism and class!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>In the past one and\u00a0a half years that the Delaire Graff Restaurant has been open, I have\u00a0had two excellent<\/a> and one negative<\/a>experience, the last one unfortunately having\u00a0left such an impression on me that I\u00a0did not return for a year.\u00a0 Last week I went back, and was blown away (almost literally by the South-Easter too) by how professional\u00a0and friendly Delaire Graff and its staff are.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The restaurant is not inexpensive, and therefore it is\u00a0the perfect\u00a0place at which to celebrate a special event or achievement.\u00a0\u00a0 Its setting above the Helshoogte Pass in Stellenbosch\u00a0gives it a perfect view onto the surrounding vineyards and mountains.<\/p>\n

The wine estate must be one of the Winelands’ properties which is supported by one of the largest investments\u00a0(the owner is Laurence Graff, a Switzerland-based jeweller owning 30 branches of Graff Diamonds around the world, in the news last year when one of its London stores suffered the biggest jewellery\u00a0heist ever).\u00a0\u00a0 Graff bought the estate from John and Erica Platter, spent millions of Rands and years of time to redevelop the property, first building the Delaire Graff Restaurant, winery\u00a0and winetasting centre, and earlier this year adding the Delaire Graff\u00a0Lodge with Indochine restaurant<\/a><\/span><\/strong>. \u00a0I have written previously about the monumental artwork spread across the estate, not only in terms of the top artists whose work is displayed, but also the sheer size of many of these.\u00a0\u00a0 The artwork\u00a0displayed is by father and son Anton and Lionel Smit, Dylan Lewis, William Kentridge (the s-shaped leather seating in the restaurant was matched\u00a0in colour to the Kentridge!), Deborah Bell, Fred Schimmel, Sydney Khumalo, Cecil Skotness and Maurice van Essche.<\/p>\n

As I entered the restaurant building\u00a0I could not miss the new Lionel Smit painting in the reception hall, overshadowing even the massive Christmas tree.\u00a0 The attention paid to decorating the Delaire Graff building for Christmas cannot be overlooked,\u00a0with massive Christmas trees in the restaurant, reception hall and winetasting room, each decorated in a specific colour scheme,\u00a0putting me into a Christmas spirit I have not\u00a0experienced in a restaurant so far.\u00a0\u00a0 As the external gates were open when I arrived, the gatehouse could not report my arrival, so that there was no one to personally welcome me in the car park, as used to be the case.\u00a0\u00a0 Yet there were three staff members in the massive Reception Hall, all beaming in friendliness, but none asked where I was going and if I needed help to find my way to the restaurant.\u00a0\u00a0I did note a new shop selling clothing as well as some display stands selling Graff jewellery\u00a0off the Reception Hall, which had opened a few days before.\u00a0 (Both the jewellery salesladies were not available when I wanted to get an idea of prices, and the clothing shop salesladies hazarded a guess at R80000 for a pair of diamond earings).\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But once I had reached the restaurant, charming new Maitre’d\u00a0Nadia Kotze was waiting for me.\u00a0\u00a0 She had reserved a table inside because of the wind, but I chose to sit in a sheltered section outside, due to my cellphone being particularly active that lunchtime.\u00a0\u00a0 Quickly a table was set up, a jug of ice water brought to the table,\u00a0with a lovely linen serviette, WMF cutlery, and a Peugeot grinder for the pinkish Himalayan rock salt filled with lots of mineral goodness, with\u00a0a matching pepper grinder.\u00a0\u00a0 Everything is colour matched in the restaurant, the interior designer being David Collins from London, in that the table underlay, the decorations on the Christmas tree, the menu and the winelist cover all\u00a0are in shades of\u00a0yellow\/gold\/orange.\u00a0 The menu holder is stylish, with blue edging inside.\u00a0\u00a0 Music is piped throughout the building, and has a distinctly European feel, including French and Italian songs.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Chelsea came to introduce herself, and offered me a choice of three breads – ryebread, focaccia sprinkled with rocksalt and rosemary, and ciabatta.\u00a0\u00a0 Nadia pointed out the barbeque as we stepped outside, with which chef Christiaan Campbell is experimenting, she said, preparing kingklip and chicken on it on alternate days.\u00a0\u00a0 Staff look smart in white shirts and black pants, and a black Delaire branded apron.\u00a0\u00a0 Everyone coming to the table beamed,\u00a0and called me “Mrs von Ulmenstein”,\u00a0showing their professional touch without familiarity. Even Johann Laubser, the Delaire Graff Estate GM, came to greet me.\u00a0\u00a0 Nadia\u00a0has only recently moved across from Zacharay’s at Pezula.\u00a0 She has previously been a Food & Beverage Manager at the Liz McGrath Collection of hotels, and has done the cruiseliners.\u00a0\u00a0 Chef Christiaan has been at the restaurant since it opened, and must be one of the few original restaurant staff still there.\u00a0\u00a0 Chef Christiaan laughed when I said this to him, when he came to say hello, and said quietly that he is a loyal chef, a nice answer!\u00a0\u00a0 He said that they had been disappointed to receive negative feedback about the restaurant’s service levels, but had taken stock earlier this year, and have addressed the shortcomings in this regard.\u00a0 The service I received was excellent.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Given\u00a0that it was the chicken barbeque day, and that I sat close to the barbeque outside, I ordered the Roast chicken, confit leg deep-fried in a batter, and a smoked corn and parsnip mash.\u00a0\u00a0 I loved the colour the corn added to the mash, and the smoky barbeque taste of the roast chicken (R155).\u00a0 Having been ill for the four days prior, my appetite was not yet back to normal, and therefore I took some of the dish home.\u00a0 Starter options cost between R85 – R105, and include paprika squid, buffalo mozzarella, goat’s cheese fritters, cured beef, ceviche of red fish, and yellow fin tuna.\u00a0 Main courses start at R110, for Primavera, and peak at R295 for Cape Rock Lobster.\u00a0 Other main courses include fish and chips, pork belly, seared salmon trout, Waterberg beef, and line fish.\u00a0\u00a0 A number of sides can be ordered too.\u00a0\u00a0 Nadia was such a good salesperson that she persuaded me to have a refreshing fruit feast for dessert, being apricot panna cotta, with nectarine sorbet, star anise marshmallow, plum soup, with macerated apricots (R55).\u00a0\u00a0 Other dessert options cost R65, and include a chocolate sandwich, pistachio nougat, and strawberries.\u00a0 Gelato costs R25 per scoop.\u00a0 “Handcrafted cheeses” can be ordered at R95.\u00a0\u00a0 Interestingly, the dessert and cheese options each had a wine pairing suggestion on the menu.\u00a0\u00a0 I had a lovely frothy cappuccino with my dessert, expensive at R30.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The winelist contains the Delaire wine collection, including Sauvignon Blancs (R170 – R320), Chardonnay (R210), Ros\u00e9 (R140), Shiraz (R175), Red Blend (R220), Port (R320) and Semillon Noble Late Harvest (R300).\u00a0 A small selection of other wine brands is offered per variety.\u00a0 Champagnes are by Taittinger (R1500), Billecart-Salmon Rose NV (R1650) and Louis Roderer Cristal (R7750).\u00a0M\u00e9thode Cap Classiques range from R245 (Colmant Brut Reserve) to R950 for Graham Beck Cuvee Clive.\u00a0\u00a0 Southern Right Sauvignon Blanc costs R170, and an imported Domaine Lafond Sancerre Sauvignon Blanc costs R620.\u00a0 Pax Verbatim 2007 Shiraz costs R295, Cirrus 2006 R455, and Stark-Conde Three Pines 2007 R 550.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Wines by the glass cost R 40 – R 55, and are predominantly by Delaire, with Bon Courage Brut Reserve costing R55.<\/p>\n

The bathrooms at Delaire Graff are the best-smelling, cleanest, and tidiest I have every experienced at any restaurant.\u00a0\u00a0 I had not seen the tasting room before, and saw in it not only the attractively labelled Delaire wines, branded shirts, but also the latest Platter and Rossouw’s Restaurants guides.\u00a0 My eye also caught the attractively packaged\u00a0Delaire Graff chocolate slabs and mini-chocolate collection packs, which looked like they could make the\u00a0perfect Christmas presents, even if not inexpensive.\u00a0\u00a0 Michael walked me out of the building to the car park, a nice touch I remember from the early days of Delaire Graff Restaurant.<\/p>\n

Delaire Graff Restaurant has an interesting counterpoint with the “new” Tokara Restaurant with chef Richard <\/a>Carstens across the road.\u00a0 I could not see any dramatic changes to the Delaire Graff Restaurant menu as a result of the “new” competitor, and the service is very much improved.\u00a0\u00a0 It will be interesting to see how both restaurants fare on the Eat Out<\/strong> Top 10 restaurant list in 2011.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>POSTSCRIPT 7\/8\/11:<\/strong>I popped in at Delaire Graff this afternoon, after lunch at the close-by de Huguenot Restaurant<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 I was impressed once again with how classy and professional this wine estate is.\u00a0 It was the perfect afternoon to sit outside.\u00a0 I had a frothy, almost creamy, cappuccino, and a study in strawberry with it – there were dried and fresh strawberries, strawberry granite, meringue crumbs, vanilla pastry creme, black pepper shortbread, and strawberry ice cream, a refreshing and attractively presented dessert.<\/p>\n

Delaire Graff Restaurant<\/strong>, Helshoogte Pass, Stellenbosch.\u00a0Tel (021) 885-1270.\u00a0 www.delaire.co.za<\/a>\u00a0 (The website contains menus for both Delaire Graff Estate restaurants, and has an Image Gallery).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mondays – Sundays lunch, Mondays – Saturdays dinner.\u00a0\u00a0 Booking is advisable.<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a>\u00a0 Twitter: @WhaleCottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the past one and\u00a0a half years that the Delaire Graff Restaurant has been open, I have\u00a0had two excellent and one negativeexperience, the last one unfortunately having\u00a0left such an impression on me that I\u00a0did not return for a year.\u00a0 Last week I went back, and was blown away (almost literally by the South-Easter too) by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[124,20,31,21],"tags":[1744,9212,6214,9211,4705,9200,32378,5406,9172,9206,1745,9213,1736,9195,9203,9208,1747,4199,1746,9191,9207,1688,5246,9190,9201,9192,6202,1748,9202,9205,9197,1066,9198,9209,9150,3503,521,252,3625,62,1358,457,9210,32376,9196,9204,3285,32373,8492,32382,9193,9194,9199,1363],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t