Review | Beyond at Buitenverwachting

There are few local restaurant teams as formidable as Peter Tempelhoff, Jennifer Hugé and Ashley Moss. The dynamic trio behind Cape Town’s award-winning Fyn — recently awarded 37th place in the world on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list — and the Constantia wineland’s gem, Beyond at Buitenverwachting.

It’s the latter I find myself visiting on this blue skied Sunday afternoon, Cape Town’s unusually warm winter showing off the picturesque winelands to full effect. The restaurant, with its earth tones, terracotta and natural woods, boasts expansive windows overlooking the sloped vineyards of the historic estate.

The menu has a hyper focus on provenance, with the team sourcing the best ingredients — from smaller-scale producers, farmers and growers — around which their offering is then created.

As it’s a Sunday, and Sunday’s naturally call for long, lazy lunching, we opt for the Beyond tasting experience: a six-course menu that puts the decisions firmly in the hands of the chef. A two- and three-course à la carte offering is available for those looking for a reduced dining experience.

We begin with the roasted sweet potato epi, the wheat stalk shaped rolls are to be enjoyed along with rosemary cultured butter and a rosemary infused oil. It’s a simple yet elegant start to the meal, which is followed shortly by the amuse-bouche, a clever little dish of cured trout and celeriac remoulade with elements of kelp, beets and fennel, finished with a blood orange and fennel vinaigrette. It’s a wonderful contrast of flavour and texture, the fresh trout juxtaposed against the deep, earthy celeriac.

The first starter takes shape in a spiced pumpkin cheesecake, the savoury mousse atop a digestive crumb and topped with a Buitenverwachting dessert wine jelly. It’s an unexpected yet well constructed dish, which harnesses the beautiful winter flavours to full effect.

Next up is the newest addition to the menu and quite possibly the dish of the day, an ostrich carpaccio cooked straight on the coals, served with roast onion, ponzu, miso mayo, crispy onion and textures of shiitake. It’s all the best flavours of a braai and then some — the char of the bird, the crispy, sticky onions, loads of umami — it’s a magnificent dish, showcasing the beauty of both restraint and simplicity.

A duo of mains follows, the first a bouillabaisse inspired dish of roast cape fish atop a tomato and pepper risotto and saffron mussels; it’s perhaps the one dish I would’ve liked to have more punch, but perhaps only because of the strength of the previous dishes.

What the fish course lacks, the second main makes up for. Once again an exercise in simplicity, a wild rosemary crusted springbok loin is served with a celeriac espuma and a boldly flavoured jus. Just beautifully cooked, top-notch produce, showcased at its finest.

The meal comes to an end with the flavours of matcha, lime and pistachio in a textural exploration of the three ingredients. There’s a whipped line panna cotta, matcha and lime jelly, matcha sticks and pistachio in the form of ice cream, crumble and sponge. It’s a dish of balance, the creamy and the crispy, the sour and sweet — each mouthful delivering a different flavour sensation based on what combination you happen to spoon up.

Of course, I would be remise to write about a restaurant helmed by Jennifer Hugé without mentioning the wine programme. As with Fyn, she has compiled an exciting and phenomenally well-considered pairing menu. Juggling a selection of interesting Buitenverwachting wines, as well as a host of other top South African winemakers. A highlight is the 2007 vintage of Vriesenhof’s Bordeaux blend, the Kalista, which paired superbly with the springbok main. Just beautiful.

Beautiful food, a stellar wine selection and magnificent views of the vineyards and mountains means there’s very little else one could ask for to make for a more delightful lunch in the winelands. Tempelhoff and team once again deliver a simply outstanding fine dining experience.