The name De Eetkamer translates to “the dining room” and speaks to the style of food and how it’s served. The small plate menu recommended to be ordered for, and shared among, all at the table, like one would eat in their own family’s dining room.
The menu is small yet well considered, featuring about a dozen small plates and a choice of three desserts. The chef’s focus on seasonality means it’s a menu constantly in flux, changing as to ensure the use of only the freshest ingredients.
The suggestion here is to share four to six plates per couple. Begin with the nuoc cham oysters, dressed in a Vietnamese spicy, sweet, sour and salty sauce, and perhaps a bread course. On the day I visit it was a knotted olive roll, the enriched bun simply served with a potato and rosemary butter – beautiful in its simplicity and the knots of the roll delicately pulling apart to be lathered with the wonderfully aromatic and textured butter.
Review | De Eetkamer
The globally-inspired eatery is serving up big flavours in small plates in the heart of Stellenbosch
Image: Supplied
In a converted stable along Stellenbosch’s historic Dorp Street is where you’ll find De Eetkamer. It is here where chef and owner Marco Cardoso cooks up a range of globally inspired small plates, which deliver flavour aplenty.
The renovated space is chic in its simplicity, the big green stable doors opening to a bright and airy minimalist interior, which sees the building’s white plastered walls and exposed wooden ceiling beams juxtaposed with contemporary, clean furniture design, local artworks and an exquisite floral installation. It’s a sophisticated yet understated setting, creating a serene and stylish backdrop against which the chef’s cooking shines.
Image: Supplied
Image: Supplied
The name De Eetkamer translates to “the dining room” and speaks to the style of food and how it’s served. The small plate menu recommended to be ordered for, and shared among, all at the table, like one would eat in their own family’s dining room.
The menu is small yet well considered, featuring about a dozen small plates and a choice of three desserts. The chef’s focus on seasonality means it’s a menu constantly in flux, changing as to ensure the use of only the freshest ingredients.
The suggestion here is to share four to six plates per couple. Begin with the nuoc cham oysters, dressed in a Vietnamese spicy, sweet, sour and salty sauce, and perhaps a bread course. On the day I visit it was a knotted olive roll, the enriched bun simply served with a potato and rosemary butter – beautiful in its simplicity and the knots of the roll delicately pulling apart to be lathered with the wonderfully aromatic and textured butter.
Image: Steve Steinfeld
Next, go for the likes of the seared tuna with a sundried tomato and caper dressing or the crispy, Korean-fried cauliflower flourettes, coated with a sweet soy and sprinkled with finely chopped aliums.
Image: Supplied
The prawns with chorizo, garlic and chilli emulsion atop a potato rosti aren’t to be missed either — a dish of bold and punchy flavours that just works so well together. The same could be said about the gloriously rich and creamy parmesan risotto, which arrives with a block of grilled goat’s cheese to be slowly mixed and melted into the rice.
Image: Steve Steinfeld
It’s a menu that lets you build a meal of your own liking: whether you are more inclined to the lighter dishes or heartier ones, from the pan-fried gnocchi to the steamed veg with peanut sauce and the Japanese fried chicken, there’s sure to be something to tickle all fancies.
Those with a sweet tooth can opt for a seasonal panna cotta, crème brulee or their absolutely decadent chocolate ganache with pecan nut and Oreos, for an absolutely indulgent end to the meal.
Image: Supplied
Complementing the menu is a 50-bottle wine list which runs the gambit from Cap Classique to Pinotage and everything in between — though often only offering up one expression of a particular style or varietal (red blends being the exception with roughly a fifth of the list). It’s a perfectly suitable list that is well suited to pairing with the small plate selection.
Overall, a superb meal, with Cardoso clearly aware that sometimes less is more, with each of the dishes delivering beautiful flavours through perhaps deceivingly simple cooking. A fantastic, must-visit spot within the bustling foodie-forward town.
Image: Supplied
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