Restaurant Review: 96 Winery Road

Set in the heart of the winelands, this beautiful house is home to a restaurant very close to my heart. I was treated often as a child to Gatriles and with the same owners and the same signature dish on the menu, 96 Winery Road is more than special. You can have an intimate dinner for 2, a birthday party for 8 in the ‘wine cellar’ or even a Christmas party in the separate dining room. The tables are spacious and set far away from each other that you do not feel like you are encroaching on other diners. The menu is ever changing and well priced with a good variety of meals to suit anyone. You can chose from the tasting menu – with or without wine pairings, the seasonal menu, or their standard menu. This changes frequently, which means as a regular diner you will not become bored with eating the same fare. However, you will always find the duck and cherry pie on the menu as well as the crème brûlée. Both have been on the menu since 1974! The wine list has to be one of the best I have ever encountered and do not be intimidated by its size – you will find something there to suit your palate and your wallet. And if you are left wondering what to order, there are chefs recommendations for pairings as well as a sommelier to guide you. The service is friendly and the staff know what they are talking about. Expect an all round fantastic dining experience with proper cutlery and decent glassware and silverware. I would highly recommend that you book before going. The restaurant has a children’s menu which is great for those people wanting to eat out somewhere top notch with their children. 96 Winery Road has a fantastic ambiance, with quiet background music, and is open both for lunch and dinner.

Contact them on 021 842 2020

JUNE 2011

Dave and I went for the Winter Warmer Special which offers a choice off the menu of 3 courses, plus a glass of wine for R180.00. Some of the dishes have a supplementary charge but regardless of that, this is an extremely worth while special offer. The menu is fresh, with a wide variety of choices. I had the little seafood platter to start (R65) which consisted of miso salmon, an open prawn ravioli and deep fried calamari. The calamari has a bite to it, and the platter was very good. Dave had the barbequed quail confit which was served with bitter greens and a sweet roasted onion (R60). The dish was well presented and tasted great. Dave chose the miso salmon for his main course which was deep fried in ketalfi pastry and was served on bok choi with a soy reduction and wasabi mayonnaise (R110). It was a very generous portion and extremely good. I chose the marinated lamb rump which was served with roast sweet potato and parsnip purée and popped tomato salsa (R105). The salsa was slightly heated and the meal great. We had a portion of the very moreish tempura vegetables to go with our main course. For dessert Dave chose the French apple flan with cinnamon ice cream (R50) and I of course had the crème brûlée (R45). The desserts as usual were sublime!

APRIL 2011

I had the fortunate experience of spending a wonderful lunch with the team at 96 Winery Road and other guests to help choose new wines for their wine list. This coupled with a new menu prompted me to make a booking the night before we left for overseas. For interest sake, the Meerlust Rubicon 1984 is priced at R850 a bottle or you can have the 1994 for R800. We chose the Ken Forrester Merlot 2009 which is well priced at R130 and is a stand out red wine.

The new menu shows a lot of imagination and is much better but the side order of vegetable has become expensive. This is the one thing that continues to irk Dave that top restaurants charge you for vegetables and that they are not part of the main course you order.

We chose the spicy prawns (R60) and the crispy pork belly strips (R55) to start and the prawns themselves were not spicy, but the avocado accompanying it certainly was. My pork belly was definitely a winner and I can understand why it cannot be taken off the menu. It is accompanied by a lovely chutney. Dave chose the chicken as his main course (R90) and I had the roasted kingklip (R98) and neither of us were disappointed. Dave’s chicken came with spinach and no starch and my portion of fish was extremely generous. We ordered the wonderful tempura vegetables to go with our meal.

We did not order any desserts but Dave did however order an espresso which came with a piece of fudge.

DECEMBER 2010

We were warmly greeted by Alan and his team, and the service as per the norm, was exceptional. The wine list is extensive and we chose a bottle of Raka Barrel Select Merlot (R150). This was brought to the table by the sommelier at the perfect temperature for the South African climate.

I originally chose Crispy Pork Belly Strips (R50) as my starter, but as this is a fatty dish, and the waiter warned me my choice of mains was fatty I changed my mind and ordered the Thai Style Fish Cakes (R50). These were very fishy but not very Thai, being served with a balsamic reduction and what tasted like an aioli. Dave ordered the Fresh Green Asparagus (R58) and the only criticism he had for the dish was that the poached egg was done in a container and was not ‘free form’. Being our wedding anniversary, the camera was pushed aside and so there are no photographs of our starters.

Dave chose the Roasted Loin of Gemsbok (R110) for his main course, which was tough and sent back and swapped for the Norwegian Salmon. This was handled professionally and without any problems and I must commend the staff for the way in which they handled the complaint. I ordered the Beef Short Rib (R95) which was not too fatty, and was extremely tasty. The vinegar beans helped cut through the rich sauce and there was far too much on the plate for me. I managed to taste one of the tempura vegetables and they were fantastic. Dave was brought a fresh bowl of vegetables with his second main course which was great attention to detail.

The other attention to detail that impresses me is the fresh bread before you order and the quick change of cutlery after you order your meal. Someone is always around to top up your wine, but the service is not intrusive.

For dessert I used my bench mark crème brûlée (R45) to taste test the chef. Here I was not disappointed. This recipe has been used since 1974 at Gatriles and it was silky smooth with just the right amount of sugar on top. I was so full I could have done with half, but even under normal circumstances, the dish is enough to share if you are feeling generous.

We ended our meal with a port and what I think was Heaven on Earth – a little gift from Alan for our wedding anniversary.

Tandy

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