Eating Southern Cape, part 3: Jakkalsvlei Wine Estate

 

2 June 2022

 

Jakkalsvlei Wine Estate

Herbertsdale district

 

We were hugely entertained, yet also nonplussed, by a comic turn from our waiter who probably had no intention of being our Pierrot, regarding a simple request for a cup of decaff cappuccino for the father-in-law, with the caveat that it just be hot. (Apparently, decaff is routinely served “cold”).

 

The waiter went away with the drinks order, including the decaff, but soon returned for an almost handwringing Uriah Heep-like discourse on the challenges of meeting the decaff order. Firstly, they couldn’t make a decaff cappuccino, which, I would’ve thought would be like making a caff cappuccino, but could do a filter coffee decaff, but the narrative then escalated into a jeremiad about the wretched quality of the decaff and it soon became quite apparent that, come what may, the restaurant simply didn’t want to serve decaff coffee at all.

 

He should’ve said so from the off. The father-in-law gave up on his simple desire for decaff.

 

This was the third and final fam, minus 3,  lunch at an unexpectedly lovely wine estate roughly 60km from Mossel Bay, and about 10 km from the not quaint yet small hamlet of Herbertsdale in the eponymous valley famed for its dairy cattle.

 

The bright, modern restaurant is set against a slope with magnificent views of vineyards, a gorge and verdant hills, for me a far better vista than a seascape but, then, when my primordial ancestors came from the sea they crawled as far inland as they could.

 

By the time of the decaff deconstruction, we’d had our alcoholic drinks and the pre-lunch coffee was perhaps not a crucial element, but damn, that was one strange interlude.

 

Where the others had the usual abundance of wine, I tried their home brewed Jackal Lager. There is also an ale. The Jackal was an exceedingly pleasantly surprise, as it was a proper, crisp, off-dry lager; and much more quaffable than the sweet Red Bridge lager at Butterfly Blu.

 

When the discussion turned to coming to Jakkalsvlei for lunch, there was an inevitable mention of the excellence of the pizzas, almost as if it were the only option, but it’s not so. There are also burgers and a slew of so-called farm favourites that are more hearty meals.

 

With the pizzas you can either build your own (with gluten free bases and a vegan “cheese” alternatives) or you can ask for one of the seven prefab pizzas.

 

Five members of our group of  seven ordered pizzas, one member had the ostrich carpaccio salad and I threw caution to the wind and, for the first time on this getaway, had the pork belly dish, slightly against my better judgement.

 

The pizzas were large, looked gorgeous and seemed to be as scrumptious as they looked. I can attest to their quality from the one or two leftover slices I tried, which were thin, crisp bases and sumptuous toppings.

 

The carpaccio salad was equally satisfactory.

 

I’ll appropriate the wife’s favourite phrase and say that the sous vide pork belly was decidedly average, yet the best I’d eaten at a restaurant for a while. The meat was succulent and lightly grilled and crisp on the outside, with a well-cooked skin, not crackling, and an apple soy sauce that lacked the depth of flavour required to elevate pork belly. The mash was standard somewhat stodgy restaurant mash, the pea puree under the pork lacked seasoning. The accompanying vegetables were lovely, with a good variety and perfectly cooked. 

 

I enjoyed the belly but, on reflection, another option might’ve been better.

 

My  post-prandial sweet delight was a substantial and bliss-inducing peanut butter milkshake (only a lime milkshake is more agreeable) that, on reflection, was perhaps an unnecessary indulgence, but it lifted my spirits after the pork belly buyer’s remorse. 

 

The one  kid amongst us had the cheesecake for dessert and was quite chuffed with it. 

 

The total bill (including all drinks) came to R1770,00 with tip.

 

The Jakkalsvlei restaurant has a splendid setting (was very much reminded of Guardian Peak outside Stellenbosch), the food is excellent, the service good (though a tad quirky on the decaff front) and there is a lovely lawn just below the dining area with a kids’ play area. As far as I know, it’s not pet friendly despite the outdoorsy vibe.

 

Oh, and if you so desire, you can buy wine, olive oil and some other deli type things there.

 

If one makes a day of it, and perhaps have a designated driver, Jakkalsvlei is a great destination in a beautiful valley, if you stay in and around Mossel Bay. 

 

For me, either Bellevue restaurant at The Village Lodge or Jakkalsvlei, are places I’d happily return to, and not so much Butterfly Blu at Brenton-on-Sea, which, on reflection, isn’t quite worth a special trip.