First test: let’s go out for the duck

THERE’S no cricket paraphernalia or framed Proteas shirts on Bistro 13’s smoke-grey walls. The restaurant interior is uncluttered: wooden tables on cement floors; a few floating shelves; light streaming through aluminium windows; and diners watching the chefs through a kitchen hatch.

Proteas cricketer Faf du Plessis owns Bistro 13 with chef Nic van Wyk. Word is that Van Wyk’s brother is a sports agent, and the Indian Premier League was looking to invest in a project. The restaurant opened on Welmoed Estate, Stellenbosch, in September.

A friend and I tried the restaurant, and sipped Credo chenin blanc, modestly marked up from the adjacent Stellenbosch vineyards tasting room. You’ll find more innovative Cape labels on the wine list, too.

The calamari and potato crisps with red pepper, tomato and squid-ink sauce came recommended. We enjoyed three perky smoked salmon croquettes, alongside lemony crème fraîche, rocket, delicately pickled fennel slivers and pomegranate pips. A light and fresh start.

Then on to lamb-shoulder spring rolls with a mild curry cream sauce and a dab of sweet-plum chutney. Sauces are good here.

Vegetarian risotto for mains was a weak point, with melted gruyere cheese heaviness. But we were in luck with sustainable yellowtail: moist, floating on a beurre blanc sauce.

By the time dessert arrived, the restaurant was emptying, but service was still efficiently friendly. A shared warm chocolate pudding oozed sweetly but lacked bittersweet intensity. Accompanying peanut-butter caramel was rich in a wintry, custardy way.

Main courses will set you back between R120 and R150. Bistro 13 serves tasty food that’s interesting and skilled but not ridiculously fussy. A fireplace kept things cosy inside, and there’s also a deck and lawn for sunny days.