New Spier food attraction

Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery aims to combine quality cuisine and good service

IF YOU haven’t been to Spier lately, there is a new reason to visit.

Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery has opened its doors at Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch.

It’s been a labour of love; recently, Spier meticulously restored The Werf, its historic farmyard where Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery is housed in the Jonkershuis building – a structure from 1778.

Head chef PJ Vadas has worked with Roger Vergé at Moulin de Mougins in France, with Angela Hartnett at The Connaught in London and, for several years, with Gordon Ramsay at his Michelin Star restaurants in London and New Yorky.

Back in South Africa, Vadas established The Roundhouse restaurant in Camps Bay, which he ran for four years, before worked as an executive chef at Camphors, Vergelegen.

Looking back on a distinguished career working in restaurants home and abroad, Vadas has spent a significant amount of time dissecting the restaurant model.

Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery is run by a group of long-time friends and colleagues with a shared passion for quality food and great service.

The restaurant creates a place where families and friends can join together and eat food that is carefully, ethically and healthily sourced and prepared.

The restaurant serves a variety of dishes, which are able to be shared at the table.

Although smoking meats is a large focus at Vadas – think smoked brisket, bourbon-barbecue juicy smoked pork or smoked pork belly with apple ketchup – there is a considered focus on ample, delicious vegetarian dishes, something Vadas was known for implementing at Hoghouse.

While the ingredients are hyper-local, the inspiration for his restaurant’s dishes are global.

“Why should we have boundaries of what we can do?” Vadas said.

“Our menu might go from an English pork pie, to a taco, to a ramen-style broth. It is all super tasty.”

The bakery is a treasure trove of what Vadas calls his Sweet Surrender Pies – American-style sweet pies such as blueberry and nectarine pie, chocolate-cream pie, pecan pie and strawberry pie.

Don’t forget about his famous

pastéis de nata, the Portuguese custard tarts he introduced Cape Town to while at The HogHouse.

A one-of-a-kind oven brought in from France produces fresh sourdough and farm-loaf breads daily, which guests are welcome to enjoy at the restaurant or collect and take home.

Kitchen hours:

Mondays – Saturdays, 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 9pm

Sundays, 12pm to 3pm

Book online at www.vadas.co.za or contact 021 8091137.

| SUPPLIED VADAS aims to become a family favourite.

THE menu at Vadas is dominated by meat dishes.

VADA’s decor leans to casual.