Steenberg’s bold, bright new eatery

A new winery restaurant is luring diners with bold design and contemporary plates

Few wine farms in the Cape can lay claim to a terrace dining table that is within arm’s reach of a grapevine. At new Tryn restaurant at Steenberg Vineyards in Tokai, glass doors open onto vineyards and, in good weather, show off views of the Constantiaberg.

Relaunched this September, Tryn, with its bold interiors and accessible menu, is a livelier and brighter version of Steenberg’s previous restaurant, Catharina’s. Selecting the casual nickname “Tryn” was the clincher – it belonged to Steenberg’s 17th-century founder Catharina Ras.

THE FOOD

Since Bistro 1682 opened on the wine farm in November 2014, Steenberg’s executive chef Kerry Kilpin has drawn a steady following for her tasty, vibrant plates. Tasked with creating the new Tryn restaurant experience adjacent to Steenberg’s boutique hotel, she aimed for slightly smarter dining yet “more connected to Tryn’s free and feisty spirit”.

Says Kilpin: “I’m not a fine-dining chef. I want a place where people can feel comfortable and also have a sophisticated dining experience. It’s all my food. But Bistro has heartier portions; Tryn is just a little more refined. At Bistro I use a 59ml ladle of sauce; at Tryn I use a 39ml ladle.”

Yes, sauces created from classic stocks are a Kilpin signature. “I love my sauces,” she says. “I learnt from the sauce king: Franck Dangereux at The

Foodbarn. Whether it’s a jus on a main course or the accompaniment on a starter, sauce brings the whole dish together.”

Take the venison – mine was tender impala – served with baby beets and neat swirls of creamy mash. Its blueberry sauce was created by deglazing a 24-hour meaty stock with dehydrated and fresh blueberries at different stages. Chevin is crumbled over the final plate.

The rack of lamb with rosemary jus is another saucy main.

The pork belly is light, its fatty layers rendered down into three crisped portions on a smear of courgette purée. Passionfruit and pineapple jus along with tangy red cabbage and apple create a fresh twist.

Tryn’s starter menu introduces a fun element. Ideal for snacking on at bar tables or sharing during a sit-down meal, the seafood options – calamari, prawns and scallops – are particularly good. The tempura prawns have sweet chilli mayo and avocado cream doing their thing, with a tangy salsa of diced roasted pineapple, tomato, cucumber, peanuts and infused black garlic oil. Or try the sumac-dusted calamari, served with a red slaw, seeds and apple gel.

The steak tartare is also special. Pickled daikon wafers hold raw beef parcels. When a comfit of quail’s egg is cracked over, you savour Asian elements with crumbed onion soil and wasabi mayo.

INTERIOR DESIGN

Kilpin says the décor brief was to create a

contemporary place where diners feel comfortable. Nicola Orpen and Hayley Turner of Bone Studio were recruited for the job.

“To modernise the interiors meant modernising Catharina and bringing her into the 21st century,” Orpen says.

They split the interior into four areas off the main reception, giving each room a colour identity.

The Ruby Room, a private dining space, has alcoves in red tones, whereas the Cuvée Room is a dramatic jade green.

The new bar is a game changer. It creates visual interest for diners at tables and introduces a casual buzz. “Structurally we moved the bar to make it the integral focus, drawing people through to the heart of the space,” says Orpen. The result is a meeting point, a comfortable base for a quick drink and a chat, or somewhere to linger.

Rich shades of burnt orange and mustard form the colour scheme of the furniture and soft furnishings in the bar and restaurant. “The colours are warm so that people now feel welcomed walking in here, not as if they have to whisper to their friends in the corner,” says Kilpin.

The bar materials are rooted in marble and stone. “The sheer scale of the space dictated that the bar needed to be dynamic,” Turner says. “We hand-selected each slab to ensure the perfect collaboration of colour. No two pieces are the same. They were all cut individually and puzzled together to create the central showpiece.”

Distinctive lighting catches your eye in the reception area. The Bone Studio team spotted the Meshmatics Chandelier in a Moooi showroom on a recent trip to London. “The organic curve and upwards lighting of the industrial mesh create a glowing contrast to the delicate folds of the linen curtaining behind,” says Turner. “Then, in the main dining area, gold disc pendants add a sense of glamour, leading your eye downwards to the warmth of the fireplace and a fragmented bronze-clad mirror wall.”

As a Tryn diner, your impression is one of openness and a lightness of touch. In terms of design, an intentional celebration of curves through the use of subtle repetition is noticeable. “You can see it in the back bar shelving, the bespoke oak doors and turned table legs, the backrests of the ochre banquet seats, the tubular clad arrival counter and the traditional tub chairs,” Turner explains. “This curvaceous undertone complements not only the inspiration of Tryn herself but softens the space and creates a sense of welcoming.”

www.steenbergfarm.com/tryn/

"The colours are warm so that people now feel welcomed walking in here, not as if they have to whisper to their friends in the corner"

Kerry Kilpin, executive chef, Steenberg Vineyards