Delectable Cape restaurant fare
On a recent trip to the Cape, Angela Day met two talented chefs who shared with her the recipes for dishes she enjoyed at their restaurants
Chef Nicole Dupper Executive chef, Imibala Trust Restaurant, Somerset West
Chef Nicole Dupper cooks delicious food. She likes to use the freshest ingredients and prepare them as simply as possible to let their natural taste shine through.
I discovered that most of the produce she uses is sourced from the various Rupert Foundation farms in the Cape. The wines come from the Rupert family farms.
The recently opened restaurant is part of the Imibala Trust precinct, started 15 years ago in Somerset West by Gaynor Rupert, Johan Rupert’s wife.
It comprises shops, an art gallery and classrooms where underprivileged children take part in extramural activities.
The main aim of the trust is to provide these children from the Helderberg basin with school uniforms. It costs R1 000 to clothe a child for a year and all the money from the trust, as well as any donations, are used to this end.
The restaurant is the brainchild of Gaynor’s brother, restaurateur Ian Downie, who fell in love with Nicole’s style of cooking when he was looking for a chef to head up the restaurant.
Nicole shared her recipes for quinoa and corn salad, and buttermilk panna cotta.
Chef Michelle Theron Executive chef, Pierneef à La Motte, Franschhoek
The freshest of ingredients are prepared in the simplest way to let their natural taste shine through Only the highest quality produce is used and the menu is designed according to what’s in season
The La Motte wine farm is one of my favourite places to visit when I am in Franschhoek.
The Rupert family acquired it in 1970 and over the past 45 years have developed it.
It boasts the amazing Pierneef art gallery which houses an impressive collection of his paintings.
The farm also grows all the fresh produce used in the restaurants.
Music concerts are held each month and there are historic, nature and sculpture walks around the farm.
A lovely farm shop sells the excess produce, freshly baked breads and cakes and beauty products made from the lavender and herbs grown on a nearby property.
The crowning glory of the farm is the Pierneef à La Motte restaurant. It, too, prides itself on the quality of its ingredients, and Michelle and her team design their menu according to what’s in season.
The restaurant is also famous for its Winelands tea, serving delectable items such as biltong choux and savoury cheesecake.
Michelle shared her recipes for winter oxtail pie and savoury cheesecake.
Angela Day was a guest in the Cape of the Rupert Foundation.