The Kraal restaurant on Joostenberg Wine Estate

On Sunday I attended the launch lunch at The Kraal restaurant on Joostenberg Wine Estate in the Muldersvlei district of Stellenbosch. Formerly a secluded space on the farm, The Kraal is a beautiful courtyard surrounded by white painted stone walls. This is the venue where slow Sunday lunches will be served to wooden tables set out between the fruit trees overlooking the farm werf and garden. The covered patio provides a welcome respite from the heat where mist sprinklers help cool things down on very hot days.

The three-course set menu will change every week and will be guided by what is growing in the farm garden and in the area at the time. Expect local flavours infused with childhood memories delivered family style to your table. This is about carefully thought through seasonal ingredients, generous servings and convivial feasts.

I absolutely loved what we ate on Sunday and it’s exactly the kind of food I want for a long lazy lunch. The bread course was spectacular along with all the summery starters. The Cape Wagyu was cooked for 48 hours and was melt-in-the-mouth delicious served with salsa verde and roasted tomatoes.

This was the menu:

To start:

Freshly baked bread: Kaiing mini farm bread, sourdough, cheese & onion twist and seed crackers
Herb butter and rosemary infused Olyfboom olive oil
Spring veg crudité with aoili & tapenade
Warm asparagus with vinaigrette & rosa tomatoes
Smoked snoek & sweet potato croquettes with red pepper chutney

Mains:

Cape Wagyu beef shin with salsa verde (cooked for 48 hours)
Gaufrette potatoes
Celeriac, broadbean and courgette salad
Beetroot salad
Kraal leafy salad with fresh pear

To finish:

Strawberry salad infused with mint & fennel, strawberry sorbet & fennel seed tuile.
Date balls – Cinnamon marshmallow – Gooseberry Financier

Chef Lanri Marais heads up the all-women kitchen team, and Veronica Manewil who has worked at Joostenberg for many years will manage the front of house. Keeping a close eye on all that goes on in the Restaurant will be mentors Garth Bedford (head chef at Joostenberg Bistro and Klein Joostenberg Events and Christophe Dehosse (chef, owner Joostenberg Bistro, Klein Joostenberg Events & The Vine Bistro) Susan Dehosse (on the dessert & service side).

Tyrrel and Anette Myburgh produce the wines on the Estate and will offer their full range, including some rare bottles from the small batch collection and especially kept older vintages to guests.

The restaurant has a very stark and Mediterranean feel to it and you could easily think you are in the Swartland with the neighbouring wheat fields. It’s visually simple, beautiful & highly instagrammable. Speaking of which, if you are not following me on Instagram, please do: @Drizzleaanddip. I share all my food adventures on my stories.

Bookings for The Kraal are essential, as they will be catering for the number of people who have booked and space is limited. The menu will be shared on social media on a weekly basis.

The restaurant will do their best to accommodate dietary requirements if arranged when the booking is made. Unfortunately, they will not be able to accommodate special requests on the day.

Price R360 per person; half price per child 6- 12 years old; no charge for kids under 6.

Physical address: Joostenberg Wine Estate, Hoopenberg Road, Muldersvlei.