New Table at Oak Valley and Bloem Restaurant at Paul Clüver

AND THEN there were two… Many who love wining and dining in South Africa's Cape winelands have fond memories of lunching alfresco on the lawn at De Meye Estate along the Muldersvlei Road in Stellenbosch, up the way from Elsenburg College. Well, since mid-November '24, the same team behind The Table at De Meye have been plating food and pouring wine for those taking a seat at The Table on Oak Valley Estate in Elgin – off the R321 to Franschhoek and Villiersdorp, past the Elgin Railway Market at the end of Oak Avenue. On offer among the trees, at the pool or indoors is a three-course, sharing-style, set-menu lunch, which at the time of writing was priced at R595pp, with the main course comprising braised lamb, salads, cheese and vegetables, i.e. simply put.

Another new/re-imagined addition to the options when eating on the Elgin wine route is the Bloem Restaurant at Paul Clüver on De Rust Estate, off the N2 between the Peregrine and Houw Hoek farm stalls. With a number of establishments to his name, chef Bertus Basson is the man behind Bloem, where the menu includes cheese and charcuterie platters as well as tapas options. After breakfast, the lunch offering comprises a selection of snacks, ‘sharing plates' and desserts. The idea is that you order “a minimum of four plates per couple”, which at the time of writing cost between R220 and R360pp, and you go from there – the main course options featured yellowtail, gammon, chicken pie and sirloin on the bone.

And what wines to have with your meal? At Oak Valley, their Groenlandberg Chardonnay has an excellent track record, with the 2022 vintage a 97-pointer at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards, and the Groenlandberg Pinot Noir also made the cut for the SA Wine Classification. At Paul Clüver, the various ranges of Chardonnay and Pinot are all consistently good, but then so is their Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling, with top SA wine ratings in '24 including 95/100 at the Decanter Awards for the 2021 Estate Chardonnay.