I was delighted to receive an invitation from a very good friend of mine to have lunch at Clos Malverne wine estate. The generous invitation included partners and was also for a Friday, my favorite day of the week to relax in the beauty of the cape.
Clos Malverne is situated on Devon Valley road, Stellenbosch, about 45 minutes drive from Capetown close to JC Le Roux and Hartenberg wine estates.
The restaurant offers a la carte or you can select the food and wine pearing experience. We were definately all going to choose the pearing option. Essentially the menu has four courses and each diner selects one dish from each of the courses which is then served with the appropriate wine.
The first course had a choice of three options……
Two of us had the Shitake mushroom soup, one had the Seared Norwegian salmon and I had the Seafood arancini. All diners rated thier dish highly, my arancini served with the Clos Malverne Sauvignon blanc was magnificent in fact my favorite dish for the day. The combination of the mussels, prawns, and anchovy complimented with the hot chilli sauce did it for me. Definately a 9 out of 10.
Second course offered us another three options…….
Three of the party selected the Moroccan style smoked duck breast salad. I wanted to be different and went for the Chicken liver terrine served with the Clos Malverne honeydew, a sweet wine to compliment the pate taste.
Another superb dish, rating a 7.
Two courses down and two to go and we are all having a really awesome time, great food magnificent wines old friends and plenty of genuine warm service. Charlene was our waitress And gave us brilliant service always ensureing the correct wine was served with each dish.
The young chief Nadia also took the time to come to our table and chat with us about the dishes, a really professional touch.
Third course……
Two Grilled fillet steaks one Butter chicken and one Bacon wrapped springbok loin. Once again everyone only had positive comments regarding the presentation and combination of mouth watering tastes.
I had the Grilled fillet steak, medium rare which was cooked to perfection. The portion was a nice size, plenty to eat and enjoy.
The recommended wine Pinotage Reserve was really outstanding. So good I bought six bottles to take home with me for future pleasure. The fillet dish I need to score an 8 out of 10.
The main course Butter chicken was also cooked to perfection, so tender served with a lovely warm nann bread…..excellent
Lastly but not least the final serving to tempt your sweet tooth….
Although I love poached pears and wanted to select the Saffron creme caramel, I resisted and picked the Milktart and orange. A good choice as the flavors were increadable and the traditional milk tart light and soft. The Decadent Nutella chocolate brownies also looked nice, two of the party selecting this and both cleared thier plates without offering a taste to anyone else….
7 out of 10 for the Milktart and Orange.
In summary if you are looking for a special different food and wine pearing experience in a beautiful environment with breathtaking views. This venue is highly recommended especially if you enjoy a selection of top wines. At R348 per person including the wines it is really increadable value for money. As a bonus Clos Malverne also add a R200 voucher per couple for when you purchase a case of thier wine on the day or sometime in the future.
Compliments to this establishment it was well worth the visit.