A happy customer emerged, clutching a case of wine under each arm, then stood at the boot of his car, trying to figure out how to open it without letting go of his loot. Overberg wine at cellar prices has that effect on some people.
If you don’t have the time to take a leisurely drive from one winery to the next, Houw Hoek Farm Stall and Restaurant beside the N2 between Elgin and Bot River does the trick with its well-stocked cellar. But expect a whole lot more.
The smell of baking bread gets the taste buds salivating from the moment you pick up a wicker shopping basket at the entrance to the farm stall. An entire wall of preserves glows with bottled goodness, but it’s too difficult to choose between whole green figs and a chutney even Mrs Balls never dreamed of, so you take both. After all, you’ll need something to spread on that fresh ciabatta bread and have with the bobotie pie your tummy is demanding. The quiches make you drool and the apples really are crisp, having been picked in a nearby orchard a day earlier rather than sitting at the end of some long cold-chain.
Should you take sundried tomato tapenade or the chilli-olive version for your picnic? Koeksisters or florentines for afternoon tea? Macadamia nut oil or olive oil from a farm down the road with a piquant verjuice for tonight’s salad? Grapefruit marmalade or the three-fruit one for breakfast? Biltong or nuts to snack on in the car? The possibilities are enchantingly endless as your basket fills up effortlessly.
Respite from shopping is just a few steps away in the restaurant, where soul food rules. Owner-chefs Juan van der Westhuizen and Frans Groenewald worked here as young graduates from chef school, then went to London to broaden their experience. Soon after returning to South Africa, they heard Houw Hoek Restaurant was for sale and bought it, bringing new flair and a range of dishes that reflect the bounty of the Overberg. They’ve been so successful that they recently opened another restaurant and deli at Gabrielskloof wine estate, off the N2 between Bot River and Caledon.
Testing their recipe for success and forking a piece of creamy baked cheesecake into my mouth, the urge to get back on the road vanished. There didn’t seem to be any need to go anywhere else – I already had heaven on my plate.
Shop: tel 028-284-9015, email [email protected], www.houwhoekfarmstall.co.za. Restaurant: tel 028-284-9273.
Top tip
In warmer months, rent a rod and catch rainbow trout in the dam beside the restaurant and ask them to cook it for your lunch – you don’t get fresher fish.
GPS: S34° 12’ 24” E19° 08’ 55”
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