Word on the vine is that Brookdale’s Bistro and Tasting Room are open

The Brookdale Bistro and Tasting Room promises a relaxed, modern Paarl Winelands dining experience, built and decorated in a contemporary style and comprising both indoor as well as outdoor dining spaces on the wide terrace overlooking the vineyards. With no other buildings in sight, it appears as if you are in another world.

Menus will follow the rhythms of nature, thanks to Executive Chef Gary Coetzee’s culinary expertise.

Gary Coetzee, a seasoned executive chef, is at the helm, assisted by restaurant and tasting room manager Michelle Michaels. Coetzee has nearly ten years of experience overseeing the kitchens at Singita in the Sabi Sand and a decade as a private chef for the Kerzner family at Leeukoppie Estate in Hout Bay.

Chef Gary says the seasonal menu was designed to offer something for all tastes. The food is described as “chic bistro,” with produce sourced locally to provide a conscious balance of options for both meat lovers and vegetarians.

“I search for produce and ingredients that are wholesome, nurtured, and bursting with flavour. This means sourcing the best seasonal, local produce in the Paarl Valley for The Bistro and Manor House. From there, it’s simply a case of marrying flavours, exploring textures, and discovering new combinations. Each plate is being designed to spark the palate, ignite the mind, and awaken joy,” says Executive Chef Gary Coetzee.

The menu features some of the signature dishes that have been sampled and positively received by guests who have stayed at the Brookdale Manor House since its opening in 2021, as well as fresh and wholesome cuisine with flavours that honour international cuisine in a South African style.

Duck leg confit with sweet potato, pak choi, fine beans, and ginger gastrique; poached Yellowtail Veronique with Beluga lentils, confit leeks, and coral tuile; and cauliflower risotto with pickled shimeji, toasted almonds, aubergine biltong, and herb oil are among the main course highlights.

Finish with coconut panna cotta, mango gel, passionfruit sorbet, sweet toasted coconut and fresh cut mango; coffee hazelnut tart with Stroh rum gelato, grapefruit compote and aniseed meringue; or the show-stopping dessert of ruby port and Valrhona chocolate fondant, poached plum, vine leaf gelato, raspberry and brûlée orange.

The Brookdale Bistro experience is complemented by an exciting wine list that showcases the Brookdale and Mason Road ranges, in addition to other interesting wines from the Paarl region and beyond.

The award-winning flagship wine, Brookdale Chenin Blanc Old Vine, leads the pack with tasting notes describing it as “unmasked, crushed stones ride a wave of white citrus.”

On the palate, the sensational white fruit continues. With soft buoyant acids and a mouth-coating citrus purity, the mineral structure is vertical and infinite. The finish is luminous, with a real granitic freshness. The wine is also available at the Bistro in Magnum and Double Magnum (Jeroboam) sizes.

Details: 

• Address: Hawequa Bos Pad, Klein Drakenstein Road, Paarl, 7646
• The Bistro hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 12pm – 5pm | Friday and Saturday: 12pm – 10pm
• Tasting Room hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 11am – 5pm
• Bookings: dineplan.com
• Contact: 087 183 3919 | [email protected]
• Website: brookdale-estate.com

ALSO SEE: The Bistro at Brookdale to open in February 2023

The Bistro at Brookdale to open in February 2023

Feature image: VISIGRAFI / Supplied

Written by Sarah du Toit for Cape {town} Etc.