Durban - What’s in a name? A lot. I thought I knew the KZN Midlands and certainly knew of The Windmills.
I’d seen the chapel often when stopping for fuel or a bite at the Notties off-ramp filling station. I’d also been aware of its middling reputation and can’t say it was on my to-do list.
That changed along with the name and, if you ever visited, you owe it to yourself to see what changes have been wrought at what is now Brahman Hills.
Brahman Hills impressed me. It also impressed Kyle Norris. So much so that he has left the Beverley Hills to take up the position of head chef – and am I glad he did.
Norris is an excellent, larger than life, host/boytjie with tattoos, broad grin and mischievous glint (he photo bombed a couple of my pics). His enthusiasm is infectious, though some of that may be a trickle-down from the new owners and management who have made a lot happen lickety-split.
Keen fisherman Norris can attest to the monster trout and plentiful bass in the dams. Neither was on the menu but what was on offer was great. Not only that, but where we ate – 89 on Copper.
The gorgeous restaurant, adjoining bar/lounge and wine cellar are underneath the main building, while breakfasts and lunches are typically served upstairs in the sunny dining area overlooking the lawns, newly planted lavender and the chapel.
Brahman Hills is a big-time wedding venue and there is a shop where décor can be selected, a coffee/tea lounge to discuss arrangements, while the reception venue a little apart, was stunningly decorated for a 300-guest wedding.
The rooms alongside have all been revamped. The self-catering cottages over the rise(s) in the Blue Crane Reserve too, and huge amounts of adjoining land added to better accommodate the Brahman cattle, plentiful eland, zebra, impala and other wildlife.
The cottages are in the reserve – as is the impressive new spa with a Zen theme, due to open in a month’s time.
Our two-bedroom cottage, Duiker, struck a perfect balance of modern comfort and rustic charm. Clean lines and modernised gables, screed cement floors with old wooden furniture, some lovely art, a comfy lounge with a cosy fireplace, DStv and complimentary wi-fi, a nice kitchen and dining options in or out.
The clever, colourful arrangement of brollies at the door wasn’t needed but the weather changes so quickly, so you never know…
That was our excuse to be in the Jacuzzi on our deck even before breakfast, since heavy mist curtailed our walk to some of the dams. We were there before dinner too, sheltered by the impressive glass walls, exchanging looks with the zebras alongside and loving the view down the slope and across the Midlands’ rolling hills.
Dinner in the intimate, innovative 89 On Copper was lovely and made so much better (as were all meals) by Busisiwe Ngubo – attentive, unobtrusive, and proactive with suggestions.
All the staff members, in fact, were “on it”. The rustic, warm colours of raw brick, crreative lighting and backlit wine “tunnels” lining the wall, exposed copper piping (naturally) also enhanced our evening.
I began with a well-balanced celery and tomato soup with basil pesto oils and garlic bruschetta, and followed it up with Karoo lamb chops with crushed new potatoes, pea puree, wine and port jus. It was yum, but bettered by Norris’s red Thai chicken and prawn curry with basmati and coconut rice and buttered roti – easily one of the best I’ve had, even in a couple of Thailand’s top spots.
The uber-rich trio of chocolate dessert, sadly, defeated me. It was decaff cappuccino instead and a short drive back through the reserve to Duiker where I soon flopped on the king-sized bed in my elegant bedroom, with its spacious en suite bathroom.
Our post Jacuzzi, post packing breakfast in the restaurant (all we did in the cottage was boil a kettle) was a lingering affair since we were, like children heading back to school after the hols, reluctant to hit the road.
l Call 033 266 6965 or visit www.brahmanhills.co.za
Adrian Rorvik, Sunday Tribune