Poached pear with crème Chantilly, nuts and honeycomb.
Image: Frank Chemaly
The Manor House
Where : Stanford Valley Guest Farm, R326 Stanford
Open: Monday and Tuesday 8am to 10.30am, 5pm to 10pm; Tuesday -Saturday 8am to 10pm
Call: 072 198 0862
I have been visiting the Orange Lady in Hermanus, so called because for many years she has loved the colour orange. She's not to be confused with the tangerine tyrant who has given the colour such a dreadful name. Yes, she may have had hairstyles in varying shades of orange (blonde today), but she's never had a spray tan. Plus, being Canadian, she's a big fan of the prime minister who told the enfant terrible in the White House to take a hike.
Calamari with crispy seaweed and lime dressing.
Image: Frank Chemaly
A foodie herself, and a fabulous cook, I ask her to take me to one of her favourite places. And so we take a drive out to the Manor House about 8km outside the pretty little town of Stanford. Its a guest farm with six charming cottages and 10 ensuite rooms.
The restaurant is in the old farm house, spilling out onto the wide front verandah with views over the fields and mountains. Its decorated very much in the mid century modern style, much of it original. An eclectic and interesting array of art and sculpture add interest. There's a cosy bar at the back, ideal for cold Cape nights, but on an unseasonably warm day we're happy to sit on the verandah and drink in the view, the horses in the fields, the flocks of guinea fowl.
Karoo lamb with artichoke risotto, pomegranate and lamb jus.
Image: Frank Chemaly
The Manor House also makes its own wine which they use in the restaurant, which has been acclaimed as one of the country’s best country restaurants. It received a reviewers choice Top 50 award last year.
The menu is small but just about everything on it is interesting. To start there's a section of sharing which includes duck samosas with chilli hoisin sauce, and deep fried artichoke with lemon aioli. Our eyes settled on the fig salad with pickled grapes, blue cheese and walnuts (R135) simply because we wanted to know what pickled grapes taste like. Good was the answer. These had been done in a really spicy pickling liquid with the likes of cinnamon, cloves and anise. They also hadn't been left too long in the liquid as the pink grapes were still nice and firm. They added interest to a classic fig, blue cheese and walnut salad with a selection of lightly dressed greens. And I rarely get excited by salads.
Karoo lamb with artichoke risotto, pomegranate and lamb jus.
Image: Frank Chemaly
Then came starters. The leek soup with grilled shallots and green oil tempted while the exotic mushroom risotto suitably luxurious. The Orange Lady tried the grilled calamari on crispy seaweed with lemon aioli (R120), which not only looked so beautiful - almost like oysters - but that crispy seaweed, done in a light batter, really gave everything the flavour of the sea. It was a lovely fresh dish.
I enjoyed the Klein River gruyère souffle (R140) which was light, yet rich with that deep baked cheese umami. It was served with a salad of fresh greens and sultanas, a little bit of sweetness to cut the cheese.
The Orange Lady decided to have a second starter instead of a main - a bobotie potjie topped with vermicelli and spiced cream (R130). The bobotie was mild but beautifully spiced with the crisp vermicelli adding interest.
Cheddar cheese soufflé with a salad of sultanas and greens.
Image: Frank Chemaly
Mains included fillet on the bone with shoe string fries, crispy onion rings and cowboy butter, or pork belly with apple puree and slaw. There's a melanzane lasagna with parmesan cream and a beef burger with bacon jam, cheese and rosemary aioli. The kid at the next table was busy munching through this outsize burger. I chose the slow roasted lamb neck with mint sauce, artichoke orzo, broccolini and lamb jus (R295). The lamb had been deboned and stuffed and was super tender with a lovely rich jus and lifted by a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds. I enjoyed it immensely.
Fig and blue cheese salad with pickled grapes at the Manor House in Stanford.
Image: Frank Chemaly
By now, we were both pretty full, but could not resist sharing a poached pear with walnut, creme Chantilly and honeycomb. It was poached in their own wine called Eersteling. It was light and delicious, a perfect ending to the meal. Other options included a chocolate malva pudding or a burnt basque cheesecake with lemon curd. But this hit the sweet spot.
One can always trust the Orange Lady. not only does she find a restaurant that's easy on the eye and easy on the palate, but also easy on the wallet. Its something thats quite rare among Cape Town's better establishments.
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ambience: 4 ½
The bill: R942 for 2