Tokara is one of my favourite Winelands restaurants, with its super modern architecture, spectacular views and incredible food. Chef Richard Carstens has introduced his winter menu (and a great winter special) and so last weekend I headed out to the rolling vine-covered hills outside Stellenbosch for a gourmet Sunday lunch.
In a rather gluttinous move, the boyfriend and I decided to indulge in two starters, a main and dessert in order to explore the winter menu thoroughly (overeating for the sake of research, you know), complemented with a Tokara Zondernaam Cabernet Sauvignon. To start off with, he had the delightfully umami-ish pine ring mushroom covered in all sorts of exotic fungi, while I couldn’t resist the butternut soup, which, unlike the plastic-packet variety I’m (sadly) used to eating, was topped with coriander creme, almonds and balls of smoked snoek – a deliciously smoky contrast to the sweetness of the butternut. For starter number two, we both had the crayfish tail on top of a ‘risotto’ made from calamari, topped with vanilla oil, which imparted a subtle flavour to the delicious, delicate, creamy dish.
For mains I had the sunflower seed ‘risotto’ with soya and honey-glazed aubergine, coconut, lemon grass and ginger (a definite vegetarian crowd pleaser), while the boyfriend had the herb-crusted kingklip with tempura prawns, mussels and a bouillabaise sauce. Both dishes were an interesting balance of textures.The suflower seed ‘risotto’ was like eating a garden of deliciousness – each bite was an intense burst of flavour.
It was hard to choose dessert, seeing as we’d already had three courses each and red wine but somehow we made space. Everything on the dessert menu appealed to me: chocolate chibouste with orange and coffee sabayon, the lemon, mascarpone mousse, white chocolate sorbet and meringue and ‘Fallen Apple’ with a whole apple, cooked until it’s almost fallen in on itself, served with crunchy, cinnamon streusel – a re-worked apple pie. The dessert special won out – an almond-encrusted Japanese cheesecake with marscapone mousse, vanilla ice cream, baked butternut and matcha powder, which was so unusual and not only delicious, but interesting to eat.
Richard Carstens has said that he likes to ‘play with tastes like umami and acidity, salt and sweet to complement each other. And texture always plays an important role’. His winter menu dishes are inspired by refined Japanese cuisine, comfort food and local produce. Starters such as smoked snoek ravioli combine a family favourite with a contemporary twist – the addition of almond creme and butternut velouté. Instead of pears poached in red wine, there are weiss-beer-poached pears with honey ice cream, and no such thing as a ‘salad’ – instead there are dishes such as dry-aged roast carrot, gorgonzola, yoghurt, curry oil, orange, macadamia nut and white chocolate.
The good news is that Tokara, which is usually on the pricey side, is offering a great winter special: four courses (two starters, a main and dessert) with a glass of wine for R250 until the end of September. The winter special features butternut soup with deep-fried almond creme and shiitake, crisp line fish with egg, roast dry-aged carrot and mustard veloute, sirloin with parsnip puree, caramelised onion and garlic and green peppercorn suace (served with a glass of Miles Mossop red blend), and for dessert a koeksister ice cream with almond parfait, malva pudding and honeycomb.
The food is faultless, service impeccable and the autumnal view of russet-red trees over the valley as gorgeous as ever. The affordable winter special is just another reason to visit Tokara.
Themed foodie evenings
From May to October, Tokara is hosting a series of themed food evenings: from the Grand Masters in May, where chefs like Brillat-Savarin, Carême, and Escoffier will be heralded, to Nouvelle Masters starring in June – inspired by chefs such as Bocuse, Blanc and the Troisgros brothers. Then on to the New British Wave in July featuring Roux, Koffman, Marco Pierre White and Raymond Blanc followed by the New World chefs in August: Keller, Nobu, Trotter, Perry and Wakuda. For September the theme is Modernist, featuring Adria, Bras, Gagnaire and Atala, while October sees a Sommelier ‘shoot-out’, where three leading sommeliers will compete to make the perfect wine pairing for a menu prepared by Richard Carstens. The themed evenings are R400 a person for five courses – call the restaurant to find out exact dates and to book.
Tokara Restaurant
Tokara Restaurant is situated at the top of the Helshoogte Pass, R310, Stellenbosch.
Tel 021-885-2550; email [email protected] or visit www.tokararestaurant.co.za
