I had visited the Hemel en Aarde to experience this heaven on earth wine route during Restaurant week earlier this year. Sadly I didn’t manage to get a table at one of my bucket list must-eat-ats- the Restaurant at Newton Johnson. So I spent the day meandering the boutique estates along the newly renovated road exploring the likes of Creation Wines, Bouchard Finlayson and Hamiliton Russel. All of which are just as beautiful, with amazing gardens and Fynbos walks.
Eric Bulpitt and his team have a common respect for nature and the produce it offers and, intelligently combine them on the plate. Together they are constantly discovering and sourcing new and forgotten ingredients. Preserving, pickling, fermenting, smoking and open fire cooking embodies their cuisine.
Alas, there is a food God!
Whilst sipping a grande Woolies coffee waiting for a flight at Cape Town international i saw an awesome tweet by head chef of the Restaurant Eric Bulpitt:
Come join us at The Restaurant at Newton Johnson for our last winter set menu. Jun-Sep 3courses R195 and a glass of wine. You can’t miss it!
— Eric Bulpitt (@EBulpitt) June 3, 2016
The kitchen is the place where Chef Bulpitt’s creativity flows. Menus are concise, allowing for more focus and are constantly evolving with the seasons. There is a sense of freedom as the menus are spontaneously changed. So be sure to enquire what the menu of the day is when you book your table.
You don’t need to ask me over twice for lunch at R195.00 for three courses and since I love you all so much, I thought it’s only fair to share this amazing post, menu and a few pictures to tease you into planning a winter retreat in the Hemel an Aarde valley. Sounds heavenly doesn’t it?
Also, If you can russle up 21 of your closest, nearest and deariest favorites I have also heard nothing but amazing things about The Thatch House in Hermanus. A steal for R16 388 a night (sleeps 21)
The Thatch House style is opulent and gracious, but never formal. Kids can run free, adults can linger over meals and savour the peace. This is a home to love and live in, to celebrate and laugh in.
We imagine it holding Great Gatsby parties and intimate weddings, grand luncheons and silent retreats. It is a space that holds people lightly, so that the pace of your day is your own.
It must be a sign from the heavens that we all need a holiday!
Newton Johnson | R320 Hemel-en-Aarde Road, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Hermanus, | The Thatch House | R43 (Heading out of Hermanus towards Stanford) |
