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| Equus at Cavalli estate |
The Cavalli Estate is an extremely pleasant environment. When you leave this establishment you will feel refreshed. They have exceptional service from the wine tatsing area through to the restaurant. Cavalli translate from Italian to English as "The horses". As you drive down the road that leads to the restaurant you will observe on your left the beautifull horses and top of the range stables.
The Cavalli estate will not only entertain you with delicious food and wine but also an art gallery, memorabilia room and fashion boutique to browse at.
Wine tatsing takes place at the bottom floor of the restaurant. It's a very modern space with massive fridges where the wines are stored. For R30 you taste six wines. If you spend more than a R100 the fee is wavered. Wines start from R45. We loved the Black Beauty shiraz. I usually prefer a merlot to a shiraz as it's a less intense wine to drink, but Cavalli's Shiraz was a winner. I also loved the labels they use on their wine, simple but striking.
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| Love the wine labels. |
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| Wine tasting area |
Next head to the memorabilia rooms that host items such as a 1906 Springbok rugby jacket, an Arsenal signed football, guitars signed by U2 and The Rolling Stones and much more. Sports and music enthusiast will at least need a hour to appreciate this impressive collection.
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| A jacket that dates back to 1906. The year the Springboks were established. I am feeling very chuffed with all my new rugby knowledge :) |
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| Kid in a candy store! |
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| There is something for the music lovers too! |
The Art gallery next door will also be appreciate by all art lovers. The pieces range from well known Pierneef paintings to modern day sculptures. This is a great spot to come and walk around after a very delicious lunch upstairs.
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| What lies beneath is the current exhibition. |
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| My favourite piece! |
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| Something for everyone |
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| A range of classic and modern art pieces |
Now to get to the beautifull space upstairs. The Equus restaurant is established as an eco-friendly restaurant that serves classics in a contemporary way. During the week they serve bistro lunches and at night they host fine dining evenings.
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| Surrounded by beautiful mother nature |
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| A spot on the patio is a must. You can't book for the patio so arrive early! |
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| Feeling spoiled! |
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| Inside |
If you want to enjoy the fine dining option then starters will be between R85-R130, mains R150-R160 and dessert R60-R80.
We went for the more relaxed bistro lunch as we wanted to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and utilise their incredible patio overlooking the eco-system friendly dam that warms and cools the stunning space.
Our dining experience was started with complimentary sundried tomato and walnut bread served with a red wine infused butter.
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| Great start to the meal |
We then ordered some cocktails. As we already did the wine tasting earlier we wanted to experience something different. I had the most refreshing cocktail made with vodka, fresh watermelon ,passionfruit, fructose and lime served over ice. It's called "The Pincushion"(R60) and I could have indulged in ten of them. The boyfriend was recommended a more manly cocktail named "Jackal Buzzurd Julep"(R70). This is made with fresh Rooibos ice tea, cognac, Rooibos sugar syrup, Peychards bitters and mint. If you are not interested in dining here I would still come for a delicious cocktail, sit in their fire pit and enjoy the majestic surroundings.
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| The pincushion |
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| The Jackal |
For mains we enjoyed the succulent porkbelly(R95) and rib-eye steak(R110). Miso-glazed aubergine(R85), sous-vide chicken breast(R90) and grilled fish of the day(R95) were the others to choose from. The porkbelly was cook to perfection and melted in my mouth. I also loved the rib-eye steak. The boyfriend said that it was a bit tough for him but I disagreed. You could easily cut it with a normal knife.
All mains are served with the same side-dishes of beetroot, button mushroom, onion cup, oat crumble and potatoes du jour. This is still something I can't warp my head around as all the components were delicious but some I would not have paired with the main dish. The mushroom puree did not go with my porkbelly but it complimented the rib-eye steak. I expected that each dish will have different components that compliment them but I assume this is the norm with the bistro lunches. The food however was still delicious and this is one of the places that I would love to return to as soon as possible.
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| Rib-eye |
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| Porkbelly |
For dessert we shared malva pudding served with ice-cream, custard and topped with crumbled
rocky road chunks. This was a dessert right up my alley, chocolaty and very sweet.
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| Sweet ending... |
Great news is that they are currently running a winter special...
- Two course R200
- Three course R280
When to visit:
- Wednesday-Saturday afternoon: Bistro lunches
- Wednesday-Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon: Fine dining
Visit them at Strand road(R44). Situated on the road between Stellenbosch and Somerset-West across from Eikendal
Contact them at 021 855 3218 or restaurant@cavalliestate.com
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