Saturday, October 4, 2014

Diemersdal Farm Eatery

When I've asked around about Diemersdal Farm Eatery the idea I perceived about their reputation was that they serve honest food of great quality in a simplistic manner. Now after a long day I was definitely in the mood for that, as well as a BIG glass of wine, so off to Diemersdal I went.
 
Interior wise I loved the beautiful wooden tables. It felt as if I was sitting in an old farm kitchen. The way they used their lighting together with all the candles also contributed to a cosy feel. The restaurant however lacked some atmosphere. Given that there were only two tables occupied in the restaurant and that it was a Thursday evening I can understand why. I do however think this can be corrected with some background music especially if the restaurant is not that full.


Loved their wooden tables

The interior on par with their farm like feel


A highlight of the evening was the wine. Oh it was lovely! It's one of those bottles that you won't drink a glass of every day as it would spoil the taste for you. It's that bottle that you will open after a long day, where after a glass, all your worries will be washed away. I'm talking about their 2013 Pinotage reserve. It's a full bodied wine that delivers in every category! It was the runner up at the Absa Pinotage Top 10 last year!


One of my favourite red wines this year!

Foodwise we were first treated to a lovely bread board. I loved the ciabattas with some butter and rough salt. The menu of the restaurant changes on a regular basis. They post the changes on their website. The week I visited, for starters,  you could choose between saldanha bay mussels in a creamy white wine and garlic sauce(R65), smoked duck breast served with pickled red cabbage, duck crackling and walnut nougatine(R55) and their estate salad(R45).

The delicious bread board

We skipped starters and headed straight for the mains. We feasted on a 250g sirloin served with a creamy béarnaise sauce, chips, onion rings and a medley of roasted vegetables(R120). Firstly the meat was cooked perfectly! Tender and moist! That sauce was creamy but not too rich. I also loved their presentation. This was actually the boyfriends dish but my fork made an appearance way too many times! It was delicious.

How good does that look!!!

I had the pan fried gnocchi served with roasted white and green asparagus, king oyster mushrooms and baby onions. This dish was also presented beautifully! The asparagus had a nice crunch to them and I loved the king oyster mushrooms! I've never had them before! One drawback would be that it needed  more moisture. Maybe adding a vinaigrette to the dish would have resolved that? The steak therefore was definitely the dish of the night that I would order next time!

Loved the 'freshness' of this dish

I spotted the dessert that consisted of macerated clementimes, chocolate torte, sorbet, macaroon and honeycomb(R50)! Unfortunately the mains treated me too well and I had to skip the dessert but next time maybe I will start there first :)

They also serve tapas if you are more in the mood for a wine and food sharing experience. The tapas also changes regularly depending on what is fresh in their garden!
 
Service was spot on. We were received with a  warm welcome and the waiter was not overly intrusive. It was actually one of the more mature waiters I've had to deal with in a long time. Service therefore 5/5!

I can now confirm myself that Diemersdal Farm Eatery serves honest and fresh food that's well priced and delicious. The chef really pays tribute to every ingredient he uses! I would rate them as one of those restaurants that will deliver with quality at every visit!
 
 
An event to look forward to this month is Season of Sauvignon that celebrates all the wine farms on the Durbanville wine route the 25th &  26th of October. Diemersdal is one of the participants and will entertain with food stalls, wine tasting and live music for R100 from 11:00-18:00. Entrance to Durbanville Hills is free. They will host a winetasting for R50 pp, have some footstalls for the peckish as well as a big screen for the rugby enthusiasts. You can also enjoy a picnic here but booking in advance is essential. Bloemendal will serve oysters and sushi throughout the day. Their restaurant Bon Amis will also be open for breakfast and lunch from 11:00-17:00 Saturday and 11:00-16:00 Sunday. Entrance is also free. Meerendal, one of my recent favourites, will have their Farmers Market the Saturday as well as a 3 course meal on offer both days. They are also one of the venues where you can enjoy a helicopter ride. For more information about the event and the offerings of the other wine farms click here 


Diemersdal Farm Eatery
Open Wednesday-Sunday 12:00-15:00 & Thursday-Saturday 18:00-21:00 (Booking is essential)
Located at on the M85 (Koeberg road), Durbanville
Contact them at 021 976 1810 or click here to fill in an online request
Tweet them @diemersdalwines
Like them on Facebook
For more information visit their website