Beau Constantia

Beau Constantia is situated on top of Constantia Nek with a beautiful view and stylish tasting room. You can park yourself here for an afternoon.

Outside seating area at Beau Constantia

You can see False Bay!

 

Inside tasting area

 

Heading to downstairs tasting area

 

Down stairs tasting area. I am a sucker for a ghost chair! Love them!

 

Down stairs tasting area

 

 

We initially went for the food and wine pairing. For R135 they pair five of their wines with different kind of canapés. The theme changes often and they have had a Mexican, Asian and South African theme. Check out their Facebook for more information. The options they had on Sunday were not that enticing so we rather opted to taste wine and share a cheese platter.

 

For R80 we received the following cheese platter which I considered as overpriced.  Two grapes cut in half, one piece of parma ham and not enough bread to go with the cheese. Their portions and pairing were off and the table next to us received more bread. This was a bit of a downer for us.

 

Cheeseplatter



 The wine tasting was more enjoyable although service was slow in-between each wine. For R40 you taste four wines. We started with the Pas de Nom White. Pas de Nom translate to nameless. The farm manager, Japie, is the "face" of the wine bottle as his bearded face pays tribute to his dedication to the farm and wine making. The Pas de Nom white is a blend of Viognier, Semillion and the majority Sauvignon Blanc.

Loving the view and wine

 

Our favourite was the Beau Constantia Luca which is a classic Bordeux blend of Merlot and Cabarnet Franc. In layman's term its a great red wine to drink on a cold evening in front of the fireplace! The other two wines we tasted were the Pas de Nom Rose and Beau Constantia Lucca. Overall Beau Constantia has great wines.

The Aidan and Lucca

Beau Constantia was a bit of a hit and miss experience for us. Their food and wine portion sizes were  disappointing as well as their slow service. The view however is breath taking and next time we will rather buy a bottle of wine, sit outside in the sun and enjoy the view.

I see they have a burger and wine pairing this weekend. This will definitely be something that we would have enjoyed more so if you are in the area swing by.

 

 

Open daily 10:00-16:30

Contact them at 021 794 8632 or 082 459 0966

Like them on Facebook

Tweet them @beauconstantia

For more information visit their website

BBQues at Groot Constantia

A friend recently introduced me to a great restaurant in Constantia. When he first described the BBQ, American style restaurant to me I did not believe him at first. When I think about the Constantia area the things that come to my mind are lavish wine farms and beautiful homes overlooking grandeur.

My opinion immediately changed when I stepped into the warm and inviting environment of BBQUES. It's a very chic decorated "barn" with long wooden tables and beautiful chandeliers. The waiters are decked out in denim and extremely friendly. They had the skills to quench the thirst of a very jolly and thirsty crowd :) The manager is also very involved with the service and that is probably why the evening was smooth sailing all the way through.

Booking is a must!

The candles adds some elegance to a very casual atmosphere.

They were prepared for rainy Friday night with enough gas heaters! The red wine also helped :)

This is not a place for anyone on a diet. Here you will feast American style. It was difficult to make a choice...

For a starter we enjoyed 'Kick ass skins'(R35). This is potato skins topped with pulled pork, cheese and crème fraiche. It's a must-try when you visit. It's rich, creamy and very cheesy. Comfort food at it's best. Add spicy bbq wings(R35) and grilled calamari(R40) and you will be right on track towards delicious mains.

For mains I tried the BBQ's big boy burger(R85). The patty was made with excellent quality meat and the basting was delicious. The fries, served in small clay flower pot, was seasoned with chilli salt! They gave Steers a good run for their money! You also receive guacamole, cream cheese and tomato and onion relish as sides and this allows you to add some extra flavour to your meal.

A crowd favourite was the 600 gram ribs(R125). My friend, Jorika, was adamant that she will not share and only managed to finish a third. Portions are big and hearty. Grown men were struggling to finish the delicious and tender ribs.

 

If you don't want anything meaty you can enjoy southern fried chicken(R85), fajitas(R100/110), spicy prawn and calamari(R130) or mac and cheese(R75). The entire table were very satisfied with their meal.

Two thumbs up for BBQues food :)

The night was perfected by the performance of The Nick Marucci band that entertained us the whole evening. They sang some of their own songs as well as cover hits such as Hey ho from The Lumineers. Their cd's are available for purchase at the venue for R100. Invest in them now as I see a big break for them in the future. Here is a link to a YouTube video of them.


As always an evening cannot be complete without something sweet at the end.  Indulge in chocolate brownies served with ice cream(R35) or marshmallow and chocolate pie.

A crowd favourite!

The only downside to the restaurant is that the wine prices are high. The white wines start at R115 and the red wines at R120. Corkage is allowed so consider that if you don't want to spend the mentioned amount.

We enjoyed the Porcupine Ridge Syrah(R120) which was a very easing drinking wine and paired perfectly with the rich food.

This is not a place to come for a romantic meal. Gather a big group of friends and come to BBQues for a delicious feast and great atmosphere.

Open Friday and Saturday evenings 19:00 - 24:00
Situated on the Groot Constantia wine farm adjacent to Simon's restaurant.
Contact them at 021 794 2984
Follow them @BBQuesCT
Like them on Facebook