The Kitchen at Maison

Ok so I've not posted in a very long time because I just finished one of the toughest weeks of my life. This week I completed the medicine finals of my degree. Four subjects in 5 days where this food lover could not even stomach a cheese snackwich due to stress. If all goes well I now only have 6 months of surgery left before I  will be a qualified doctor.
 
Wining and dining therefore unfortunately have not been a priority these last few months BUT during one of my off weekends I did visit the fabulous Maison Estate located outside of Franschoek which is owned by the well known Chris Weylandt.

It was difficult to obtain a reservation from them. I phoned, the boyfriend phoned and I submitted a request via their website. When after a few days I still heard nothing I tweeted them and at last we had a spot for Sunday afternoon lunch!

Welcome!

 

The entrance

 
Thank goodness for our perseverance because The Kitchen at Maison is where you want to be on a Sunday afternoon. I loved the relaxing atmosphere. It was heaven sitting on their stoep with a glass of wine admiring all the big families and group of friends enjoying themselves  on the lush lawn of the estate.

The lawn

We started off our lunch with a bottle of their Maison Blanc Noir (R145). The wine was too dry for me but the boyfriend loved it. We were served a delicious bread basket with a mushroom and butternut spread. We finished this within 5 seconds. Hope no one watched us! The bread was perfectly baked and the spreads were creamy yet refreshing.

Look at that beautiful colour of the wine!

The delicious bread basket

For mains I enjoyed the pork belly(R155). The awesome aspect of this dish was the sour granny apples that paired perfectly with the pork. I loved the sour and salty combination! The pork belly was so succulent, it was a perfect Sunday lunch. The boyfriend had the line fish  of the day(R145) which I loved so much I almost traded my pork belly for it. The presentation of the dishes were beautiful and at Maison you truly eat with your eyes as well.

Mains range between R145-R850 so lunch won't come cheap but treating yourself every now and again is mandatory :) Chef Arno Janse Van Rensburg will impress you with seasonal, fresh and well seasoned food!



The pork belly



The line fish



The mushroom crumble side dish



 I was difficult for me to fault anything except the side dish(R65) which was a mixture of mushrooms and crumble. It was bland,overpriced and I don't think it is necessary to order this with your main meal.

All that aside we were then then served this delicious creamy chocolate cake. I had to fight with the boyfriend to eat the last bite. It was the perfect ending to the meal.

Chocolate heaven

After our delicious meal we ventured on to the lawn with our glasses of wine to take a well deserved nap :)

One word: Bliss!

Maison Estate is also part of the red line of  "The Franschoek wine tram". All the wine tasting are hosted at the front of the restaurant where there's also a few lovely spots to relax with your friends. Order a bottle of wine and a platter and you will be set for the afternoon.You can also shop for some chacuterie and preserves at their deli.

The Kitchen at Maison really transported us to a place of tranquillity. We stayed for as long as possible trying to delay the return to reality. This is one spot where in the future I know I can come and regroup. Great food, good wine, kind service and a peaceful atmosphere!

 

 

 

 

Visit them at ....

 

For more information visit their website

Open Wednesday-Sunday for Lunch 12:00-17:00 and the winetasting&deli open 7days a week 10:00-17:00

Contact them at 021 876 2116

Like them on Facebook or Instagram

 

Events during the silly season in Hermanus and the surrounds!

It's 29 days until Christmas ! Can you believe how quickly another year has sped past us. If you are heading to Hermanus this year there are a lot of activities to keep yourself busy and if you don't have anything to do wherever you are... then come to Hermanus :)
 
Here is a list of events. I will update it as I scout and hear of more! I also have a giveaway at the end of the post :)
 
Hermanuspietersfontein

I popped in at Hermanuspietersfontein(HPF) yesterday to buy a bottle of their Posmeester which is  a Bordeaux style blend that I love. It's an easy drinking red wine perfect to enjoy at a braai or at a relaxed dinner with friends. I can't wait to open my bottle this weekend!

A little birdie then told me that HPF will be very busy this 'silly season' with a lot of events!

They have erected a massive tent over their 'markie' area so come rain or shine you can enjoy your Saturday market in comfort. Good news also is that the 17th of December they will host a night market! You will be treated to live music, delicious food and lots of merry wine. I will definitely be there!

Other events that you should diarise are

• 3rd & 10th December: Midweek wine and tapas from 17:00-19:00
• 16th December: Dinner with Barefoot Bella in the Cellar who will travel all the way from Langebaan to spoil you for only R450 pp . Only 40 spots are available so book ASAP(details below)
• 19th December: Dinner with Eat Greek's Nikki in the Cellar who will spoil you with 'local is lekker' food at only R350pp. Only 40 spots available.
• 20th December: The Tributes and Shadow Band will take you back to the 50's, 60's and 70's. It's R110pp and you can bring your own picnic basket. Wine you can buy at HPF! You can also order a picnic basket when you buy your ticket if it's more convenient for you. You can arrive from 18:00. Only 200 spots available. I have two tickets to give away. Read all about it below.
• 23rd December: Black Tie Braai event is where the HPF skapie will give back with a wine auction where 100% of the proceedings will go to the Sondagskoolfonds. This charity provides technology for 5-8 year olds from the local community to facilitate their reading and writing skills. Wine and canapés will be provided at R200 pp. Only 200 seats are available.
• 27th December: Tribal Echo live in Skapie's Yard. This will be the 4th year that this event will take place. At R100 pp you can join the tradition. You can bring your own picnic basket or order one when you book your tickets. HPF wine will be sold at the event. Naturally :)
• 30 th December: Eet Italiaans in die kelder is a three course meal that will tantalise the tastebuds. For R350 pp only 40 people will be lucky enough to enjoy this treat.
• 31st December: Don't have NYE plans yet? If you want to you can 'dans in die nuwe jaar met die skapie!' A lot of food, wine and bubbles will be available for you to party into 2015 at R450pp from 19:00-02:00.  A live DJ will make sure that no wallflowers are present at the party.
• Every Saturday: The HPF market from 09:00-13:00 come rain or shine. Freshly baked breads, chacuterie and more can be enjoyed by all.

For tickets you can contact Anika at anika@hpf1855.co.za
For more information visit HPF's website
Tweet them @hpf1855
Like them on Facebook
Instagram them at hpf_skapie


The Color run in Hermanus

Yes you read that correctly. The Colour Run is coming to Hermanus. I am one of the few that have not done the colour run at all so I am super excited to take part in this event the 27th of December. It is said to be the happiest 5 km of your life! I am definitely down for that. The event will start at the Hermanus High school at 15:00. It's R220 pp and the ticket includes the following

• Official Color run tshirt
• Color run sweatband
• 1 bag of Color powder
• 1 Temporary happy tattoo
• Race number
• Entry to the finish festival

You can buy your tickets online or at The Burgundy restaurant, The Eatery or Vodacom Shop in Hermanus. See you there!

For more information visit this website
Like them on Facebook
Tweet them @TheColorRunSA


Gabrielskloof

One of my favourite wine farms in the Overberg area is Gabrielskloof and they also host their annual 'Favourite things Market'  the 12th&13th of December. The festivities will kick off at 17:00 the Friday afternoon and you will be treated to home-made crafts, food and refreshing wine. This is an event not to be missed. I attended the market two years ago where I spent the entire Saturday feasting of fresh food and sipping on too many glasses of wine. One tip: don't forget the sunscreen as I learned the hard way :)

For more information visit their website
Tweet them @Gabrielskloof
Like them on Facebook and RSVP to the event here

Hermanus Country Market
 
This family orientated market runs every Saturday 09:00-13:00 at the Hermanus cricket field. They have a variety of  fresh produce, home made delicacies, crafts,  wine and more. This is also a child friendly market with a jungle gym and other activities to keep the little ones busy.

The Summer Night market will be Wednesday evenings on the 10th, 17th and 31st of December as well as the 7th and 14th of January.

There also is a Camphill Farm market the 16th of December from 09:00-13:00 where all the proceeds will go to the Camphill Farm Community.

 

For more information visit their website
Tweet them @HermanusMarket
Like them on Facebook

First Fridays Artwalk

Twelve art galleries in Hermanus remain open until 21:00 the 5th of December so that art lovers can join in on a marathon of art appreciation. Wine and small bites are on sale as you travel from one gallery to the next. Below is a map so that you can plan your visit!

 

Like them on Facebook to see how awesome the previous artwalk was as well as stay updated with the upcoming event!

Stanford Sunset Market and Saturday morning market

 Every last Friday of the month can be enjoyed by attending the Stanford Sunset Market. This will take place the 28th of November and 26th of December at the Stanford Village green from 18:00-20:00.
 

 

Every Saturday morning the town of Stanford comes to life with their morning market where fresh produce and home-made goodies are sold at great prices. One of my favourites is Havercroft's fudge! The market runs from 09:30-12:00 so you can sleep in a bit before you venture out! You will find the market at the Stanford Hotel veranda. Enjoy!

For more information visit the official Stanford website
Tweet them @visitstanford
Like them on Facebook 
 
GOOD NEWS! You can win two tickets to the Tribute show at Hermanuspietersfontein the 20th of December. Here is how you enter

• Share this post on Facebook and comment on my blog or my Facebook page what your favourite 50's, 60's or 70's song is.

or/and

• Share this post on Twitter and add the following: @LoveHeartsFood I love the oldies #HPFskapie

If you share on Twitter and Facebook you will receive two entries so your chance of winning will be increased :) The winner will be selected by a random number generator and announced the 5th of December. Competition closes the 4th of December at 00:00.

Good luck and I hope you are planning a fantastic holiday!

The Eatery Deli is now open!

Welcome to The Eatery Deli

One of my favourite places  to eat in Hermanus is The Eatery and they've now opened a stand alone Deli! Yay!


My final year and a half of Medicine started in August and for three months there was no time for me to visit home. This was torture! So when my holiday recently started one of my essential things to do was to visit The Eatery. When I arrived it was the day their Deli also opened! Double score! Double treats!

Fresh produce greets you at the door!

Why do I love them so much? They are affordable, they deliver every time and the atmosphere is relaxed and homey. One of my favourite things to order is 'eggs and soldiers' and they even succeed to make this simple dish something exciting and delicious.

The Deli is situated across from the restaurant where you can buy freshly baked pastries, pies, cakes, cookies, preserves and more.


Rustic inviting space

They day I visited they were busy making chocolate chip cookies in the oven! Heaven! Goodbye December bikini body...



The aromas will make you buy way more than what you planned for!

I am definitely going to utilise The Eatery Deli when I plan picnics for December holiday. You can even purchase a basket there. The Eatery Deli has also supplied numerous evening meals for my mom and I. My favourite is their chickpea salad and aubergine bake. Oh and we also managed to finish an entire apple crumble pie in one day. Oops :) yet so worth it!!!

So do stop by to enjoy the deliciousness the deli has to offer. They are well priced, well stocked and won't disappoint. It's also an ideal place to shop for gifts for your loved ones!

Here are some pictures of all the lovely goodies you can buy...



Cookies, rusks, brownies, meringue, fudge...

 


Bread, croissants, jams...

 


Buy and bake your own cookies!

 


Vanilla flavoured sugar!

 


Spoil someone with some beautiful flowers

 


Yogurt, lasagne, aubergine bake, salads ect

 


Klapper ys, fudge and Turkish delight! Perfect treat to eat in the car on you way home :)

 


Chocolaty brownies 

 


Pies, quiche and sandwiches

Click here to read my post I wrote when The Eatery initially opened. Since then the restaurant has doubled in size and they still manage to deliver. As it's essential to visit the whales when you come to Hermanus, it is as essential to spoil your tastebuds at The Eatery!


Visit them at 4 Long Street Arcade, Hermanus
Open Monday-Saturday 07:00-16:00
Like them on Facebook

Paternoster

I spent an awesome weekend in Paternoster after I finished my exams a few weeks ago. I've only been to the West-Coast once and never really had any inclination to revisit it but Paternoster sure did convince me. The beautifull white houses, white sandy beach and turquois water with great weather really contributed to a beutifull and relaxing weekend. Paternoster is truly a place to recharge. Here are a few places we visited....

Voorstrandt
This restaurant is situated on the beach! We only had a drink here but its a great place to come for lunch or dinner, sit on the stoep and truly enjoy the beauty Paternoster has to offer. Booking is a must as the place was fully booked the evening we were there. My only criticism is that they don't serve cocktails :(

Located in Strandloper street
Visit them daily from 10:00-22:00
Contact them at 022 752 2038 or voorstrandt@lando.co.za


Oep vir Koep
You wont miss the iconic sign of Oep vir Koep when you drive into Paternoster. Here you will find preserves, baked goods, antiques and collectables. They also have a restaurant but it was not open when we visited. Their fig preserve and rusks were very tempting and the boyfriend loved the small old fashion bottle of cokes :)

Located in St Augustine street
Visit them Monday-Saturday 09:00-16:00 and Sundays 09:00-15:00
Contact them at 022 752 2105 or oepvekoep@gmail.com
Like them on Facebook

Noisy Oyster
We had lunch at the Noisy Oyster due to the stellar reputation they built themselves. The dining area outside in the courtyard is decorated with coloured lanterns, trees wrapped with fabric and fairy lights as well as a small water feature in the centre of the courtyard.

On all of the tables are trivial pursuit cards to keep you busy throughout your meal :)

They have a good selections of red and white wines. Glen Carlou, Spier, Warwick and Spice Route are just some of the cellars I know and enjoy. It was a hot day in the West Coast so we cooled down with a Sauvignon Blanc from Flagstone Poetry(R110).

The menu is cheekily labelled foreplay and intercourse so for "starters" we shared calamari tubes and tentacles paired with smoky Spanish chorizo, olives and tzatziki(R60). This was the winner of the day. The saltiness of the calamari and chorizo was well balanced with the tzaztiki and portion wise it was great to share.

Top right: Blue Hottentot

Top left: Calamari and Chorizo starter

Bottom right: Pan fried hake

 

Now to be honest, nothing really grabbed my attention from the main course options. You can choose between steak, quail, sushi, fish and pasta. As we were at the west coast and probably won't get the seafood any fresher I decided to enjoy the local hand line Blue Hottentot served with wedges and a garlic and herb gremolata(R95) and the boyfriend had the pan roasted hake served with cream of cauliflower, baby cabbage and a tea smoked tomato cream sauce(R100).

My Blue Hottentot was a very moist and a well seasoned piece of fish and the wedges were to die for. They boyfriend also enjoyed his hake but was not a fan of the tea smoked sauce.

My only concern however was the amount of fleas that were there. I really enjoyed my food but the fleas began sitting in it and after some time it really was not appetising anymore. I don't know if we only sat in a bad spot but it really resulted in me sending back my plate of food only half eaten.

We had a great experience and the service was excellent but the fleas will have to be sorted out.

Located at 62 St Augustine street( Next to Oep ve Koep)
Visit them Wednesday to Sunday: Lunch 12:00-15:00 and Dinner 18:00-21:00
Contact them at 022 752 2196

Gelukkie
There are loads of accommodation in Paternoster but I will definitely recommend Gelukkie owned by Andrew and Ruth. They have two beautiful, well priced and equipped self-catering units where you will leave feeling relaxed. There are numerous chilling spots, a fireplace inside and outside as well as stacks of dvd's to work through :)

Located at Farm 31, Pilgrimsrust,Paternoster
Contact them at info@kleingelukkie.co.za

Some pictures of gelukkie...

 

Oh and I walk on the beach is mandatory when you visit Paternoster :) What other places in Paternoster can you suggest for my next visit???

Schoon De Companje

Last year my favourite place was Emily Moon and this year I have to reward it to Schoon De Companje. They were known as "De oude bakerij" before they revamped and enlarged the space that now is Schoon De Companje. Underneath one roof you will find numerous culinary artist that will produce only top quality ingredients.

I have been tracking them for a while now through Instagram and Facebook post made by friends and just could not find a time to pop through to Stellenbosch. A few weekends ago I decided that there are no more excuses and myself with the boyfriend paid them a visit.

The entrance

View from upstairs

View from the exit

Detail around every nook and corner

 

The place was very busy and we had to wait 15 minutes  to be seated but there are many "facets" to Schoon De Companje that will keep you busy so the waiting time flew by for us.

At Schoon De Companje you will find the following corners scattered throughout the space...

• De Brasserij : Here you can enjoy local brews on tap and they are also the host of the live entertainment every Saturday night. Click here to check out the line-up and acquire tickets.

Beer on tap...

...or in the bottle

• Het roosterij: Here you can sit down and see how they roast your coffee and serve it to you. This is a great part of the space where you can sit down for a quick coffee and enjoy a pastry from the stall next to it without going through the whole "restaurant routine".

• Fanny Chanel: Artisian Ice-cream can be enjoyed here. A flavour I can't wait to go and try is the salted caramel.

• Nice to meat you: All chacuterie needs will be satisfied here. Top quality meat and poultry will be  at your disposal. What's  great about the set-up is that all the "artists" are at their stalls and ready to give you all the information you want about their produce.

• Het Wijnwinkeltjie: Here a small selection but of top quality wine can be found . They do not only stock wines from the Stellenbosch region but I also spotted some bottles from Hermanus such as Hamilton-Russel. They also host wine-tasting evenings. Their Facebook-page usually gives all the details.

• De Oude Bank Bakkerij: Fresh, moist quality baked breads will result in you not ever enjoying that shop-bought plastic loaf.
• There also is a pastry section where you can enjoy treats such as the cronut that has become famous this year as well as tarts and cookies. After our meal I still wanted to buy some treats but almost everything was sold out!

This whole arrangement  is great if you can't sit down but want to indulge or provide some treats for later in the day. I am already planning a trip to them to stock up on some goods for when I finish my exams.

We however did decide to sit down and were seated in the space at the back of the restaurant near the window. It was a cold but sunny day so the warmth of the sun shining through the windows added a very homey feel to the space. There's also space upstairs where you can sit.

The place was packed

Original décor items contribute to the old-age feel

Upstairs area

For drinks I had the home-made ice tea(R22). It really did taste home-made but I did not enjoy the cinnamon they added to it so I won't order that again. The boyfriend enjoyed a mocha java. It had the perfect balance between coffee and quality dark chocolate. One thing you can be sure of at Schoon De Companje is that nothing artificial will touch your lips. Here everything is mdae on the premises or imported from somewhere where it was home-made.

Part of their Menu

 Due to all the great products we observed when we entered Schoon De Companje we decided to enjoy the local produce platter. For two people it's R110 and for four people it's R220. This was very reasonable priced and we barely finished it. There were five different types of bread, two cheeses, three types of chacuterie, butter, olive oil, balsamic reduction, strawberry marmalade and some other pesto's. Everything was delicious but the highlight of the platter was the bread. It honestly was the best bread I have ever tasted.

The rest of their menu is also very reasonable priced. Breakfast ranges from R25 to R55 and lunch from R49 to R60. I have heard that their burger is a must-try.

Service can be better as we did have some long waiting periods but the place was packed to full capacity and there were loads of staff on the floor so I am sure it will be better when there are less people.

We are almost at the end of the year. I am currently busy with my MBChB 4 final exams so I am taking a sneaky studybreak to write this. Schoon De Companje is a bucket-list item for all before this year ends. You won't be disappointed.
 

Visit them at the corner of Bird and Church Street in Stellenbosch
Follow them @oudebankbakkery
Like them on Facebook
For more information check out their website
Open Tuesday - Friday 07:00 - 18:00, Saturday 08:00 - 18:00 and Sunday 08:00 - 15:00