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| Welcome to Crown |
Crown is situated on Meerendal Wine Estate. If you are part of the 'active' crowd you will know that Meerendal is one of the places in the Northern Suburbs where you can ride your bicycle or go for a run and then hop right into Crown for a 'bederf brekkie'! Breakfast is served until 11:00 and range between R25-R60. I skipped the active part and headed straight for the wine and food part. Next time I will go with my running shoes :)
I was surprised how stylish the establishment was. I was impressed how they played with different shapes of furniture. One of my favourites was this awesome piece below as well as the bicycle wall!
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| Next time I want to sit in one of those! It looks so cool! |
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| Crown paying tribute to all the bicycle lovers! |
They also have one wall that is covered with mirrors that enlarges the space immensely. They have large concertina doors that open onto a big lawn. Ideal if it's a sunny day or if you go with little ones as you will always be able to keep an eye on them.
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| Large lawn that everyone can enjoy! |
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| The mirror wall! |
They serve simple food in an elegant manner. We enjoyed a cheese and chacuterie platter for R155. It was more than enough for two people and I will recommend that you share it between four. The only thing I did not enjoy was the boiled eggs. It took away some of the class of the platter and you should rather keep those 'delicacies' when you go on a road trip! I personally just hate them! The food that went passed us looked delicious and ensured that we have to return in the future! Their BBQ beef burger(R65) caught my eye as well as their beef steak(200g) that is served with baby potatoes, hollandaise sauce and green beans(R130). Their salads range between R60-R67 and they are definitely generous with their portions.
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| Our delicious platter filled with a great variety of cheese, chacuterie, olives, figs and more! |
We did however enjoy a sweet treat of chocolate and caramel filled pancakes served with ice-cream(R34). I loved the filling but the pancake itself was undercooked and underwhelming. They do have milk tart on the menu that is served with butternut and mascarpone ice-cream(R34) that I will try next time! Vegetable ice-cream can only be healthy :)
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| Chocolate and salted caramel pancake. Here the portion is already halved. |
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| I loved how they served their coffee. It's the small details that count. |
Service was a 10/10. They were friendly and efficient. Bookings area a must if you plan to visit over the weekend. The place was packed and the atmosphere was wonderful. If it's a great day do sit outside!
Crown also hosts a Farmers Market on their large lawn. The next one is the 11th of October. You can RSVP here. You will be treated to fresh produce, home made goods as well as an entertainment section for the little ones.
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| Where you will find the wine tasting... |
We really enjoyed Meerendal's Unwooded Chardonnay(R69) so after lunch we went to the wine tasting and deli area to purchase a few bottles. An unwooded wine is usually when the wine is not matured in an wood barrel but rather in a stainless steel vat. It's an ideal wine for people who don't like the strong wood taste that accompany some wines and it's also ideal for wine beginners as the wine has a gentle yet flavoursome taste. I think we really enjoyed it because it was an easy and refreshing wine to drink which paired perfectly with all the strong cheeses without competing with their flavours.
At the wine tasting area you can sit outside on a lovely deck overlooking the estate and also enjoy a platter with your wine tasting. If I remember correctly its about R25 for five wines. Their wines per bottle range between R39-R250. Meerendal is one of the first places in South-Africa that planted the Pinotage cultivar way back in 1955. Their Pinotage (R140) therefore is a 'must-try'.
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| The deck |
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| Wine shop |
This is definitely a spot where I want to be on a Friday afternoon after a long week or enjoy a wine filled lunch with friends!
Crown Restaurant and Wine bar
- Visit their website for more information
- Contact them at 021 515 5853 or info@crownrestaurant.co.za
- Like them on Facebook
- Located on the Vissershok road, Durbanville
- Breakfast and lunch: Monday-Sunday
- Dinner: Tuesday-Saturday
Meerendal Wine Estate
