Every time I eat here again, I remind myself not to make it too long before the next visit. This casual bistro exemplifies good food at good prices. It’s not following trends, neither is it guilty of the “everything done more or less ok” approach that too many casual eateries go for.
Case in point was my lunch plate: warm pickled pork tongue with a home-made mustard, potato salad and vegetables (R90). It was just right in flavour, texture and balance and, paired with a glass of the Joostenberg Fairhead, left the distinct impression that this is the kind of food that one could eat every day – satisfying on all gustatory fronts, as well as interesting to anyone who’s looking for something a touch different. So too the crême brulée with its guava base and orange flavour – a well-known dessert with a fresh twist.
Joostenberg is famed for its pork products, and the menu on the day also offered a pork neck steak or English-style pork sausages with apple sauce and mash. For beef fans, a free-range, dry-aged steak from their own cattle with a red wine and cracked black pepper sauce, or a burger with triple-fried hand cut chips would have satisfied.
They also offer a three-course lunch every Sunday with a set array of starters (including the lovely salad below, and great hummus with bread sticks); followed by a choice of three or so mains and two desserts.
And finally there’s the cornucopia of a deli for tasty take-home foodstuffs, as well as a brewery, a plant nursery and a kids’ play area – that’s truly something for all.
R304 Muldersvlei, Stellenbosch
021 884 4208