February 2025
I visited the Chefs Warehouse during my month-long stay in Cape Town and Stellenbosch in early 2025.
I always come the area around Beau Constantia, an affluent suburb of Cape Town behind Table Mountain, when I am in Cape Town. There are some excellent wineries and the views over the vines are a joy to the soul.
The Beau Constantia Wine Farm has an excellent restaurant, the ‘Chefs Warehouse’. Chef Ivor Jones learned his trade in the best restaurants in South Africa, such as ‘The Test Kitchen’ and ‘La Colombe’. Now he can realize his own ideas here.
The restaurant offers views over the vine-covered landscape of Constantia. My table was outside on a terrace on the far left of the picture.
Inside the restaurant
I was one of the first. The crew was waiting to start work.
The lunch menu with wine pairing
West Coast Saldanha Bay Oysters: Nam Jim Seafood dressing, coconut milk, chili oil
The oysters were among the best I’ve ever tasted! The coconut milk was delicious. The green balls are not fish eggs, but made from basil and apples. I put the spicy chili slices on the side.
The bread course was also an experience. The sourdough bread was dusted with popcorn crumbs. On the front you can see the in-house made butter, on the back there is a curd (a cream made from eggs, sugar, butter and lemons), which was caramelized like a crème brulé. It was served with two pieces of garlic, which were very soft and could be spread on the bread. An excellent start!
Kingfish Sashimi: Tamarind & Toasted chili dressing, Cassia bark crisp & fresh coconut
The raw fish can be found below. The pastry was crumbly, which gave the dish a crunchy touch. Unfortunately, the sauce was very spicy, so the spiciness eliminated the flavor of the dish. Too bad!
The dish was accompanied by a Grenache Gris 2022 from the ‘Momento’ vineyard in the Voor Paaradeberg region. It is the only Grenache Gris in South Africa and is produced as an orange wine. This method leaves the skin of the grapes in the must for a longer period of time (seven days at ‘Momento’). I am not a fan of orange wines, but the wine went well with this course.
Raw beef skirt steak prik laap: Fig leaf milk curd & coconut bun. Prik Laap is a spice mixture from northern Thailand.
The steak is under the pastry and a piece of anchovy in the foreground, the caramelized fig leaf milk curd on the left, the coconut roll on the right, on which anchovies and caviar from Madagascar are served. I love anchovies. The mild gorgonzola sauce was also convincing.
A 2024 Reserve ‘Honeybunch’ Chenin Blanc from the ‘Remhoogte’ wine estate in Stellenbosch was served with this course. The fruity, sweet and sour wine went well with the course.
Grilled & chilled prawn Ssam: Vietnamese nuoc chom pickle, peanut curry & aromatic herbs
I was served a 2023 ‘Saluez Le Saboteur’ from the ‘Luddite Wine Farm’ vineyard with this course, made from Chenin Blanc (60%), Blanc Fume and Viognier grapes. I didn’t like it on its own, but it went well with this course.
I used the leaves at the top of the picture to make my own wraps. The prawns are visible at the front. At the top left is a stuffed shrimp head, which I could also use for a wrap. Rolling a wrap yourself and eating it with your hands is rather unusual in a gourmet restaurant, but it worked for me. Unfortunately, the sauce was too spicy again.
Buffelshoek venison: Liver parfait, pear & porcini flan, port jus
The meat course was simply perfect! The meat came from springbok, a type of antelope from southern Africa. It was served with a Malbec 2023 from the ‘Doolhof’ winery. It is a smooth Malbec, but rich enough in tannins to harmonize wonderfully with the meat.
I decided to forgo a separate dessert and received a coffee cookie (left) and a mint chocolate praline (right).
The menu and wine pairing was 1,850 Rand plus 13% tip, which equates to around CHF 103 (EUR 107, USD 116).
I was delighted with my visit and can fully recommend the restaurant!