Image above of the beautiful Babylonstoren guest house
Article by Amy Green, Client Services Director for Hills of Africa Travel
As Client Services Director for Hills of Africa Travel, I spend lots of time talking with clients who are getting ready for their upcoming trips. Inevitably the topic of food comes up, often to make restaurant reservations, but sometimes just wondering what to expect.
“Will I recognize any of the food?”
“Is it safe to eat uncooked fruits and vegetables?”
To put it in the simplest terms…Africa has fantastic food that you will thoroughly enjoy!
Be open to trying new things and you may surprise yourself. The fruits and vegetables are absolutely safe to eat, and if you were to decline you would be missing out on some of the best parts of taking a luxury trip to Africa! The food is fresh and chefs go above and beyond to delight, no matter where there kitchen is situated.
I recently took a trip to South Africa and Zimbabwe with my husband. We had a fabulous vacation with great animal sightings and made many new friends.
I wanted to share a bit about our gastronomic adventures. We had everything from a chef’s table experience at a top Cape Town restaurant to a traditional braii while on safari. So tuck in your napkin and pull up a chair and get ready to have your mouth watering!
Our first stop was in the Cape Winelands at Babylonstoren, a farm/winery with a focus on farm-to-table dining throughout the property. They offer daily walks to explore the entire farm, tours of the garden, and wine tastings. But a very unique offering is going out each day with the chef to pick things from the garden to use in preparation for the evening’s meals. At any time, guests and visitors can wander through and pluck a treasure to enjoy.
Our first “meal” was waiting in our room when we arrived late: a gorgeous tray with fresh bread, grilled chicken, herbed butter, just-picked fruit, and, of course, Babylonstoren wine to top it all off. So much better than the airplane food we’d been subsisting on!
Breakfast each day was served in the greenhouse since their normal restaurant space, Babel, was closed for renovation. Which means we have to go back for another visit because Babel is a must-do on the restaurant circuit in the Winelands!
Breakfast afforded us the chance to sample fruits grown right on the farm, breads baked fresh each morning, and options for hot “farm style” treats that would have made my southern grandmother swoon. Eggs any style, sausages, you name it, they would provide!
A very special treat was being at Babylonstoren for their “Italian Night” dinner in the bakery. Now I love Italian food, so I was super excited to enjoy this on our journey through Africa. Boy was I in for a surprise…not a meatball or red sauce to be found, but I fell in love with all new Italian inspired flavors.
First course was aubergine (eggplant) and cheese wraps served with fresh baked bread. Second course was spaghetti with pesto and green beans…who knew green beans worked with spaghetti noodles! This combination was simply delicious! And the main course was beef tagliatelle served with passion fruit and greens.
This was such a delightful, delicious meal with great company and wine. But, I totally forgot to take pictures of the food, which is a shame because the other fun bit was each course being served on anything but typical dishes! A piece of rough cut wood, a wooden bowl and cutting board were very creative and fun ways to serve each course.
In a nutshell, Babylonstoren is an absolute must-visit in the Cape Winelands of South Africa!
