News

The Bistro and Tasting Room has opened at Brookdale Estate in the Paarl Winelands, trading for lunch from Tuesdays to Sundays, and dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. The Tasting Room is open daily from 11:00 to 17:00 (closed on Mondays), offering visitors the opportunity to taste wines grown on the estate, vinified by winemaker, Kiara Scott.

The Bistro at Brookdale promises a relaxed, contemporary Paarl Winelands dining experience. Seasoned executive chef Gary Coetzee is at the helm, assisted by restaurant and tasting room manager Michelle Michaels. Coetzee’s experience includes nearly ten years overseeing the kitchens at Singita in the Sabi Sand and a decade as private chef for the Kerzner family at Leeukoppie Estate in Hout Bay.

The Bistro and Tasting Room is built and decorated in a contemporary style, and includes both indoor, as well as outside dining spaces on the wide terrace overlooking the vineyards. The menu features fresh and wholesome cuisine, with flavours that honour international cuisine in a South African style, including some of the signature dishes sampled and favoured by guests who have stayed at the Brookdale Manor House since its opening in 2021. Chef Gary says the seasonal menu was created to offer something for every taste. He describes the style of the food as ‘chic bistro’, with produce sourced locally to provide a conscious balance of choice for meat lovers and vegetarians alike.

Starters include Char-grilled Baby Gem Lettuce with pickled red onion, avocado, croutons, capers, wakame & cashew dressing; Steamed prawns, prawn lollipop with avocado, lettuce & Harissa aioli; or Springbok tartare served with mieliepap crisp, Dijon milk emulsion & salsa verde. Main course highlights are Duck leg confit with sweet potato, pak choi, fine beans & ginger gastrique; Poached Yellowtail Veronique served with Beluga lentils, confit leeks & coral tuile; and Cauliflower risotto, pickled shimeji, toasted almonds, aubergine biltong & herb oil. End off with a Cheese Board, or on a sweet note with Coconut panna cotta, mango gel, passionfruit sorbet, sweet toasted coconut & fresh cut mango; Coffee hazelnut tart with Stroh rum gelato, grapefruit compote & aniseed meringue; or the show-stopper dessert of Ruby port & Valrhona chocolate fondant, poached plum, vine leaf gelato, raspberry & brûlée orange.

The Brookdale Bistro experience is complemented by an exciting wine list that showcases the Brookdale and Mason Road ranges, in addition to other interesting wines from the Paarl region and beyond. The award-winning flagship wine, Brookdale Chenin Blanc Old Vine leads the pack with tasting notes describing the wine as ‘unmasked, crushed stones ride a wave of white citrus. On the palate, the sensational white fruit continues. The mineral structure presents vertical and endless, enlivened by soft buoyant acids and a mouth-coating citrus purity. The finish is luminous, with a real granitic freshness.’ The wine is also available at the Bistro in Magnum and Double Magnum (Jeroboam) size. 

The Bistro at Brookdale Estate:
Website: www.brookdale-estate.com
Tel +27 (0) 87 183 3919
Email: bistro@brookdale-estate.com