Afrikaans Boerekos Turned Fine Dining (South Africa)

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South Africa is a country with a very diverse culture and heritage. Hence fellow late-South African dubbed as the Rainbow Nation. I am Afrikaans which is a language that developed as a Pidgin language between the Dutch settlers and the Khoi and San people.

The view outside Pierneef a La Motte.

Eventually Afrikaans developed as a standardised language with our own culture, including delicious and hearty food. I recently paid a visit to a restaurant called Pierneef on La Motte wine farm in Franschhoek in the Cape Winelands. Franschhoek is often referred to as the culinary capital of South Africa and I'm not one to argue with this statement.

Some dish plates that can be seen hanging from the ceiling inside the restaurant.

The restaurant is named after a famous Afrikaans artist that lived from 1886 to 1957. The restaurant is headed by the talented chef Eric Bulpitt. The wine farm and restaurant both have a strong heritage focussed feel and chef Eric decided to make his mother proud by making his Afrikaans heritage turn into global standard fine dining.

I went to Pierneef for lunch so only indulged in two courses - main and dessert. I love seafood, so naturally opted for the fish main. This was Hake and Anchovy that both have a tomato fondue on top with a side of squid ink. Absolutely beautiful.

The dessert I chose is the classic of all classic Afrikaans desserts. I went for chef Eric's take on Malva pudding. And damn, it was better than my mother's. It was served with white chocolate inside and stout ice cream on top with shaved macadamia nuts and some creme anglais on the side. Traditionally it would only be served with custard, but chef Eric absolutely took it to the next level.

I was absolutely blown away and didn't know that my Sunday staple family lunch can be made so fancy. If you ever find yourself in Cape Town, South Africa, be sure to pop over to Franschhoek in the winelands if you want to indulge in some world class wine and food.

Giant water fountain that greets you as you enter the farm.