From: WineTube
Added: 2011-11-15

Category: WineTube Clips
Duration: 0:01:31

Tags: Haute, Cabriere, Restaurant, cellar, Franschhoek, Ryan Shell, Wine, South Africa, Food, Cape Town, Von Arnim, Cooking, Kitchen, Recipe

Video Description: (BottlePlatePillow Video Blog: Short video Clip with no lighting, free-hand and limited editing)

A FRANSCHHOEK OLD FAITHFUL BEGINS A NEW ERA IN STYLE

South Africa, Franschhoek, September 2011; One of the stalwarts of the Franschhoek wine and culinary community, Haute Cabrière recently celebrated the re-opening of the Haute Cabrière Cellar Restaurant. After a glamorous makeover, including an interior redesign and menu update, the restaurant, situated halfway up the Franschhoek Pass is all set for the coming spring and summer season.
Dressed in crisp, white linens and featuring a series of sparkling handcrafted chandeliers and colourful artworks, many of them by cellar master and Haute Cabrière founder Achim von Arnim, the restaurant is a stylish version with an unmistakingly female touch of its former self. But despite the changes that have been implemented, of course much has remained at this iconic winery and eatery. The menu developed by recently appointed Head Chef Ryan Shell features a number of Haute Cabrière signature dishes including the famed mussels and seared tuna and naturally the cellar's famed wines and Pierre Jourdan MCCs continue to be a major drawcard for wine aficionados.
"I like to think of Haute Cabrière as a diamond that my father has created, this new phase is simply revealing another facet to its beauty", says Takuan von Arnim whose wife Christiane has overseen the unveiling of this new face of one of the valley's most well loved gems. Along with an extensive new terrace looking out to the Franschhoek mountains, a new glass wall linking the tasting room to the restaurant and the familiar flashes of the von Arnim family's traditional colours of red and white seen in the staff uniforms and even the ribbons tied around the table napery, there is a renewed sense of vigour and excitement at the restaurant.

This is especially evident when chatting to Head Chef Ryan Shell. No stranger to the Franschhoek Valley (Ryan cut his culinary teeth at the famed Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français), Ryan is looking forward to welcoming in a new era at the restaurant but is mindful of not making dramatic changes for the sake of it "there are so many regulars who have their favourites and we'll be offering them these along with my own innovations and ideas", says Ryan who has already developed a reputation for his mouthwatering new offerings that marry classic and contemporary mores including his Asian inspired Beef Wellington that includes soy cured beef fillet, a selection of exotic mushrooms and a sour cherry coulis. Passionate about provenance, since the restaurant opened on September 1, Ryan has been kept busy with daily visits from enthusiastic producers, something he says is an exciting process of discovery and development for him. It is this passion that will certainly drive the menu that will change according to the seasons and Ryan's gourmet finds.

Although the restaurant is a major drawcard to Haute Cabrière, it is of course the very popular and renowned wines and bubblies that put it on the map and deference to this heritage is evident throughout the dining experience. Recommended wines accompany every menu offering and the new tasting menu ("no overly complicated dishes, just a reflection of the style of food we cook here" says Ryan) is a six-course wine and food journey.
The Saturday morning ritual of sabrage led by a member of the von Arnim family during the course of a cellar tour and wine tasting remains a familiar feature at this much loved estate and those in the know arrive a few minutes before 11am to ensure they see the swashbuckling action for themselves.
Having opened its doors on the first day of Spring and celebrated its first weekend with hundreds of visitors at the Franschhoek Uncorked Festival, the restaurant at Haute Cabrière has got into the swing of things immediately and with its crisp new look and feel and exciting new menu, it seems set for every success.
The Haute Cabrière Cellar Restaurant is open for lunch daily and is also open for dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings for the remainder of this month. From October until the end of April, dinner is available from Monday to Saturday every week. To book your table, call (27) (21) 876 8500 or email reservations@cabriere.co.za

Press Release: Manley Communications
Video production: BottlePlatePillow

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