Rentals Cape Town

A pork pie that would launch 1000 ships. The burnished pastry all crimped,
crusty, chewy and rich filled with delicate and crumbly ground pork spiked
with cider vinegar and garlic. Sixteen Rand is the price for this encounter.
Add a take away coffee to the bill and take them outside to sit on the grass
under a eucalyptus or shady shrub. There's Ludwigs Roses across from here-
blooms bearing the names of infamous South African people and places
brighten up the whole picnic scene. Barry Ronges, Steve Hofmeyers and
Shirley Veals pose and radiate in the neighbourhoods of Eastgate Evergolds
and Polokwane Pinks.

Let's get back inside- the sit down restaurant offers good croque monsieurs and meat platters.The Sunday lunch menu looks suitably rich, hearty andimaginative. But to me the real action is out in the butchery and bakeryarea. Pork is Joostenberg's bag, with the journey from piglet to bacon taking place from their adjacent farm to the in-house butchery. The traditional bangers and pork boerewors are special; how have you managed to put up with those food technology products from Woolworths for so long? Then turn the sausage appreciation knob a little louder and try the toulousse sausage: garlicky, herby and gently overpowering. And if Pig 1 and Pig 2 weren't the greatest builders in the world their fine attributes are done justice in the Joostenberg display fridges: belly, neck and trotter, reams of bacon and ham, racks of chops and fillets. 

But in the perpetual struggle between bread and meat, for me bread will
always win. The centre bench has an array of crusty stuff that will please
the dough-lover. Real baguettes and round sourdoughs with gently scorched
surfaces. The scones are big and buttery and the spirals of the raisin
danishes would make Denmark proud. Eat both whilst driving: it makes for a
good journey and a car full of crumbs and pastry flakes.

And there's Joostenberg own wine to swill it all down with. The Little J
Rose for R40 is our favourite; more seriously named and dauntingly priced
reds and whites will probably do a great job accompanying a fine dinner,
film, bath or tax return. They have a full tasting facility to let you sip
your way through any uncertainties.



All the other essentials and ingredients to stock up the pantry shelves for
a while are here: dairy, fresh produce, pasta, flour, jams, cheeses, home
made ice cream and desserts, fresh and locally grown fruit juices. Good
local produce, imaginative and quality goods often at prices not much more
than those at a supermarket. In fact if you live in the vicinity of
Joostenberg ditch the supermarket altogether except for the most mundane
requirements like tooth paste and washing powder. A honey producer, plant
nursery and garden centre as well as an importer of Indonesian furniture and
un-run-of-the-mill home decor accessories are to be found within the
Joostenberg complex.

If you are in Cape Town its worth making a journey up the N1 towards
Stellenbosch and taking the R304 Stellenbosch turnoff. Roughly a 45km trip
and a good starting point for a wine tour of this part of Stellenbosch with
names like Villiera, Mulderbosch, Simonsig, Beyerskloof and Monterosso. Not
quite the usual tourist route but high standards and lots of differentiation
on this shortish segment ending in Stellenbosch town.

See it at www.joostenberg.co.za