Jardine in Cape Town is one of the three star restaurants in Rossouw’s 2010, as it was in 2009. Chef George Jardine’s food is of a consistently high standard, his flavours pure and bright and his presentation exciting without being pretentious. Towards the middle of the year, rumours began to circulate that he was moving to the winelands, he squashed those, indicating that Jardine in CT was not going anywhere. Then, in a rather elegant side-step, he opened this new venture at Jordan winery, where he cooks during the day, while Jardine is a dinner-only spot.
So so time will judge the effect of this balancing act, but in the meanwhile I’d suggest you hot-foot it to Jordan to experience the small and ever-changing menu, cooked in an open kitchen where the small team are clearly working hard to make exciting food.
The new always brings a measure of rejuvenation and a chance to play with fresh ideas, and so it is at Jordan for George Jardine. The menu lists four starters and four mains, three desserts (one being the selection of cheeses from the walk-in cheese room). Three courses is R225, which is fantastic value for the calibre, and the wine list is small but well-selected and also well-priced. A stand-out starter was the barrel-smoked yellowtail. This is a fish that’s served on so many menus, over-cooked into a slice of metallic dryness. Here it is cold-smoked and served with a shallot dressing and shoots of crispy garlic plant, along with a few scallops, seared. The textures and flavours are perfectly delicious. Also sampled the 12-hour braised short rib with foie gras, warm cauliflower mousse and truffle jus – another excellently executed dish with rich flavour. Here slow cooked really means it.
Woodfired pork rack with savoy cabbage and a parsnip and honey purée showcases the wood-oven that’s at the back of the kitchen – an ancient form of cooking and still one of the best. Jardine now uses the wood oven more and more as its versatility proves itself, and the olive bread rolls you’re served at Jordan are wonderful: nourishingly crusty with real crumb. The pork was very good, succulent, ideal with the texture of the cabbage. Not a huge fan of the purée, the honey too evident, but this was a minor note. Butter and thyme roasted hake with poached potato and fennel, plus “Joel’s secret” bouillabaisse sauce was another fine dish, incredibly well poised. Low point of the lunch was the rhubarb and honey soufflé (wet) but the vanilla bean ice cream was superb. Coffee ordinary.
And the space? Continuing the “theme” of Cape Town, Jardine is clearly not in pursuit of designer spaces. It’s about the food. Here at Jordan, the view is the thing, and there is plenty of it, while the room itself is rather shell-like, enlivened by some bold and primary art. The Cape winelands are ever-more blessed with superb dining options, most with stellar settings and some with vivid architecture. In the finest tradition of country restaurants, Jordan Restaurant has diverting views, but the excitement is most certainly on the plate.
021 881 3612 restaurant@jordanwines.com Lunch Tues-Fri; dinner Thurs and Fri
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5 Comments
had lunch at Jordan this past sunday and teh food was OUTSTANDING – fresh, clean flavours, elegant plating, good service & well priced wines – R225 fro 3 courses – great value !! Smoked yelloetail superb and the lamb main course was the best lamb I have ever, ever tasted – amazing views too and gorgeous chairs – GO SOON !!!
Bazil is absolutely right – this is truely great!
Relaxed, views, friendly, unrushed but attentive and charming service, a great adddition to winelands eating – wonderful menu and still R225 for 3 courses which for the quality of the food excellent value. I would have been happy to choose all of the items offered. Flavours are clean fresh and exciting – the salt and sugar curred trout, sesame fried prawn and summer flowers was a great starter – simple but harmonious and so full of flavour – the summer flowers in particular a highlight! Braised kingklip with porcini, new potatoes and organic baby leeks (and a little spinach) was perfect – stunningly fresh fish perfectly cooked and beautifully complimented by the other ingredients. To finish a dark chocolate terrine with vanilla ice cream – both great but even these were surpassed by the stunning raspberries the like of which I have not tasted in South Africa.
Adjoining tables crayfish with risotto and the chargrilled ribeye with bearnaise and rocket looked equally devine!
The food was stunning, very kids friendly and kind staff and amazing wooded Chardonnay, what a great lunch we had , I will come back!
Anne
Another amazing lunch at Jordan Jardine – easily and I mean easily the best meal I have had in ages : Chicken Liver & Foie Gras Parfait, celeriac chantilly. toasted brioche and prune – elegant, rich and delicious – a work of art ! Roasted Saddle of warthog, braised red cabbage, carrot puree and cranberry jus – delicate, balanced & punchy all at the same time – Pan fried Brioche with prune & armagnac ice cream & hazelnuts – a winner. Wine list very reasonable with many amazing choices below the R150 mark. service professional & restrained – views breathtaking – New Menu Du Jour amazing value @ R180 for 3 course without wine and R220 with 2 glasses of Jordan wine. Main menu R225 for 3 courses. Nowhere is doing this kind of food so well right now.
I too have just had another amazing lunch at JR with GJ. Lovely olive bread with delicious porcini dusted butter and truffle infused aoili. Foie gras parfait with confit duck bonbon, celeriac chantilly toasted brioche was a triumph of flavour and texture – outstanding; as was the aged peppered Chalmar rump with hand picked forest mushroom ragout and dauphinoise. Equally impressive was some wonderful kabeljou with a smokey snoek branade, zucchini and crispy calamari. To finish, the lightest (but perfectly risen) of raspberry souffles with creme anglaise and vanilla ice cream. A steal at R225 for 3 courses – and the wonderful view is for free! Interesting to note that the menu referred to the lovely sunny May 30th weather another indication of the immediacy and freshness of what is offered here.