Terroir

Food:

One look at this ever-evolving, seasonal menu and you might think you could cook the stuff at home. Don’t be fooled; that’s chef Michael Broughton wants you to think. His talent lies in the ability to take seemingly simple dishes and impart them with sublime texture and flavour. He does this through inventive cooking techniques and some phenomenal sauces. In fact, when it comes to sauces, Broughton is king and he uses a wide variety of them to pull together plates with punchy flavours, often sporting unfashionable cuts of meat like pig trotters, oxtail or calf liver. And, just when you fall into the trap of pigeon-holing him as specialising in classical, European flavours, he’ll bring out a miso-cured salmon with sweet-and-sour aubergine that will leave your jaw on the floor. Pasta dishes are brilliant too. Instead of swimming in thick sauces, they are vehicles for solid flavours like lemon, basil, broad beans and asparagus.

Wine:

The state’s wines are there to be enjoyed, most of them by the glass. There’s a solid selection of other South African wineries too.

Service:

Laid-back but still efficient. The staff realise the need to be unobtrusive, but are still around when you need them.

Ambience:

Tuscany in Stellenbosch. Refreshingly unpretentious: the earthy interior, terracotta tiles and garden furniture make for a truly laid-back environment. Oak trees provide a natural canopy, with views over the De Zalze golf course and surrounding vineyards.

And...:

If it’s a special occasion, the international wines are worth checking out. Areas like Burgundy, Rioja and Alsace all get a look-in. (AF, October 2011)

Julie Mather
9-Jan-2012

Ate at Terrior on Christmas Eve, always a hit and miss affair - couldn't have been better: Food - inspired, staff - efficient but not intrusive; ambiance - magical under the trees; absolutely brilliant.

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Gerhard Kotze
31-Dec-2011

How did Terroir make the 2011 top 10? Had dinner there at beginning of December. At first our reservation couldn't be found, despite having been confirmed earlier on the same day. Second, my wife's glass of sparkling wine was flat - immediately visible. How does a top 10 restaurant allow that to happen? Third, we had to ask for the side vegetables to be brought to the table after mains had been received 5 minutes earlier.

Setting is truly underwhelming - dark interior when natural views of Zalze could have been used to great effect (I mean to drive all the way from Cape Town to Stellenbosch to be ushered inside a smallish dark room with very little view of anything outside - why?). All in all a big disappointment and makes me really wonder about how Terroir managed to make it to the Top 10.

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Lyn Mckechnie
22-Nov-2011

My husband and I had a spectacular meal at Terroir last Thursday at Terroir. It is without doubt one of our favourite places to eat. We had booked a table outside. From the varied bread basket with delicious tapenade to meticulously prepared dishes with extroadinary sauces, our experience was a complete delight. We can't wait to go back! We found the service staff to be excellent too!

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Jan van Nes
15-Oct-2011

Recently, four of us had lunch at Terroir after not having been here for a while. We were welcomed by a slovenly looking, somewhat uninterested hostess who escorted us to the table. How different this was in the recent past, when you were greeted by lovely ladies with a big smile. Ok, we came for the food but let's be honest, ambience is also a reason to visit a restaurant.



We started with the usual delicious basket of bread. The menu on the chalk board used to be presented in detail, but not anymore: a pity. Our waitress just asked if we did have any questions. She did her job in a correct manner, but was also not overflowing with joy that day. But maybe it was me, after the peculiar arrival. Our starters were very nice. I had the pork belly in phyllo pastry which was delicious, but also the starters with white asparagus, ordered by two of my table companions, were recommended to me. The main courses were a hit and miss. My fillet of beef was fine albeit the smallest portion of fillet I have ever had in a South African restaurant. I wondered if the two small pieces of beef would make a 150 gram portion. On the other side of the table I saw one of our friends struggling with a very unattractive and greasy piece of lamb, which she admitted to be really bad after asking her. Our waitress asked if the food was ok. I mentioned to her that it was from good till bad, after which she didn't react at all while topping up our glasses. So I asked her why she didn't respond to my comments. She then said that she was going to report it to the chef after which we learned from her that chef/owner Micheal Broughton was on leave. However, no follow up was given by anyone, not her and not someone from the kitchen. I don't drink coffee during the day, but not even that was offered to us. So, why asking your client for feedback, which was given in an honest and decent manner, and then do literally nothing with it? Not even responding to it in the first place to me is one thing, but no follow up whatsoever is another.



Our desserts again were ok, but nothing special. And that now is the exact reason why we go to a restaurant like Terroir, being rated as one of the best in South Africa by Eat Out magazine. To have a special experience, with a special treatment and special food. And none of us had that feeling when we walked back to our car. Can't they perform without Broughton heading the kitchen? Or are they simply not able to keep up their good standards of the past? Given the fact that there are so much better restaurants in the very close vicinity between Somerset West and Stellenbosch, with world class performances time after time, it might take a while before we will find out what the answers are to those questions.

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