The menu draws heavily from ingredients produced and harvested on the farm, whether it’s herbs and vegetables from the Avondale garden or the chickens, ducks and Black Angus cattle. The menu is short but mouth-watering and the widespread use of interesting vegetables as either garnish or hero illustrates how well the garden is drawn on as an inspirational pantry.
Chef Dale Stevens lets the ingredients speak for themselves and that comes through in a dish like the mullet with miso-glazed aubergine, radish and ponzu. If his treatment of fish is light and ethereal then his meat dishes both robust and luxurious – there’s the aged grass-fed flat iron steak witbb hot-smoked bacon, charred onion and a variety of mushrooms.
The vanilla panna cotta, borage flowers and dried, fresh and puréed orange melts in your mouth, but the different treatments of the orange take the dessert to a whole new level. The aromatic poached Packham pear, pecan-nut streusel, wood sorrel and cream-cheese Ice Cream is an excellent use of the sometimes-bland winter fruit.
Drinks
The wine list, as would be assumed on a wine estate, is a showcase of its own products, but the Avondale range is impressive and of outstanding quality, complementing FABER’s food perfectly.
Service
Service is friendly and knowledgeable. Although tasting menus with paired wines are on offer, the staff are more than capable of suggesting wines to accompany all the dishes on the menu.
Ambience
The ambience of the restaurant doesn’t quite do the food justice and, although welcoming and friendly, the restaurant just feels like an extension of the tasting room.
(August 2019)
Eat Out critics dine unannounced and pay for their meals in full. Read our full editorial policy here.
User reviews
★★★★★
2 Reviews
Mlizma King
★★★★★
A meal fit for ‘the Kings’
This quaint restaurant with a casual feel overlooks Paarl & its mountains. We arrived and were greeted by the host, Kat and our friendly waiter for the day.
We sat down to a glass of bubbles and some of the best breads and spreads I’ve had in a long time. I had the winter special (what great value for money) and hubby had a la carte. The duck with Jerusalem artichokes are some of my favourite flavours and thoroughly enjoyed the other starter of beets, orange & burrata. Our meaty mains were full on flavour and perfectly cooked, but what I really loved was the REAL chips & what I’d like to call the world’s best cabbage. Desserts were yummy and really hit the spot, decadent brownie in a glass & panna cotta with soft flavours of guava - just lovely!
What makes Faber so unique, is that the food is simple, seasonal & flavourful! A definite must if you’re in the area or looking for spot for lunch out of town
Definitely in my top 10!
