Bringing Barcelona: Bistro 1682 New Tapas Menu

Bistro 1682 is bringing Barcelona home with its brand new tapas and summer menu! Long known for its excellent food, notably the brunches and tapas, Bistro 1682 is now wowing diners with an exciting, authentic new tapas menu. If you want the true flavours of Spain translated to a local context, head for Steenberg Wine Estate for this thrilling gastronomic journey.

This morning I received a press release from Gudrun Clark of GC Communications with the most beautiful photographs, telling the story of chef Kerry Kilpin’s inspirational culinary journey in Spain. I missed the launch, so I am happy to share the good news with you here on my blog. Read below, and then get busy with booking your table! Bistro 1682 is a fantastic spot for a long, lingering lunch with your loved ones, over glasses of the excellent estate wine.

 Executive Chef Kerry Kilpin, fresh from her culinary quest in Barcelona and London, has added exciting tweaks and twists to her summer fare at the popular Bistro Sixteen82 at Steenberg in Constantia.

Known for uncomplicated bistro-style food and tapas that is seasonal,  flavourful and bursts with freshness, Chef Kerry draws on experiences during her travels to find new inspiration and authentic ingredients, so evident in the constant evolution of the Bistro Sixteen82 menu.

Eating her way through Barcelona, Chef Kerry visited 13 restaurants in four days with plenty of sightseeing on foot to build up an appetite for the next round of tapas.

“My favourite experience was dining at a tiny chairless tapas bar, Quimet & Quimet and the equally quaint Cal Pep. Tasting my way through the famous La Boqueria Food Market was another highlight, but my biggest triumph must be getting a seat at Tickets,” says Chef Kerry, who waited on the pavement outside the trendy tapas bar and restaurant of the brothers Albert and Ferran Adriá, chef du patron at the world renowned El Bulli, for nearly four hours.

What fascinated her most about tapas in Barcelona was how simple it really is – usually not more than three ingredients, a protein, olive oil and garlic or parsley, without any garnish or sauces. Humble bread, rubbed with fresh tomato and soaked in olive oil is a staple tapas everywhere, while the Catalan take on bruschetta – toasted bread with olive oil with a variety of toppings – varies from bar to bar. The most common bruschetta in Barcelona is topped with crushed ripe tomatoes, called “pa amb tomaquet”, Catalan for bread and tomato.

“We were spoiled for choice by the sheer abundance of the freshest seafood with the most wonderful flavours. Besides delicious scallops, clams and mussels, I fell in love with razor clams – more commonly known in South Africa as pencil bait. Used primarily as bait by fishermen in the Southern Cape, razor clams are hardly eaten here which is such a pity as they are absolutely delicious,” adds Chef Kerry who would love to serve them if there was a sustainable local supply.

If there is one ingredient that stood out for her and that she has already included in her new summer menu, it must be truffle honey: “Its wonderful smoked, earthy character captures all the tastes and aromas of a typical tapas bar filled with whiffs of mature Serrano hams hanging from the rafters. What an amazing product!” says Chef Kerry who makes her own by infusing local honey with truffle oil.

You’ll find truffle honey in some of her new dishes such as the smoked salmon nori and asparagus terrine, and don’t be surprised to see it drizzled on salads, cheese or yoghurt. Chef Kerry’s love of playing with oriental flavours also takes a bow in the seared beef tataki with shemeji mushrooms, charred corn chillies and truffle mayo.

Another new dish inspired by the flavours of Barcelona is marinated bell peppers with white anchovies and quail eggs, while smoked paprika can be found in her chorizo and artichoke salad. Chef Kerry has tweaked smoked pork with manchego croquetas – a typical Spanish cheese croquette – by adding her signature dollop of creamy wholegrain mustard mayo.

Olive tapenade stakes its claim on the new menu with pulled lamb shoulder and chilli tomato on a bed of polenta.

Inspiration from visiting markets and top eateries in London, including Michelin starred Marcus Wareing at The Berkley, is evident in some of the new summer dishes. The roast pork belly with apple and fennel doused in a cider jus, is a dead give-away as is the grilled fish with smoked cauliflower purée and hazelnut butter.

Visit Bistro Sixteen82 and let Chef Kerry take you on your own culinary journey of the flavours and nuances she has imbibed on her travels. Enjoy her inventive creations over lunch or pop in for after work tapas in the late afternoons.

For more information and a full range of menu options visit www.steenbergfarm.com/bistro1682 and follow @bistro1682 on Twitter. You can also follow Bistro Sixteen82 on Instagram at instagram.com/steenberg_farm and like it on Facebook at facebook.com/SteenbergEstate.

More about Bistro Sixteen82

Named after the year in which Steenberg was established, Bistro Sixteen82 has become Constantia’s darling for tapas and bistro food. An innovative and interactive wine and food destination, the Bistro sits adjacent to Steenberg’s winery, and spills into indigenous gardens with a terraced dining area leading onto reflective water features, unfurling into views of the magnificent stone mountain and expansive vines. The menu is a constant evolution of inventive dishes prepared with the finest locally sourced produce enlivened with hints of Asian flair. Executive Chef, Kerry Kilpin creates food with an inimitable contemporary spirit that is seasonal, flavourful and bursts with freshness. The bistro is open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and late afternoon tapas.