The new Head Chef at TOKARA Deli, Chef Stephanie de Wet, has created an irresistible farm-style menu for summer. *OYSTER BAR ALERT, scroll down*
Long a favourite with locals and visitors to the Cape, TOKARA Delicatessen is your go-to family summer destination for sensational yet simple food and gorgeous wines.
The sweeping views of the surrounding mountains and valleys provide the perfect foil for seasonal, farm-fresh food, much of it sourced locally and from the estate’s own gardens. Added thrills are an inspiring sculpture garden with beautiful art installations, and a new playground with plenty of room for the little ones run wild in, and let off steam.
Perched high up the hill on Tokara wine and olive estate on the crest of the Helshoogte Pass outside Stellenbosch, the Deli, as it is fondly known by regulars, is the perfect home for new Head Chef Stephanie de Wet. A farm girl at heart, Chef Stephanie has brought new energy with her exciting flavour combinations using fresh produce picked daily from Tokara’s organic kitchen garden and micro herbs, salad leaves and strawberries from the new hydroponic greenhouse.
“I cook from the heart. Not a day goes by without being in the kitchen. I love to cook authentic food, straight from my farm girl roots and giving them a twist to turn them into something new and amazing,” says Chef Stephanie, who grew up on a Swellendam farm.
The Deli serves breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as fresh oysters from the oyster bar during the summer season. Stand-out items on the new summer menu include a delicious salad of beetroot prepared in different ways, pan-fried linefish with couscous and mango salsa, and for dessert, a lush pina colada frozen parfait with Malibu sorbet. Oh, yum already!
Chef Stephanie’s favourite breakfast item on the Deli menu is the hearty ‘Cellar Hand’s Breakfast’ – poached egg topped with her own personal twist of smoked butter Hollandaise, thick-cut pork belly rashers, butternut and black beans. The Duck Egg Benedict with chilli Hollandaise is another breakfast hit. Ready to hit the road yet? TOKARA Deli’s waiting for you!
Homemade pasta with a lightly smoked tomato sauce and baba ganoush is a perfect lunch option, while the star on the dinner menu is the prime-cut steak served with polenta and roasted garden vegetables. The ever popular Deli pizzas are always a winner and the menu has ample choice for vegans and vegetarians.
For lighter appetites, opt for a cheese and charcuterie platter, salads, or a Winemaker’s Sandwich (the choices vary daily). As a special treat for the children, the Deli offers kiddies’ lollies all summer.
While visiting the Deli, there is ample opportunity to shop for fresh produce and artisanal products, including Tokara’s fine extra virgin olive oil on tap, as well as fabulous décor items to take home. (Warning: you’ll shop yourself silly.)
The Deli is open daily for breakfast and lunch from 10h00 until 17h00 and for dinner from 18h00 during the summer season from Thursday to Saturday.
For reservations contact the Deli at Tel: 021 8085950 or E-Mail: deli@tokara.com.
More about Chef Stephanie de Wet
Chef Stephanie grew up on a Swellendam farm where her parents still farm with dairy, wool merinos and some grains. She describes herself as ‘fun loving and adventurous’ and, as the youngest of five children, loves to spend time with family and friends.
A 2013 graduate of The Hurst Campus with Full Hospitality and Chef Diplomas, Chef Stephanie has worked in a number of winelands restaurants including Chamonix, Haute Cabrière and Cuvée at Simonsig. She completed a 6-month stage at the Maritim Hotel in Mauritius and upon her return worked with Franck Dangereux at the Food Barn in Noordhoek. While working at Simonsig, she took over the head chef position from Chef Carolize Coetzee, the rising star at the helm of the kitchen brigade at Tokara Restaurant.
