Accolades, spicy menus and an Eastern Cape wine affair

Spice Route menu at Palm House. (Photo: Supplied)

28 Feb 2025

In the Eastern Cape, the Great Kenton Wine Festival is proof of what can be done from a Karoo base. In Cape Town, Ouzeri has been picked as a ‘far from stereotypical’ farflung example of Greek and Cypriot cuisine. And in the city’s Southern Suburbs, Palm House is offering a Spice Route journey on Tuesdays.

Let’s start today’s diary in Kenton where, in the faraway Eastern Cape (well, unless you’re actually in this massive province of course), the Great Kenton Wine Festival 2025 happens from 20 to 22 March at this pretty coastal resort town and adjacent Bushmans River.

The affair is run by “Karoosters” Rose and Gordon Wright, whose wine shows are proof of what you can achieve from the Karoo. And in the Karoo — even though the winelands are at the other end of the country, in a different province.

Their wine festivals made their advent with a humble start in Graaff-Reinet in 2013, when the first Stoep Tasting Weekend drew just 45 people to roam the streets of the Stellenbosch of the Karoo, lolling on stoeps and tasting wines from a mere five wine producers.

Today, there are two (well, almost three in a sense) annual wine affairs. Held in May each year, the original Graaff-Reinet Stoep tasting Weekend has spilled over into nearby Nieu-Bethesda and runs for 10 days, one segueing into the other. Hence “almost” three wine events.

Pinotage will celebrate its centenary at the Great Kenton Wine Festival. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons licence)

The third is the Great Kenton Wine Festival in mid-March — as in, less than a month from now. If once upon a time many Western Cape wine producers may have been hard-pressed to tell you where Kenton-on-Sea and adjacent Bushmans River were, today around 40 producers trek there annually to pour their wines for between 2,000 and 3,000 punters.

Meanwhile in Graaff-Reinet and Nieu-Bethesda, about 140 wine producers in all pitch up in the two towns to cater for around 10,000 people.

And that is what can be done from a base in the middle of the Karoo.

A “spectacular three-day celebration of fine wines, world-class entertainment, and unforgettable experiences in the heart of the Eastern Cape’s Barefoot Capital” is promised.

The main tasting event will be held daily from 2pm to 5pm across three venues — the Kenton Bowls Club, Kenton Tennis Club, and Diaz Deep Sea Club — where about 40 curated producers from the Western Cape will showcase their best vintages.

Fringe events include celebration of the Centenary of Pinotage, South Africa’s very own grape variety.

Legendary humanitarian explorer, Kingsley Holgate, whose adventures have inspired audiences across the globe, and renowned master sculptor, Maureen Quin, are among the fringe elements of the festival.

Saxophonist Andrew Young will soothe guests with his soulful performances, while The Centrestage’s 80’s Party Show brings an electrifying throwback to one of the most iconic music eras.

Main Tasting Event: Click here | R350 per person for all 3 days | Fringe Events: Click here | festival programme: Click here | More about Kenton-on-Sea & surrounds: Click here

Pinotage image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons licence

Ouzeri bags a ‘Discovery’ honour

Ouzeri, the restaurant in Cape Town’s Wale Street that celebrates the traditional cuisines of Cyprus and Greece, has been included in the World’s Best Discovery list.

The 50 Best Discovery entry for Ouzeri boasts: “It’s rare you find a restaurant that so beautifully nails Greek and Cypriot cuisine, let alone one that’s quite some way from the region.

“But Cape Town’s Ouzeri is the real deal: chef-owner Nic Charalambous spent weeks travelling across the north of Greece and the islands, fine-tuning the recipes his Cypriot grandparents passed down to him.

“The menu is far from stereotypical (read, souvlaki or tzatziki are not the main stars), instead, dishes are multi-layered and impressively detailed. Kick things off with eliopita, an olive-and-anchovy bread with roasted garlic, before digging into lahanodolmades, a dish of cabbage leaves stuffed with chicken and rice and doused in a truffle lemon sauce.

Tuna, andante insenso, left; loukaniko with fermented red peppers, centre, and right, green date tomatoes, sungreen and green bee tomatoes dressed with fresh dill, Rozendal hibiscus vinegar and smoked olive oil. (Photo: Supplied)

“Finish with a bowl of decadent rizogalo, a thick rice pudding with caramel and toasted bread.”

The new additions to the guide feature more than 240 restaurants, 100 bars and 170 hotels and now features more than 3,700 hospitality establishments worldwide, showcasing the diversity and excellence of the hospitality industry. Each venue is selected after receiving a certain number of votes from the expert voting academies that create 50 Best’s world-leading global and regional lists.

The interior of Ouzeri. (Photo: Supplied)

Opened in 2022 and inspired by the lively bars of Cyprus and Greece, Ouzeri is a trendy yet traditional Cypriot-Greek restaurant in Wale Street, just off Bree Street.

“It’s such an honour to be recognised by the World’s 50 Best Discovery list,” said Charalambous. “From our humble beginnings as a pop-up experience to this incredible milestone, it’s really been a journey of passion and perseverance.”

More at www.theworlds50best.com/discovery | Instagram: @50BestDiscovery | Follow X: @TheWorlds50Best | Facebook: www.facebook.com/50BestDiscovery

Another kind of spice route on a Cape menu

Spice Route menu at Palm House. (Photo: Supplied)

Also in Cape Town, Palm House in Wynberg is taking a virtual cruise along East Africa’s Spice Route with a series of Tuesday evening menus devoted to the flavours of East Africa, the Indian Ocean Islands, and, closer to home, Durban’s rich Indian heritage.

It’s good to see Durban cuisine given some attention — it is perpetually overlooked in the public food discourse, even though it has a superbly distinctive cuisine.

The three-course menu, crafted by Executive Chef Gregory Henderson and available every Tuesday evening, is inspired by his travels to Kenya, Zanzibar, and working in the kitchens of Durban, learning the art of blending spices from the city’s master chefs.

On the menu are a selection of starters (chaats) such as Cape Malay samoosas (okay, not Durban then) and Bombay beet and chickpea pani puri. Main courses are the likes of Durban-Style Lamb Kofta curry, described as a “rich slow-cooked lamb curry infused with garam masala, curry leaves, and fiery masala spice”.

A fish option offers linefish (Abalobi linefish) in a spicy coconut-based Goan curry with a hint of tamarind, and roasted spices. The vegetable option is a vegan korma — seasonal vegetables in a creamy cashew and coconut curry, with cardamom and saffron.

Dessert is chai-spiced malva pudding, served warm with rooibos custard and cinnamon cream.

R395 per person, including a glass of Palm House wine. DM

Tuesdays 6.30pm to 9pm | Palm House Boutique Hotel & Spa, Cape Town | Book online via www.palmhouse.co.za | email [email protected] | WhatsApp: +27 (76) 487 2016.

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