Die Stoep: A Farm Restaurant in Stellenbosch

Walking down through tumbling garden beds brimming with herbs and flowers, there’s a relaxed homestead feel as you arrive at Vriesenhof. The modest thatched manor house at the top of Paradyskloof (near the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden) outside Stellenbosch is the former home of rugby and winemaking legend, Jan ‘Boland’ Coetzee. Until he retired last year, Vriesenhof wasn’t open to the public at all. Now the homestead has been sensitively converted to a tasting room and a restaurant, Die Stoep – where wide stoeps soak up views over oak trees, vineyards and mountains. It’s a place for relaxed lunches and convivial gatherings, shared plates cooked over open flames paired with the estate wines in time-honoured Vriesenhof tradition.

The stories of a lifetime

Restaurateur Marc Botes has taken great care to preserve the heritage and the storytelling ambience of the legacy entrusted to him. A cosy lounge with Oregon-pine floors and a fireplace displays photos, memorabilia and tells the stories of a lifetime. The low-ceilinged underground cellar remains as it was in Coetzee’s day, lined with dust-covered bottles, and is one of the few places where you can find Vriesenhof vintages from decades back…. genuinely interested wine-lovers can get talking to Vriesenhof CEO Eddie Smit and discover treasures and stories not on any wine list.

Food on fire

At Die Stoep fire-cooking isn’t a flashy, on-trend affair but rather just the way things have been done for years. A perfectly grilled steak or seared tuna (seriously delicious on a fennel and apple salad) follows on from shared plates of starters and snacks (there’s no right way to  approach the menu – you can progress through three courses, or just order several plates from any course and share). We fell for the burrata with charred courgettes with salsa verde; and a gorgeous steak tartare with fried capers, plus some fried oysters with divine finely chopped confit lemon. And with the pizza oven right there on the stoep, it’s impossible not to try one of the puffy-crusted sourdough pizzas…. artichoke with fior di latte and ricotta was a winner, a sublime combination on a sunny autumn day.

To finish, a potjie pot of coal-roasted chocolate and orange fondant is obligatory even for non-chocoholics, the smoke from the fire infusing the liquid centre with even more oomph, and a delicately spiced milk tart ice cream cooling down the molten lava to decadent droolworthiness.

This is the sort of food you’d be happy to eat every day – fresh flavours, comforting nostalgia and frequent touches of fire playing with a sense of history and place.

Opening times Tuesday – Wednesday, 12pm – 4pm
Thursday – Saturday, 12pm – 8.30pm
Sunday, 12pm – 4pm
Contact 021 007 5591, [email protected]
Where to find it Vriesenhof Estate, Paradyskloof Road, Stellenbosch
Book through DinePlan

Discover all of the Cape’s hidden gems – subscribe to our weekly newsletter.