A delightful lunch with a view at Glen Carlou, Stellenbosch

Glen Carlou wine tasting entrance the wine girl cape town

Lunch at Glen Carlou is always such a treat with Chef Johan Stander taking the lead. If the wine isn’t yummy and awarded enough, you should try the sauces that come with the food – mind blowing! I arrived on a rainy day which wasn’t ideal because the views are incredible when it is a sunny day but nonetheless, we could still see the vineyards. The below view just gets even better on a sunny day!

We were made to feel welcome and shown to our table. The fireplace was roaring by the lounge area which made for a lovely ambience. All the tables were well spaced out so as to comply with covid protocols. Glen Carlou has a “game reserve” feel about it featuring dark wood and a thatched roof. THe wine tasting section is a bar area so I would recommend that if you do want to visit Glen Carlou, don’t just stop for a tasting, stop by for lunch too!

Warming up the palate:

I started off with a glass of The Collection Chenin which is not normally on offer due to the limited bottles that are produced. I was however lucky on this day because they had a bottle that was already open. We were given a complimentary bread starter which had a truffle oil-infused cream cheese as a spread, drizzled in honey! Also on the plate was hand made butter and a sort of oil reduction vinaigrette with charcoal. When I say this chef is a sauce master, he really is! The wine and bread was the perfect pairing and certainly awakened the palate!

Glen Carlou Starters:

To start, I had the squid paired with the Glen Carlou Chardonnay. The calamari was deep-fried and rolled somehow into interesting spirals, accompanied by some mini squid tentacles (also deep-fried) with aubergine and yellow pepper on the side. The most interesting starter though was by far the blue cheese souffle – it was like a tasty egg dome, crusted in walnuts on a bed of spinach!

Mains:

I needed something to pair with the Syrah because it is a top 12 Shiraz winner! The chef recommended the ostrich and rustic fries. It certainly did not disappoint, medium-rare and cooked to perfection, the fries came with smoked tomato relish and this just sent my senses into overdrive! It was delightful! My plus one ordered the fish to go with the Chardonnay – the line fish of the day was hake and also cooked to perfection on a mussel cream base.

Dessert

By this stage, I was stuffed but I just had to find space for dessert! We ordered the creme brulee and the apple crumble. It was the perfect end to a lovely lunch.

I had a wonderful time at Glen Carlou and I am sure you will too! Take advantage of their 3-course special (bread starter with mains & dessert) for only R230 per person. Check out their menu HERE.