Faber at Avondale | Paarl | South Africa
Rating: ***** / *****
Date visited: 29.12.2024
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This is the most undervalued restaurant in the Cape!
We went there multiple times over the last many years and have not only always had great food but also an amazing experience.
Headchef Dale Stevens introduced the farm-to-fork (as he calls it) philosophy long before every other restaurant adopted it. And the great thing at the Avondale estate is that you can walk through their gardens and literally see that farm-to-fork it’s not just a tagline here.
We always loved their bread course from the kitchen - the different butters are great but the fried, slightly sweet butternut bread ball (I made this up, I’m know they’ve got a better name for it) has always been our favourite.
Unnecessary side fact: their menu covers do not just look fancy but they are also made out of recycled material.
Talking about the menu - you can go à la carte or opt-in for the 6-course tasting menu. It was a lunch on a warm day so we went for 2 courses only but were fully satisfied.
The wine list has mostly their own wines but contains a few from surrounding wine farms as well. I appreciated that all Avondale wines are sold for cellar prices without any markup.
And while at Faber you must buy a few Avondale bottles. Our recommendation is Anima, the Chenin Blanc but Cylus is even better. It’s a beautiful blend of so many grapes, Roussanne, Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon. We always have a bottle or two in our vine fridge.
But back to the food!
It was fresh, it was tasty, it wasn’t heavy. I really love their kitchen.
2 more comments to round it off;
- the waiters are knowledgable, kind and fun. Great!
- the distance from Cape Town, Cape Town is with ±60km quite far but Avondale is easier to reach than most other wine farms as it’s quite close to the 59 N1 turn-off
Avondale and Faber - we shall visit you again!
