It’s been all over Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It’s KlinkAward season. You decide who walks away with the gold just by voting for your favourite winery, destination or restaurant. This year there are 16 shortlisted categories to vote in.
The best part? Just by voting you are entered into a weekly draw to win unforgettable wine experiences and meals at your favourite wine farm restaurants, a night stay at a guesthouse, or a special tutored wine pairing experience with a cellar master.
Klink Awards: Best Gourmet Restaurant
One of the categories is the award for the best Gourmet Restaurant at the Cellar Door. Only the best of the best are nominated with venues that create cutting edge cuisine, pay great attention to detail, have a fantastic locations, offer first class service, and focus on artisanal/local wines with a sommelier service included. High standards all around. These guys aren’t playing games.
Waterkloof in Somerset West is one of the restaurants nominated, which we were invited to last week. As promised, here are three reasons why you should vote for Waterkloof.
Waterkloof Wine Estate
1. Location
I could come back to Waterkloof Wine Estate every day of the week just to sit down on their outside lounge, relax, and sip on a glass of wine. All while enjoying the ridiculously beautiful views of the vineyards.
Waterkloof is a very modern space with spectacular views of False Bay and Sir Lowry’s Pass. The restaurant is set in a modern glass and steel building located at the highest point of the vineyard. Big windows allow for plenty natural light to flow in.
2. Food
When going to Waterkloof you can choose between a six course tasting menu (which the entire table has to order) or any dish from a carefully designed a la carte menu. 2 courses cost R285, while a 3 course lunch/dinner is R360. We decided to go for the a la carte offering.
The menu might sound a little pricey, but it’s well worth it – I’ve been raving about it for the past week. I wish I could give you something more than just my words and the images below, because the food was excellent, the presentation beautiful – each course a journey of its own.
While all excellent, two dishes stood out for me. Firstly, scallops! Soft on the inside, yet crisp on the outside – an absolute dream. Served with scotch quail egg, celeriac, black pudding and pear. Straight from the go, I fell in love with it. I already had my eye on my second favourite as I scanned the menu at home. The springbok loin with beetroot and hazelnut was an incredible combination of flavours. It was excellently paired with Seriously Cool Cinsault 2013 – a very fruity red wine with strawberry and cherry nuances.
3. Service
The service at Waterkloof Wine Estate is phenomenal. Good service can fly under the radar as it’s mostly expected; excellent service is noticeable straight away. Waterkloof Wine Estate made us feel as welcome as possible. Our waitress was excellent as well and had perfect knowledge of each dish that was presented to us. A sommelier advised us on which wines to order for our main dishes.
Cast your vote for Waterkloof Wine Estate.
I’ve cast my vote for Waterkloof already. If you think they deserve your vote as well make sure to vote at this year’s Klink Awards. The voting process ends at the end of October and everytime you vote, you also stand a chance of winning amazing prizes every week.
