Tantalise your tastebuds in Stellenbosch with Makaron's Sensational New Spring Menu #tastyafrica
MAJEKA HOUSE'S MAKARON RESTAURANT SHOWCASES "FARM-TO-TABLE" CUISINE AT ITS BEST
MAKARON RESTAURANT is about to enter its third season under the inspired direction of head chef Tanja Kruger, who continues to show passion and commitment to ethically sourced, farm-to-table cuisine showcasing the very best produce from the Stellenbosch Winelands region and beyond.
Sophisticated and stylish, the intimately scaled Makaron is at the heart of Majeka House. Its revamped terrace is the place to dine this summer or simply to enjoy a glass of wine, handpicked by resident sommelier Josephine Gutentoft who always has an undiscovered local gem up her sleeve.
Following the redecoration of all the hotel suites last year, designer Etienne Hanekom has now worked his magic on most of the remaining guest rooms. Characterized by eye-catching wallpaper, sexy leather chairs in bold accent colours, warm wood and unpolished granite, the rooms exude dramatic, contemporary style and offer every creature comfort.
Since commencing at Majeka House in 2011, Tanja Kruger has grown in confidence and experience and continues to evolve her own style, influenced as always by her reverence for fresh, seasonal produce sourced as close to ‘home’ as possible. Says Tanja: ‘I know where 95 percent of our ingredients come from. I will not accept anything but the best for the restaurant and go out of my way to find it. I am constantly trying to find new producers in the Stellenbosch region, while encouraging my staff to get involved too by foraging for specialist ingredients and helping out in the gardens.’
Makaron’s new menu highlights the local provenance of star ingredients. Tanja describes the dishes as being simpler, with fewer ingredients on the plate. ‘What we are in fact doing is celebrating what the farmers have taken the time to grow or rear for us,’ she explains. Root vegetables and salad leaves come from a one-hectare organic vegetable, herb and fruit farm in Porterville owned by Steve ”The Magic Man” Botha; fresh herbs and edible flowers, of which Tanja is an ardent fan, are harvested from the gardens at Majeka House; chickens free of antibiotics, growth stimulants or hormones and reared in a humane, environmentally friendly way come from Lazena Free Range Poultry, a family owned business in Gordon’s Bay; pork comes from another family owned business, Sweetwell Farm, located on the R44 just outside Stellenbosch; and pasture reared beef and eggs come from Angus McIntosh’s biodynamic farm at Spier.
Tanja also enjoys the benefit of being exposed to cutting-edge food trends in Europe and the privilege of dining in Michelin-starred restaurants, thanks to regular working trips to the northern hemisphere during the South African winter months. This year she spent time in the kitchens of Restaurant Frantzen in Sweden, under Bjorn Frantzen; Geranium in Denmark, under Rasmus Koefoed; and Pierre Gagnaire in Paris, under the mentorship of the great man himself.
Inspired once again by the incredible attention to detail she witnessed in restaurants, bistros and gastropubs across Europe, back in her own kitchen she is playing with techniques such as burning, brining, pickling, juicing and jellies in a quest to intensify flavours.
New additions to the a la carte menu include SASSI (South African Sustainable Seafood Initiative) green-listed hake with miso, roasted sweetcorn puree, onion, carrot butter and the surprise crunch of spekboom; free-range crown roasted chicken with mushrooms and nasturtium puree; pan- seared springbok with celery root and leaf and a chive oil; and grass-fed veal with sweetbreads, cauliflower, thyme and chive. Even the Makaron bread board has been reinvented. Always interesting, it now includes sourdough rolls, Swedish knäckebröd and dainty cheese tuilles served with organic farm butter, goat’s butter and caramelised naartjie butter. With only 40 seats, reservations for lunch or dinner at Makaron are strongly advised especially in the summer months.
For table and room reservations or for further information call Majeka House and Makaron Restaurant on (27) (21) 880 1549; email reservations@majekahouse.co.za; or visit www.majekahouse.co.za for the latest seasonal promotions.
Claire Roadley
Marketing & PR Manager
Ethos Marketing®
Unit 5, Field Place Estate, Byfleets Lane, Broadbridge Heath, Horsham, RH12 3PB
Tel: 44 (0)1403 243619
claire@ethosmarketing.co.uk
http://www.ethosmarketing.co.uk
Twitter: @ethos_marketing / @claireroadley
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Ethos Marketing is the UK Sales, Marketing and PR office for luxury hotels and game lodges in Southern and East Africa.
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