Being a semi-vegetarian and a fan of clubs that involve eating food and drinking wine, I was rather excited to be invited to join Cape Town’s vegetarian supper club organised by Veggie Buntch recently. I missed the first supper, held at Catharina’s in Steenberg, which by all accounts was a delicious experience. For the club’s second meet up, I joined a group of vegans, vegetarians and interested-in-vegetarian-food omnivores for a vegan meal at the Chef’s Table at the Mount Nelson.
After vegan canapes (loved the parsley tempura and pickled butternut wrapped around pumpkin seed puree) and vegan bubbly (yes, it can be vegan) – Genevieve Blanc de Blanc Brut – in the Planet Bar, we donned aprons and were ushered into the depths of one of Cape Town’s oldest hotels. It’s a side of the Mount Nelson that most people don’t ever get to see – labyrinthine back corridors and a busy (yet swear word free) kitchen that smelled of baking ciabatta.
We were seated right in the middle of the action at the large oak Chef’s Table surrounded by Mount Nelson chef portraits on plates on the wall, after which a veritable vegan feast ensued: six courses of exquisitely presented, amazing food, accompanied by animal-derivative-free wines.
Ah yes, vegan wines, I hear you ask. Turns out that most wines are made with animal derivatives (either fish or pork), but some use clay instead, so they’re vegetarian and vegan-friendly. Our wines for the evening, chosen and introduced by sommelier Carl Habel, were Boschendal Chardonnay Pinot Noir and First Sightings Pinot Noir, both of which were excellent.
Here’s how six courses of vegan deliciousness went down:
We started off with a mushroom terrine of marinated raw mushrooms, served with smoked aubergine puree. There’s nothing I love better on a veggie menu than a dish of umami-rich shrooms.
After quaffing rather a lot of the delicious Boschendal Chardonnay Pinot Noir, we were served beetroot ravioli stuffed with cashew cheese (turns out non-dairy cheese is rather tasty), with tomato consomme, grapefruit dressing and roasted and pickled baby beets. It was a lot of purple tastyness on a plate.
My favourite dish was the roasted butternut tortellini with pickled butternut, pumpkin seed hummus and pumpkin puree. Pure orange comfort food.
I never knew a risotto could be so tasty without any Parmesan, cream or marscapone. The Mount Nelson chefs know a secret vegan risotto trick because the Jerusalem artichoke risotto with roasted, pickled and crisp artichokes was superb.
With the First Sightings Pinot Noir, we tucked into brinjal parcels stuffed with couscous and quinoa, served with slow-roasted tomatoes and mushy peas. I’m a sucker for mushy peas (must be the English blood in me) and these definitely ranked highly on my scale of mushy awesomeness.
The feast ended off with a chocolate sponge (incredibly made with no dairy or egg), topped with chocolate ganache, pear and vanilla sorbet, and pear puree.
I’ve never had so much vegan food in one go before and I was really impressed. It turns out that vegan food can be a lot more interesting and delicious than I’d thought. On top of that, I got to see a whole other side to the Mount Nelson and its restaurant, and meet some friendly vegetarians.
Chef’s Table
The Chef’s Table was especially booked for our vegetarian supper club, and the vegan menu was speficially prepared for us. It’s not always fully vegan! Usually, menus are designed on the day according to Chef Rudi’s choice of fresh seasonal and local ingredients.
The Chef’s Table is available for reservations seven days a week, for lunch and dinner, and caters for six to 10 people.
The Chef’s Table is a good way to mark a special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary, and the menu can be customised according to the group’s preferences. A bespoke Chef’s Table dinner also makes a fantastic gift for serious foodies.
For more details and to make a reservation call tel 021-483-1948.
Veggie Buntch Vegetarian Supper Club
How to book
Send an email to Laura Cooke on [email protected] to book. Be sure to specify any dietary requirements when booking. The next event will be held in August at the 12 Apostles Hotel’s restauraunt, Azure.
What’s this Supper Club all about?
The Veggie Buntch Supper Club is a dinner club for veggie-lovers who enjoy great food and good company. It’s currently running in Cape Town, with one Supper Club event per month.
Veggie Buntch Supper Club attendees will benefit from great specials (for example, for the Chef’s Table experience we paid R400 each instead of the usual R800) and menus that are focused 100% on providing top-quality vegan or vegetarian cuisine. This is also a chance to meet other vegetarians and vegans in your area.
