The beautiful food generated from this restaurant is in direct proportion to the beautiful farm from which the food is sourced, which is also the home on which the restaurant lives. The food is seasonal and, remarkably, nearly every ingredient is sourced from their own farm. The restaurant itself is housed in a renovated cow shed that has the contemporary addition of glass walls that afford an open view of the farmland surrounding the dining room. The above picture is a demonstration highlighting what was in season during my visit in December. Although in some ways serving hearty and simple fare, the experience felt luxurious. As I waited for my meal, I was offered an assortment of unadorned seasonal fruits and vegetables as well as their own fresh bread and olive oil. This was a blatant demonstration of the deliciousness of food eaten fresh and in season.
Risotto
Babylonstoren Carnaroli beetroot infused risotto with walnut and watercress pesto and a drizzle of olive oil. Although expecting that the vegetables were from the land, I was in disbelief that the risotto was grown on the farm as well. This dish was rich with thick sheets of cheese from the local Dalewood Fomage on top. This contributed not only salt, but the fat to add richness to the already thick texture of the risotto. Babylonsoren does have a dairy and makes cheese, but this cheese came from an award winning source nearby. I enjoyed the crunchy texture afforded by the walnuts that were peppered throughout the plate. However, the dish became most memorable when a squeeze of lime added acidity to make the tastebuds really sing.
Trout was the fish of the day. It was served with a light and spicy coconut bobotie sauce alongside ginger pickled fruit and vegetables.
This was an unexpected combination of fruit and fish, but gave a complexity to each bite via the acidity delivered from the fruits of strawberry, blueberry, plum, and lime. This cut through the richness of the sauce, which was slightly sweet from the coconut that had a touch of spice as well.
Each entree was served with a healthy portion of vegetables, which revealed the beauty that can be coaxed from each item being treated with care. My favorite was a combination of beets and squash. The beets were subtly sweet due to having been cooked with pineapple and the the squash had been cooked with almonds. My mouth was on vacation! I would have loved an opportunity to sample a bite from each item on the menu.
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