"I just love his sauce," announces the vivacious and rather entertaining Justine Drake, editor of Fresh Living magazine, as we take our places beneath the trees at Terroir Restaurant.

Of course Justine is talking about Michael Broughton (of Broughton's fame in Gauteng), who is now the man behind this delightful restaurant at Kleine Zalze estate.

A chalkboard displays Michael's dishes of the day, the contents of which change daily, depending on what's fresh of course — seasonal cooking is the 'it' choice in this day and age, being the 'greener' option.

However, we're not here to try the chalkboard menu for today, but rather some of the new offerings at Terroir.

'All about big, bold flavours'

It's criminal that I have never been here before, as the restaurant is undisputedly fabulous (so fabulous in fact that a foodie wouldn't miss this tasting for the world of deadlines).

Terroir's inventory of awards include being voted the Third Best Restaurant in South Africa and one of Wine magazine's Dine 'Top 10' restaurants in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, and the list goes on...

Personally I think that the telltale sign of a restaurant's standard lies in the quality of the bread they serve beforehand (it's an absolute tragedy if they don't serve bread at all).

While we waited for the first of our dishes to arrive, we managed to polish off a generous amount of cheese-encrusted foccacia, which was fresh and a welcome change from the usual — all the foodies at our table chatting fervently about the latest eating establishments.

And as we nattered about life, babies (not mine thankfully) and food, I felt as though I could be in another country — France or Italy perhaps — as Terroir is tucked away from the outside world (nearby Stellenbosh). Its setting is intimate yet relaxed — the perfect venue for a lingering lunch.

Michael sums up the philosophy behind his food at Terroir: "It's all about big bold flavours, where the basic ingredients in every dish are stretched to the top of their flavour profile."

Our first taster of the day, the amuse-bouche (a single, bite-sized hors d'oeuvre) chosen by Michael, was a cold tomato consommé with petit pois and olive oil. It slid down like a cold beer on a hot day.

Then we went on to try the seared scallop with pea and vanilla, Parmesan sauce and balsamic. It may sound outlandish, but the vanilla was simply heavenly with the rest of the ingredients. It definitely tasted like more...

Perfect wine sense

The scallop was paired with Vriesenhof Pinot Noir '05, strawberry red in colour; it has a typical Pinot Noir nose with berry notes.

What's wonderful about ordering wine at Terroir is that it's not biased towards Kleine Zalze, with a great variety of other great wines from South Africa and the rest of the world on the list. And the international labels come from some of the most renowned wine regions in the world — Rioja, Alsace and Burgundy.

What's also pretty groovy is that wines can be ordered by the glass or carafe, allowing for relaxed food and wine pairings. Kleine Zalze's award-winning wines, Family Reserve range and some older, rarer vintages are available.

The wines on the list have been chosen to stand up to the depth and intensity of the intricate dishes and signature sauces on Terroir's menu.

Food from the earth

Onto the third course — tartare of Lourensford trout (I can imagine this is a rare dish after the recent fires) with ginger sauce Vierge and, wait for it — basmati foam. You couldn't hit the nail harder on the head with any other dish. The trout was simply divine with the ginger sauce and basmati foam (pure manna from heaven).

These flavours are all very 'bold' on their own, but still complement eachother perfectly, pure science that my brain can't quite fathom.

To go with this dish, we had the local Kleine Zalze Chenin Bush Vines '08. This is a delightful wine with upfront tropical aromas complemented by a long, crisp aftertaste.

The flavours of the corn agnolotti (this has nothing to do with Brett Kebble but is in fact stuffed pasta) with smoked potato foam, bacon and poached langoustine worked marvellously together, but I wouldn't say that I would recommend the corn agnolotti — it was rather stodgy.

Next (and by this time I am starting to feel a little pregnant) we were served poached crayfish on pumpkin risotto with Albufera sauce, pan-fried Portobellini mushrooms and green asparagus with Kleine Zalze's Chenin Barrel '08. A fabulous summer dish and very interesting take on risotto.

Again, Justine comments: "this man just loves his risotto". So I am guessing one is bound to encounter it frequently when dining with Michael.

Admittedly I didn't stay for the last course (the dusted rib eye of beef) or the dessert (ravioli of pineapple, chocolate delice), but deadlines started catching up, as they do. In any case it gives me a great excuse to go back and linger a bit longer...

If you love trying new tastes and flavours and have an affinity for afternoons in the shade with a bottle of wine, Terrior will delight your senses.

Terrior Restaurant, Strand Road (R44), Stellenbosch. Contact them on +27 21 880 8167 or visit www.kleinezalze.com for more information.