Challenge 15: Taste Bud Eatery

| Stellenbosch Culinary Challenge |

- a student's quest to visit every restaurant in town, 

before her final graduation - 

I often pop into the Taste Bud eatery, seeing that it is situated about 300 metres from my lecture hall. It is however not only their convenient location but their clean, fresh approach to food that keeps me coming back. 

Taste Bud has a simple approach - they offer a buffet lunch daily, where you help yourself and the menu is consistently adapted. They also offer the alternative of an a la carte menu. If you still can't get enough, Taste Bud also takes orders for homemade dishes that will make entertaining much more convenient. 

The Taste Bud Eatery has a comfortable feel to it

 and draws visitors and locals alike

The daily buffet is perhaps their biggest attraction. With quality ingredients and creative combinations you will never get bored of the selection. I promise, there are not a bain-marie in sight!  The homey vibe adds to the experience. Pricing is done according to the weight of your plate, so you can determine the size of your portion. 

Delicious buffet lined up

 There are numerous dishes to choose from 

and vegetarians are also well looked after

The buffet is prepared fresh daily 

so when it's done, it's done - best to come early!

Having quite a sweet tooth, the dessert table never disappoints. Their sweet selection also changes constantly, however the red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing seems to be a constant winner. They also make a superb red cuppacino and red latte, which for a non-coffee drinker is quite a drawing card. 

The only drawback is that inside seating can be limited on overcast days. On one of my visits, my friend and I were seated at a table for four as it was the last available option. Twice the manager asked if other patrons could join us at our table seeing as they had no more spaces available. We did not complain, but it is not ideal. During the course of our visit, we shared the table with a few different patrons. Towards the end of our coffee, we felt that they encouraged us to leave as soon as possible so that the table would become available again. In summer however there is ample seating available outside under the magnificent oak trees and judging by the seat allocation, this seems to be a firm favourite. 

The dessert selection 

The red velvet cupcakes -  clearly a winner!

-------------------------------------------------------------

Address | 44 Reyneveld Street, Stellenbosch

Telephone | 082 336 5863

Trading hours | Monday to Friday 08:00 - 17:00

Email | tastebud.eatery@gmail.com

Challenge # 14: Brenaissance & Cafe Blanc de Noir

| The Stellenbosch Culinary Challenge |

- a student's quest to visit every restaurant in town, 

before her final graduation - 

Brenaissance is a wine and stud estate situated in Devon Valley. The estate offers a function venue, accommodation and produce their own wine - Cafe Blanc de Noir (literally translated as a "white wine, made from red grapes) is however my favourite part of the estate. 

The restaurant offers a small selection of dishes, but they are of such a high standard that the limited choice is not a concern. Their menu basically consists of a selection of pizza's, salads and desserts - which make for a delightful combination. 

Their thin-based, rustic wood oven pizza's are by far the best I've had in Stellenbosch, paired with a good vino and you are all set for a scrumptious meal. The first time we visited, my boyfriend and I both ordered our own pizza - we barely managed to finish one so I will definitely suggest that you share with someone, unless you are really hungry! 

On a subsequent visit, we celebrated a special friend's birthday at Cafe Blanc de Noir and both couples ordered a salad and pizza to share. Like their pizza', he salads are scrumptious and come in large portions. My boyfriend and I shared a biltong salad and a parma ham pizza with rosa tomatoes, avo and parmesan shavings. Our friends had the same salad, and for the pizza they combined the cajun chicken and biltong option. There is also a full house pizza option, where you receive all four different pizza's in one - which is a great choice for the indecisive patrons.  We enjoyed a lovely bottle of Lady H, Sauvignon Blanc which was the perfect compliment to our food. My favourite beverage however is the lemon, lime & mint cordial, which basically a virgin mojito cocktail served with lots of fresh, crushed mint. This is the best thirst quencher! 

Half biltong & Half cajun chicken & chorizo pizza

 The Biltong salad - protein packed! 

Parma ham & parmesan pizza

We visited on a Saturday for lunch and the venue was packed, their service was however excellent and our food arrived in record time. All in all, Cafe Blanc de Noir is a rustic spot, surrounded by amazing views and they sure do deliver on quality and service. 

At no extra cost, the Brenaissance team will be happy to host your special functions, offering relative exclusivity for events such as corporate lunches, kitchen teas and birthdays. A venue hire fee will however be charged for the exclusive use of the Cafe. For those with kids, Brenaissance is very accommodating towards the little ones and have a great outside play area to keep them entertained.

When we visited, we sat outside and the blossoms in the surrounding orchids have just started to bloom. Coupled with a small stream cobbling it's way around past the outside seating area it was the perfect spot to celebrate life. 

Birthday celebrations!

 Best way to spend a Saturday

With the special birthday girl

That mint cordial!

.........................................................................

Address | 75/2 Devon Valley Road, Stellenbosch 

Telephone | 021 200 2644

Email | cafe@brenaissance.co.za

Trading hours | Wednesday - Saturday 11:00 - 22:00

                          Sunday & Public Holidays 11:00 - 17:00

Challenge # 7: M Patisserie

| The Stellenbosch Culinary Challenge |

- a student's quest to visit every restaurant in Stellenbosch, 

before her final graduation - 

Patisserie | A type of French or Belgian Bakery, that specialises in pastries and sweets. 
M Patisserie | A small patisserie, owned by Martjie Malan in the heart of Stellenbosch. "Our culinary  repertoire includes treats for all occassions: bright-eyed breakfasts to scrumptious lunches, decadent desserts to perfect pastries." 

When my boyfriend wanted to take a quick study break, I was immediately ready with a location. I have often driven past M Patisserie but have not given it much thought. However, since I have started my Stellenbosch Culinary Challenge I have been looking at eateries in the area with new eyes and M Patisserie was next on my list. Therefore when the opportunity presented itself, I opted in whole heartedly. 

Being Stellenbosch, we parked a couple of blocks away but with the delightful weather this week we did  not mind the short walk to M Patisserie. The first thing that caught my attention was how well they have arranged their shop space in such a small area. The decor is minimalistic without giving a clinical feel and the open kitchen at the back draws you in and it almost feels as if you have stepped into a baker's home.

M Patisserie is the brainchild of Martjie, who left the teaching industry to fuel her love for beauty and baking, as developed by her mother. The idea behind the patisserie was to create a home for her baked goods and in that she has definitely succeeded. Not only did she create a home for her delectable treats, but as a customer you immediately feel at home when stepping into M Patisserie. 

The owner, Martjie at work 

The love for cooking and baking is evident at M Patisserie. 

This quote is displayed on their stained glass door 

as you enter the restaurant

Seeing as all the tables outside were already taken we sat at the long table in the centre of the restaurant. From here you have a direct view on the kitchen and food preparation as well as all the pastries and treats on display. If you are hungry this is not a good place to be seated - temptation will soon overcome you. 

As it was still morning, I opted for the the Cream Tea ( R 45) which consists of a pot of tea / coffee of you choice and two scones served with cream and raspberry jam (which I exchanged for cheese). My boyfriend is a croissant enthusiast and had scrambled eggs and slow roasted cherry tomatoes on a croissant (R 40). 

The scones were really exquisite. Usually I don't prefer scones seeing as it almost always end up leaving an overwhelming taste of baking powder on your palate. The same could not be said of these scones, they were sligthly sweet and albeit having a finer texture, they bear a strong resemblance to shortbread. Paired with some cream, I was a very happy patron. 

I could only finish one of the scones and took the other as a take away. At home I reheated the scone and added some mature cheddar - the slightly sweet and savoury combination with the lingering taste of the matured cheddar, was quite a success. 

All the meals are prepared by hand and on request. Therefore you will find no mass production or ready made meals at M Patisserie.At the end of our meal, we received two complementary vanilla macaroons - this is reason enough to return. 

The service was a tad slow, but seeing as they had a birthday party at the same time, it was understandable. 

Scrambled eggs and slow roasted cherry tomatoes served on fresh croissants

Scones with fresh cream and cheese  

Earl Grey tea and vanilla macaroons

M Patisserie serves breakfasts, lunch and solace for every sweet tooth in town. They also serve a high tea for R 125, where you receive a selection of their scrumptious pastries and treats. They offer all types of croissants (R 16- R 18) and then add eggs, hickory ham and preserves to present a satisfying breakfast (R36-38). For breakfast they also serve buttermilk crumpets (R 35), honey roasted granola (R30) and a croissant croque monsieur (R50). 

If you do not have a sweet tooth, they also offer an array of savoury items, such as quiche and sandwiches.

They also bake cakes and other treats on requests, so be sure to give them a call if you are interested in something special. 

After our meal, the tables outside have opened up and we took our tea outside. We savoured the first of the beautiful Spring days and left feeling satisfied and with the knowledge that there's a small kitchen in Andringa street that feels like home and will ensure our return.

Some of the quiches, eclairs and scones on display

Birthday cake baked on request

Photo Credit: M Patisserie

Trading hours | Monday - Friday 08:00 - 17:00, Saturday 09:00 - 15:00
Address | 3 Andringa Street, Stellenbosch
Email | m@mpatisserie.co.za
Telephone | 021 886 5020
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/MPatisserieSTELLENBOSCH/timeline

Alternatively view their review and full photo shoot on the Pretty Blog at http://www.theprettyblog.com/style-and-home/m-patisserie/