Italian lunch under the trees

The restaurant Giovanni is situated on the Eikendal Wine Estate close to Somerset West in the Western Cape.  On a rather windy Friday afternoon, we were seated at a table close to the dam with its impressive fountain.  The scenic view of the Helderberg mountains encouraged us to forget about the slightly uncomfortable breeze.

Scenic View

The restaurant seemed to be very popular, especially with families, as many children were having fun on the green lawns next to the dam.  You could do some wine tasting if you are interested in tasting some of the excellent wines produced at the wine estate.  I recently read that most South African’s love Italian food  – maybe because of their love for pizza. You could book a pizza and wine pairing if you are a pizza fan.

Lunch on the terrace

Veal Lemone

Pasta Carbonara

For lunch I ordered Pasta Carbonara with egg and bacon and Deon’s choice was Veal Lemone. His veal medallions with a fresh cream and lemon sauce were very light and tasty and was served with typical Western Cape veggies – pumpkin and spinach. My Carbonara was good, but unfortunately the sauce was a bit curdled.  We enjoyed a glass of Eikendal Sauvignon Blanc each with our lunch.  We shared dessert, as usual.  The baked cheese cake with a strawberry topping was perfect.

Cheese Cake

After a relaxing lunch, we strolled back to our car while taking in the last glimpse of the magnificent view.

Wine Tasting Room

The dam and fountain