The Goatshed
Deon,my mom and I recently visited the Fairview wine and cheese farm situated in the beautiful Paarl area. This was our third attempt to have a meal at their restaurant, The Goatshed, which is an informal Mediterranean-style restaurant. This time we booked a table in advance, as the restaurant is very popular, especially during holidays. Fairview offers wine, artisanal cheeses, light meals and lunches, freshly baked bread as well as wonderful goodies available from their superbly stocked deli. The wines are available at cellar-door prices. The Goatshed is situated in what was previously one of the old wine cellars on the farm. If alfresco dining is for you, there is a terrace which is especially popular on hot summer days. The atmosphere is relaxed, the service excellent and the food perfect. The owners are Charles Back and his wife Diane.
We could hardly decide what to order, but finally decided on a selection of gap fillers: a Fairview cheese platter (at R78) which includes cheeses of the finest Jersey milk and goats’ milk, served with preserve and fresh Ciabatta; a selection of cured meats (at R64) and a freshly baked herb and olive Focaccia with roasted vegetable, cherry tomato, caramelized onions, goat chevin cheese and crunchy lettuce for R66. This was more than enough for the three of us.
Should you prefer a bistro meal, you could order a beef sirloin served with Goatshed’s Caesar salad, paprika duster roast potato wedges and BBQ sauce for R132; or a fragrant lamb shoulder curry with Basmati rice, coriander and tomato salsa in a poppadum served with Fairview labneh for R118. Or you could order a Farm salad with mixed baby leaves, fresh vegetables, cherry tomatoes, toasted seeds and whipped feta with their house dressing for R64 or maybe a seasonal Chicken Salad with creamy mango relish and chicken strips served on roast vegetable and couscous salad with apple, cucumber and baby leaf garnish for R86. Yes, a difficult choice.
At the deli, we bought a freshly baked ciabatta; a fabulous Gourmet Grind, Clementine preserve and some buttery croissants. We took some photos of the goats and drove home happily after a most pleasant visit. This certainly was not our last visit to Fairview.
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The Goatshed — 22 Comments
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