by Alison Coughlan

How wonderful when you stumble upon exactly what you didn’t know you needed.

I set off for Swellendam last week, suffering from more than a little city burnout. As luck would have it, my friend handed me a flyer for the MONDVOL Wine Pairing Menu at Korf Café. At a quick glance I saw my favourite things – baked cheeses, honey, figs, a mention of painting, and wine with everything. This is what I needed. I insisted we book.

The venue is easily accessible on the R60 just outside of Swellendam. When we arrived, a group of lovely ladies and children were painting mugs and dishes. What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday morning. The interior is cool and calming, gently muting the sounds of the busy outside world. And so we got stuck in with gusto.

We began with delicious baked brie and camembert, served with honeyed figs and plum & onion preserve. First came a glass of crisp, cool Excelsior Caitlyn Rosé, followed by the lemony freshness of Excelsior Viognier. A perfect start.

In perfectly timed succession, we moved on to the Cape Malay Chicken Waffle – served with pickled onion, coriander yoghurt and toasted almonds. Sublime. It was my friend’s favourite dish. I was surprised by how beautifully the full-bodied, berry-forward Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon matched the pace of the curry and pickles.

I was slightly nervous when I read “bacon-wrapped jalapeño.” I had no need to be. Stuffed with cooling cream cheese and paired with a mellow Excelsior Merlot, the heat I expected wasn’t sharp, but instead warm and welcoming.

Our lovely server, Ethan, knew exactly how to balance the courses, ensuring each dish arrived in perfectly timed intervals while explaining the wines with clarity and ease.

The biltong and pumpkin fritter waffle — served with sweet tomato and onion chutney, whipped amazi cream cheese and fresh coriander — could not have captured everything we love about South African flavours more beautifully. The Excelsior Shiraz offered a fabulous pairing, rounding out the dish with warmth and depth.

And then I lost all reasonable thought. Blueberry & Basil samoosa. What? A deep-fried, delicate phyllo pocket filled with lemon curd and served with blueberry ice cream.

The surprises didn’t stop there. I found myself scrambling for my phone to Google “Calcrete-style wines.” Defined by the high minerality of limestone-rich soils in the Robertson and Bonnievale areas, the unwooded chardonnay Excelsior Calcrete Chardonnay was nothing short of a revelation.

The feasting continued with Milktart Cigars – milk curd encased in that incredible phyllo pastry, deep-fried and lightly basted with ginger syrup. The ginger ice cream was my personal highlight, with generous chunks of ginger doing a sterling job of balancing taste buds that were, by now, thoroughly overexcited. We continued sipping the Calcrete. I am in love.

Finally, we ended with a makataan & coconut waffle. I didn’t recognise the name at first, but one taste of the melon transported me straight back to childhood memories of my mother cooking pots of syrup for watermelon konfyt.

The coconut ice cream, almond brittle and ginger pieces created perfect palate balance .

And then we painted. No photos will be shown – we are truly not the most artistic of people – but we had enormous fun splotching paint onto heart-shaped bowls, attempting (sometimes unsuccessfully) to tame rebellious blotches and navigate tricky stencils.

The experience ended with a chat with the delightful owner, Luzanne. Her vision for Korf (which translates to “beehive”) is intriguing. She embraces her roots as an Afrikaner from the northern parts of KwaZulu-Natal, blending them with her love of culture and community. There is love in the food, in the thoughtful pairings, and in the beautiful pottery she creates.

Landing up there was exactly what I didn’t know I needed.

(Article and photos by Alison and Amanda. This article is based solely on our own experience and opinions. We have not been paid, sponsored, or otherwise compensated by the establishment mentioned.)