Festa Restaurant on Kleinevalleij Estate

Wine, whimsy and wonderful food in Wellington

“We wanted to do something different,” says restaurateur Anelma Basson. That’s immediately apparent; a black piano grand is strung from the vaulted ceiling, an oversized clock dominates one wall, and the colour palette is bright and lively: fuchsia pink supported by black and white stripes.

Anelma, blonde and bubbly, seats us at a table on the patio. It’s cooking today; we’re in the very heart of the Boland’s furnace. Luckily, they’ve thought this one out, and a gentle mist floats down from the awnings.

The space is a converted barn, which Anelma tells us has been left much the same (aside from the quirky design elements); the stone floors are original, and industrial joinings play into the whimsy of the look.

Anelma, on a trip to Italy, stumbled upon an annual festival called, in short, Festa. The general merriment inspired her to call her restaurant by the same name, and now three years later the atmosphere is as festive as she could have hoped for.

Have a festive time

“Wellington is a difficult place,” says head chef, Ralph Smith. “People don’t want to be too challenged by restaurants. So it’s a balancing act of giving them what they want, but with my style of cooking.”

Ralph has achieved this with a fine dining menu that’s complemented by more simple fare such as bredies and pizza. We pore over tempting options: artichoke and duck salad with pecan nut crumble; salmon tartar; bacon wrapped quail; herb-crusted rib eye—somehow we manage to make a decision. We order crayfish stuffed calamari, and a mussel pot with a cheesy crouton lid: both are delicious.

“Local produce isn’t a problem here in the Boland; we’re spoilt with great ingredients,” adds Ralph.

There are quirky elements in the dessert list too; we’re tempted to try the butternut cheesecake, but since the furnace is still turned on high we can’t resist splitting the nougat semifreddo; icy, yet creamy.

It’s a family thing

Kleinevalleij Estate belongs to Anelma’s parents, and neighbouring wine estate Bosman’s Family Vineyards is also in the fold. An idea would be to do a wine-tasting at Bosman’s, and then head over to Festa for lunch, and of course order your favourite bottle from the tasting.

At the table next to us, a bride-to-be is sampling an array of canapés. The estate is also a popular wedding venue, and Festa can cater the event.

Our time here is sadly winding down, but I’ll be back soon to see (eat) what wonderful thing Festa cooks up next.

By Malu Lambert

Tip: Make sure to catch a live music night, happening on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Plus Kleinevalleij offers fantastic mountain bike opportunities, and biker groups of 6 and more receive a 10% discount on their bill.