EXECUTIVE CHEF Gregory Henderson’s Living Landscape Series celebrates South Africa’s nine unique biomes through a refined, terroir-driven tasting menu rooted in sustainability, foraging, indigenous ingredients and contemporary South African storytelling. What sets de Tafel at Plam House Boutique Hotel & Spa apart is its deep sense of place: each course connects land, water, biodiversity and culture, transforming local flavour into an immersive dining experience.
The menu unfolds across three expressions: Confluence, exploring the meeting of fresh and saltwater ingredients; Refugia, showcasing game, heritage meats and fauna; and Botanica, a plant-led tribute to South Africa’s indigenous flora and biodiversity. When we ate there last week, we chose the Confluence and Refugia menus so we could taste across both.
“This is a reflection of my travels over the past 25 years as a chef and forager, shaped by the people, places and ecosystems that continue to teach us how to live, cook, and connect with the land,” says Henderson.
For land and sea, the meal takes us full circle, beginning with honey butter (and biltong and truffle, and bokkoms) with the warm ciabatta to begin, and concluding with the dessert of honey bush panna cotta, honeycomb, and bee pollen among its elements, for without the bees we are nothing.
In between there is theatre — things being set on fire, jus poured at the table, a bit of smoke, all with meaning, never gratuitous — and even a surprise course we were not expecting. The palate cleanser is delight: never had we ever; I’m not going to tell you what it is so you too can experience it with first time wonder and awe.
On the seafood side are rock lobster, sous vide Cape Bream, a fennel macaron with smoked snoek, and white mussel pavé which I will single out as my favourite of the night. On the meat menu are venison, quail terrine, West Coast springbok, lamb and duck. Throughout, there is the theme of indigenous ingredients like African cranberries (displayed in a jar; they are huge), Kalahari truffles, kapokbos millet, dune spinach, tulbagia and more, skilfully woven in as garnishes and accompaniments.
The staff must be commended for their intimate knowledge of the menu and their exquisite storytelling of each plate and everything on it, which added to the enjoyment and understanding of what we were eating, and why.
Before you are shown into the dining room, Genevieve cap classique was enjoyed in front a fire in the lounge, and a glass each of Creation Pinot Noir (recommended for the meat dishes) and Groote Post Pinch of Salt Chardonnay for the seafood were included. I’m already deeply familiar with Creation’s wines, but I will be adding the Chardonnay to my shopping list.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jan Ras Photography
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