In case you’re wondering how to pronounce Gåte, the stylish new restaurant at Quoin Rock Wines in Stellenbosch, it’s ‘gatay’ – which is Norwegian for ‘riddle’. Quoin Rock Wines, which opened to the public towards the end of 2018, is already a must-visit estate, and Gåte is its centrepiece.

The exterior of the function venue at Quoin Rock Wines. Photo supplied.

The dramatic renovation was spearheaded by CEO Denis Gaiduk and his wife, Julia Gaiduk, who was lead architect on the project. She designed it to be modern and light-filled, with finer details like handcrafted Pierre Cronjé tables and beautiful sculptures by Charles Haupt from Bronze Age.

The bar at Gåte. Photo supplied.

The 40-seater restaurant offers a 16-course gourmet tasting menu, which executive chef Rikku Ò’Donnchü calls fun dining rather than fine dining. True to the name, even the menu itself is presented like a riddle – it’s an icosagon, a shape with 20 sides. “Food should be playful; it should be enjoyable. It shouldn’t just be about eating. It needs to be a circus for the mind and the body,” says Rikku.

The chef boldly blends art, science and culinary tradition in dishes like ‘Not an Ashtray’ (rye cigar, black garlic and smoked tomato ash), ‘Ika Mata‘ (black cod, lime leaf, coconut, coriander and chilli), and ‘Wild Peacock‘ (peacock, pickled grape, mint, feta and black rice).

The Ika Mata dish at Gåte. Photo supplied.

Read our full review then head on over to our competitions page to enter to win a five-course food and wine pairing for two worth R1 900.

Visit Gåte at Quoin Rock for lunch Tuesdays to Sundays, from 12pm till to 2pm, and for dinner Tuesdays to Saturdays, 6pm till late. Book via the Gåte website and follow Gåte and Quoin Rock Wines on Instagram.