Chef PJ Vadas has just opened The Hog House Bakery and Café at Spier in the Stellenbosch Winelands, after starting Hog House Brewing Company and a barbecue-style restaurant in the industrial Cape Town suburb of Ndabeni.

Food

A photo posted by Porks (@pjvadas) on Oct 23, 2015 at 11:47pm PDT

Whereas Hog House in Ndabeni is unashamedly meat-driven, the centre of PJ Vadas’s new place at Spier is its spanking new bakery. There are baguettes and sourdoughs to make your mouth water and pastries in the French manner, macarons, crème brûlées in a pastry shell, and cute little fruit tarts that are just begging to be photographed. Lunch at Hog House Bakery and Cafe brings out superb hand-chopped steak tartare with multicoloured baby beets and creamy horseradish, and a man-sized pulled pork bun with spicy pineapple kimchi and coriander served with deep-fried baby potatoes.

A photo posted by Porks (@pjvadas) on Oct 12, 2015 at 11:48pm PDT

Summer offerings will include generous fresh salads from the Spier farm, sustainable fish with fennel, braised lettuce and a potato and mussel velouté, and rich quiches. The smoked meats are brought from the Ndabeni set-up and baked goodies travel in the opposite direction – clever. The menu is seasonal.

Drinks

The well-known Spier wines (only) at very good prices and draught beer from Hog House Brewing Company in Ndabeni—no BYO.

Service

Attentive and knowledgeable – a pleasure.

 

A photo posted by Porks (@pjvadas) on Aug 5, 2015 at 1:09pm PDT

Ambience

The open terrace in front of the venerable Jonkershuis is the setting, overlooking the lawns where Moyo used to be. A most delightful place to spend time eating great food and drinking wine or beer, while the cool interior will be much sought-after when the fierce heat of summer gets too much.

And…

Obviously, take home some delicious baked goodies. Signage is not yet complete, so take a left as you enter Spier – you can’t miss it. No bookings.

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Have you eaten at Hog House Bakery & Café in Stellenbosch? Let us know what you thought of the food and the setting by writing a review.

A photo posted by Porks (@pjvadas) on Oct 20, 2015 at 9:59am PDT