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a gateway to adventure, South Africa’s Western Cape is the country’s white-hot center of earthly delights.

beGin with babel I

f Thomas Keller lived in South Africa, Babylonstoren would be his French Laun-dry: an effortlessly stylish, low-key 692-acre hideout in the wine country, where much

of the produce served is grown on- site — with its own clutch of cottages for overnight-ing (rooms, from $340). The jewel in the crown of Babylonstoren, a 45-minute drive from Cape Town, is its restaurant, Babel, the perfect distillation of Cape Town’s casual chic with a

#6

The locavore restaurant that has the foodie cognoscenti buzzing.

A dish of exotic mushrooms and persimmon from

Babel (Baby­lon storen), the

restaurant's cookbook pub­lished in 2012

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A waiter updates the daily menu on Babel’s tiled wall; a guest bicycles in the garden at Babylonstoren, against a backdrop of the Simonsberg Mountains.

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rustic setting, a produce- driven menu and a top-tier reputation. Owned by Karen Roos, the tastemaking former editor of South Africa’s edition of Elle Décor, Babel is part of an eight-acre organic holding that—true to its name—harks back to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Prickly pears are ranged in a tight maze, while high walls enclose the almond grove, whose bee-luring trees shade three hives. The smell of onions wafts over the vegetable patch, a mosaic of frilly, rosette-like lettuce laid out in tight rows. Bushy, espaliered apple trees hug the ground, jostling with quince plants, their fruit shiny and hard like yellow marbles.

The bounty produced here is the basis of the menu for the elegant restaurant that Roos conceived (as a longtime design journalist, she even oversees the typog-raphy). White metal chairs sit at heavy, rough-hewn wooden tables, the daily menu scrawled in black marker on the white-tiled wall: roasted vegetable skewers, perhaps, or fava bean minestrone, even beef fillet served on some of those fresh-picked onions, gently caramelized. “We try to maintain the simplicity of the Cape Dutch tradi-tion,” Roos says. At Klapmuts-Simondium Rd., Franschhoek; 27-21/863-3852; babylonstoren .com. —MARK ELLWOODThe greenhouse

celebrated grand chef Peter tempelhoff calls his tasting menus “progressive south african cui-sine.” His gastronomic laboratory

is the Greenhouse, a 45-seat restau-rant at the cellars-Hohenort, a relais & châteaux hotel (rooms, from $290) marooned among ancient camphor trees on the constantia slopes of table Mountain, about 15 minutes from cape town’s city center. Portions are minute, and the flavor combinations unex-pected. try the seared Du Toitskloof rainbow trout with slow-cooked octopus and trout crackling, finished off with the caramelized lemon meringue with earl Grey ice cream (left). At 93 Brom-mersvlei Rd., Constantia; 27-21/794-2137; collectionmcgrath .com. —P.D.

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78 d e p a r t u r e s . c o m

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YOUR Own PRiVAte ViLLA

The deck and private pool at

Ellerman House Villa One, one of the

hotel’s two private residences in

Bantry Bay

T he winding roads of Bantry Bay, one of Cape Town’s most exclusive neighborhoods, lead invitingly to Ellerman House, perched on the slopes of Lion’s Head and overlooking the Western Cape’s rocky

coastline along the Atlantic. The Cape Edwardian–style home was once the estate of a British shipping magnate in the 1960s and is now owned by South African banker Paul Harris, who has turned the original seven-bedroom property into a 13-room Relais & Châteaux boutique hotel with two private villas. Sleek and modern, the three-story villas stand in stark contrast to the colonial charm of the

main house and offer, along with a personal chef, a waiter and a housekeeper, two very unique experiences. Villa One was built in 2004 and provides private access to the hotel’s spa, plus a five-bedroom option. The three-bedroom Villa Two opens this December with a state-of-the-art wine cellar showcasing 6,000 South African wines. Both have infinity pools, entertainment areas, libraries, fully equipped kitchens and more than 16,000 square feet of space. But if all that is too much, we recommend Suite 11, tucked away at the far end of the gardens. Villas start at $4,320; 180 Kloof Rd.; 27-21/430-3200; ellerman.co.za. —DEBORAH FRANK

icsite specif ADAM tiHAnY’S CAPe tOwneAt

British-born Luke Dale-Roberts trained in kitchens

across Europe and Asia before opening Test Kitchen, which

serves an ever-changing menu of eclectic fare like plum-cured foie gras and fricassee of lan-goustine and smoked quail. At 375 Albert Rd.; 27-21/447-2337;

thetestkitchen.co.za.

SleepOn the V&A waterfront, the

One&Only showcases the city’s natural diversity. The

modern design of its Marina Rise—where many of the rooms

overlook Table Mountain—evokes the height of urban

sophistication. Rooms start at $675; Dock Rd.; 27-21/431-5888;

oneandonlyresorts.com.

ShOPA coffee shop–meets–art and antiques store, Luvey ’N Rose

is a must-visit for authentic South African objects. Its stock of vintage furniture sits among pieces by both rising and estab-lished artists. At 21 Rose St.;

luveynrose.co.za.

ViSitThe hip neighborhood of Woodstock is home to my

favorite gallery, Stevenson. Its mix of solo and group exhi-bitions features contemporary works from a roster of interna-tionally recognized talent. At

160 Sir Lowry Rd.; stevenson.info.

At the Foundry, John Vogel’s Loves Me Loves Me Not nesting table in

iroko, an African hardwood ($210

a section). The eight side tables together

form the petals of a flower.

DeLAiRe GRAFF eStAte

ten luxury lodges—six with a plunge pool—accommodate guests on the

wine estate owned by laurence Graff, founder of Graff Diamonds (see “Drink

the cape,” page 106), a 30-minute drive from cape town. throughout the property is an eye-popping collection of mostly south african contemporary

art that has established Delaire as a venue of high-octane style. restaurants indochine and the Delaire Graff were

done by the late irish design superstar David collins; the latter features a

tangerine-colored serpentine leather banquette inspired by the william ken-tridge painting above the fireplace. the restaurant also has the western cape’s best outdoor dining terrace. Lodges start at $780; Helshoogte Pass, Stellenbosch;

27-21/885-8160; delaire.co.za. —P.D.

“Our source is Africa,” says Margie Murgatroyd of her retail

gallery, which displays the diversity of the continent’s visual arts. Pliny

the Elder made the prophetic com-ment that Africa always produces something new, and indeed South

African design here is unusual in its combining of African and Western

cultural forms to create new idioms. With works by Martine Jackson, Lisa Firer and Gemma Orkin, Robertson’s tableaux present ceramics alongside contemporary crafts, tribal artifacts,

handwoven textiles and fine art. At 72 Waterkant St., Cape Town;

africanova.co.za. —P.D.

AFRiCAnOVA

WOodsTock foundry T

he creative community at Cape Town’s Woodstock Foundry ( 160 Albert Rd.) opened in 2012, combining retail space, studios

and workshops for a site with collective punch—in a single afternoon one can discover a multitude of designers and artists. Even if you don’t buy, there’s inspiration aplenty. Of particular interest is Casamento (casamento.co.za), where designers Eve Collett and Henri du Rand offer a variety of frame designs hand-upholstered to clients’ specifications, creating one-off armchairs, love seats and tables. Another of the Foundry’s notable names is architect-turned-designer John Vogel (vogeldesign.co.za), in particular for his Loves Me Loves Me Not nesting tables (top), which were recently exhibited at Design Miami/Basel. Illustrator Lauren Fowler (laurenfowler.co.za) works in a studio at the Foundry, where she sells her wonderful whimsical ink prints. —KERRyN FiscHER

From Africa Nova, a leopard and flower

ceramic jug handmade by South African studio Ardmore

Ceramic Art, $3,050

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Log on for more

shopping in Franschhoek.

Robert Sherwood Designrobert sherwood’s studio shop

on cape town’s bree street strip is curated by the designer himself, with

one-of-a-kind artworks, furniture and objets such as gold leaf bowls by bronze

age (above, $490). it’s a charming, cozy space to discover established and

upcoming talent. At 173 Bree St.; robertsherwooddesign.com. —K.F.

Cécile & boyd’s set in a restored arts and crafts villa with

artworks, artifacts and furniture (such as the Jaco high-back chair, above, $960), the four-

story shop in cape town mixes european and african influences with aplomb. it’s headed

up by boyd ferguson, who revolutionized the bush-lodge aesthetic in the 1990s with his

properties for singita Game reserves. At 26 Kloof Nek Rd.; cecileandboyds.co.za. —K.F.

Pan-African artisanal labels are the stock-in-trade of Hanneli Rupert’s Long Street concept store,

which brings to the market made-in-Africa brands like Cape Town’s Frazer Parfum, bottled in local

handblown glass (right, $240); Lalesso, the womens-wear label produced in Kenya; and Rupert’s own

Okapi leather handbags (from $270), which sport an instantly recognizable springbok-horn talisman.

At 34 Long St.; merchantsonlong.com. —P.D.

MeRChAntS On long

A dress by Mastik, with a

distinctly African print, available

at Tallulah’s

hUGUeNOT sTReeT L

ocated in Franschhoek (Cape Town’s answer to East Hampton, about an hour east of the city) is Huguenot Street, a major promenade often dotted with Benzes and BMWs that offers some of the Cape’s best locally inspired shopping. There, side by side, you’ll find Indian Summer ( 50 Huguenot St.; 27-21/876-2992) and Peacock

Blue (50 Huguenot St.; peacockblue.co.za). The former is a women’s boutique carrying locally made necklaces studded with sapphire, topaz and citrine (from $100); the latter is a menswear shop selling sturdy safari bags by South African supplier Melvill & Moon

(from $150). At Karoo Classics (58 Huguenot St.; karooclassics.co.za), ostrich wallets (from $60) and crocodile belts (left, from $140) sourced from the nearby

Karoo make stylish souvenirs. Up the street, Tallulah’s (21 Huguenot

St.; 27-21/876-2819) attracts a loyal clientele with printed frocks by Mastik (from $170), while all the leather goods at Tsonga (40

Huguenot St.; tsonga.com) are handstitched in South Africa—try a pair of the store’s signature shoes (from $50). —sARAH KHAN

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