Cream of the crop

Its not often that youre present when the reins are passed from one head chef to another.

Alan Cooper had that privilege at Hartford House

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artford House, the fabled five-star boutique hotel set in the almost impossibly picturesque Giants Castle valley just outside Mooi River, has a reputation for warm hospitality and culinary excellence going back 140 years to when it was the home of Sir Frederick Moor, the last prime minister of the Colony of Natal.

More recently, its become a magnet for foodies from around South Africa and the world. Several tables of international guests were present the evening I visited, everyone drawn by Hartfords consistently innovative fare, which incorporates top-quality locally sourced ingredients.

So, when I drove through the understated stone entrance gates and started down the tree-lined driveway accompanied by my teenage daughter and son, I explained that we were almost certainly in for something truly special.

What I didnt know was that we were also about to witness the passing of the establishments culinary reins from one head chef to another an apt analogy, given Hartfords location in the heart

of the famed Summerhill Stud farm, the birthplace of many a champion thoroughbred racehorse.

For more than a decade, fine dining at Hartford House was synonymous with head chef Jackie Cameron. Between 2002 and 2014, under her expert guidance, the restaurant won a slew of awards, including

Hartford House has a reputation for warm hospitality and culinary

excellence going back 140 years

a spot in the Eat Out Top 10 no fewer than four times, as well as Diners Club Internationals coveted Diamond Award for its wine list for five years running.

Cameron bade farewell to Hartford last July to pursue her dream of starting a culinary school, leaving the restaurant in the able hands of protg Travis Finch. Despite his youth, Finch was no novice, having worked under Peter Tempelhoff at

The Greenhouse in Cape Town, as well as in Europe. The winning ways continued under Finchs watch, and Hartford scooped yet another Diners Club Diamond accolade for its wine list last October.

As we were shown by General Manager Duncan Bruce to our table on the splendid wrap-around veranda, we heard we were to

be present at yet another changing of the guard, with Constantijn Hahndiek taking over from Finch and presenting his own menu for the first time that evening.

Though hes travelled extensively, working in Michelin-starred establishments world- wide, this must have been a nerve-racking time for Hahndiek, with a full house of discerning diners, including owners Mick and Cheryl Goss and a fussy food critic.

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Water was billed Fluid on the menu. It came in the form of seared tuna in

a nasturtium wasabi pond

He neednt have worried.Right from the pre-appetiser of artisanal

breads and dips, it was clear that we were in for a rare treat.

As you would expect from a restaurant of this calibre, the breadsticks were more akin to tiny, fresh mini-baguettes than the sad, stale specimens that are so prevalent these days. And I was genuinely astonished by the cranberry and molasses roll, which was subtly smoky and delightfully airy, when I had been expecting dense and chewy. So, perhaps I shouldnt have been surprised again when the brioche was similarly light, and pleasantly fruity but without a hint of cloying sweetness.

A similar lightness of touch was evident in the dips: an emulsion of Mooi River butter and olive oil, and a jelly of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, both from Morgenster Estate; and a herb emulsion made with parsley, basil and other fragrant greens I couldnt quite put my finger on.

All this was before wed even started our journey through the five-course main menu, where each dish was based on one of the elements the ancient Greek philosophers believed made up the universe and all that is in it: earth, water, fire and air.

But wait, thats only four, I hear you say. Well, it would seem that Hahndiek is a disciple of Aristotle, who posited a fifth essence (or quintessence, as in quintuplets), ether a mysterious substance in which the stars and planets are suspended.

Earth was represented by goats cheese and beetroot with honey and a lavender dressing. My daughter is an adventurous eater, but she finds most goats cheeses overly sharp for her palate. Hahndieks treatment may just have converted her

though, somehow transforming the raw ingredient (produced at the award-winning nearby Swissland cheesery) into a smooth and inoffensive, yet still deeply flavourful cream cheese. It perfectly complemented the earthiness of the locally grown beetroot and the sweetness of the dressing.

Hartford has a great track record when it comes to impressing the toughest critics with its food and wine pairings, so I had high expectations in this regard.

I wasnt disappointed.Hahndiek had cleverly chosen a Neil

Ellis Groenekloof Sauvignon Blanc 2014 as the first courses accompaniment the crisp, tropical fruit flavours picking up both the creamy sweetness and the earthiness of the dish.

The second element, water, was billed Fluid on the menu. It came in the form of seared tuna in a nasturtium wasabi pond. Another of my daughters aversions is to fiery fare, so it came as a relief to discover the pond actually comprised nasturtium leaves, stalks and blossoms blitzed into a refreshing, emerald-green soup with not even a hint of horseradishy bite. It was a strikingly effective contrast both visually and in taste to the pink tuna and the jewel-like orange trout roe.

If the food for this course was a lesson in confounded expectations, the selected wine the 2012 Reisling from rising star Howard Booysen was a masterclass. With its hints of coriander and lingering nectarine flavours, youd traditionally pair it with spicy dishes like bobotie and curry.

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Your Diners Club Card is accepted

at this award-winning establishment.

To book, call Hartford House on

033 263 2713 or visit hartford.co.za.

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Choosing it to accompany this more subtle dish was a rather risky but (in my opinion) very effective gambit.

Fire Burnt was the highlight. It consisted of a breast and leg of duck from acclaimed local farm Dargle Ducks, which Hahndiek had contrived through some kitchen sorcery to serve deliciously crisp, but still somehow succulent and pink. Tradition dictates that you serve duck with a juicy red wine, usually a Pinot Noir, and this time Hahndiek had wisely chosen not to buck the trend...

Well, maybe just a little. His choice, the Thelema Merlot 2011, with its concentrated flavours and hints of dark chocolate, was while perhaps a little punchier than a Pinot an inspired match. And not just for the caramelised duck, but also for each of the other burnt components of the dish: the mushroom ash, flamed asparagus, heirloom carrots and smoked potato.

For the air, or Suspended, element I was expecting something light, a really fluffy meringue perhaps. But Hahndiek, true to form, had something altogether more ambitiously insubstantial in store: a roast white-chocolate mousse served warm in an egg-shaped glass and topped with raspberries and a mysterious froth that vanished on the tongue, leaving just a hint of vanilla and blood orange on the palate to let you know it had been there.

This made the Rustenberg Straw 2009 (deliciously sweet, yet fresh and complex, with hints of citrus) the perfect wine to accompany it. Fundis who know that the grapes are laid out on straw in the sun to dry would have enjoyed the visual pun of this course arriving at the table nestled in a birds nest of twisted straw.

The final, ether, course Quintessence was somewhat more substantial: a banana and chai bavarois, pistachio sponge and lime fluid gel. Once again, the wine pairing was spot on the Douglas Green Sherry with its floral, nutty aromas and flavours nicely complementing the chai spices and the pistachio.

Its not often that a new chef gets it right with every course, but, on his first official night in the saddle, Hahndiek managed to achieve the dining equivalent of winning the Pick Six (Im counting the non-listed artisanal bread as a course).

I think its safe to say that, with Hahndiek at the reins in the kitchen, Hartford House will retain its reputation as one of South Africas culinary thoroughbreds.

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