Travel for an hour and a bit, north of Cape Town into the Swartland, the bread basket of South Africa, and on over the Kasteelberg into the Riebeek Valley rich with vines and olive plantations, to Riebeek Kasteel for a special boere bistro dining experience. This is not something that features in the foodie lexicon like fusion food, classic bistro or cafe culture, and it takes ex-professional dancer, lover of the Swartland lifestyle and passionate chef, Mynhardt Joubert to put it into perspective. Chatting to him he explains how he and his partners started Bar Bar Black Sheep, a bar and eatery that uses honest, slow, locally sourced, fresh ingredients which are crafted into peasant dishes based on authentic recipes from the Swartland towns. Home-grown vegetables like lettuce and herbs are included and all of this helps keep the carbon footprint low.

Bar Bar Black Sheep bar & bistro

I love the way the menu states simply what the meal consists of – Vaal Vrystaat Skaap Afval - sheep tripe cooked in the Free State tradition, Viskoekies met Soet Patats, – fish cakes with sweet potato – and Sardines wrapped in Vine Leaves.

Maybe I’m not the only diner who is bored with pretty jus of this and a froth of that, together with a puree of something. At Bar Bar Black Sheep expect honest food of high quality prepared with passion served without fuss. All of this washed down with local wines crafted from some of our best old vine syrah, pinotage, mouvedre, and chenin blanc fruit. By the way….. make you sure you book ahead!