Eating Green at Cape Town's Mount Nelson Hotel

  • June 28, 2012
Eating Green at Cape Town's Mount Nelson Hotel
Now under the dedicated supervision of acclaimed Chef Rudi Liebenberg, the hotel’s award winning Planet Restaurant is strengthening its reputation for serving delicious high-end ‘green cuisine’ with the establishment of an extensive vegetable farm intended to provide the kitchen with over 40% of its vegetable ingredients.

Located nearby in South Africa’s wine paradise, Stellenbosch, the organic and sustainable vegetable farm will be overseen by farmer Eric Swarts who shares Chef Liebenberg’s passion for fresh, healthy and sustainable ingredients. Seasonal dishes served in Planet Restaurant will reflect what is grown in the garden, combining beetroot, carrots, cauliflower, peas, chard, leeks and broccoli in the winter and pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, baby marrow, strawberry’s, butternut squash and button squash in the summer. Mount Nelson will even use vermiculture from the hotel’s own worm farm as compost for the organic farm at Stellenbosch.

Chef Liebenberg has long been an ardent supporter of the ‘farm-to-fork’ method of cooking. To create the delectable dishes served in Planet Restaurant, a herb garden is grown wildly on the sundrenched roof of the hotel providing the property with fragrant herbs such as fennel, basil, mint, coriander and lemon verbena. Plus the kitchen uses only line caught sustainable fish, breads and pastries are baked on site and all cheeses served in Planet Restaurant are South African, from the Natal Midlands all the way down to the Cape wine lands.
Mount Nelson is also in the process of setting up its very own free range guinea fowl supply that will be located near the vegetable farm at Stellenbosch. This will join the pasture reared chickens and eggs and grass fed lamb that is already served in the restaurant.

Cape Town's most stylish dining venue, Planet Restaurant is graced by Swarovski crystal balls, while a galaxy themed carpet, a planetary chandelier and twinkling ceiling adds to the stellar and ‘out of this world’ feel of the restaurant. The menus at Planet Restaurant include degustation, vegan degustation and á-la-carte options.

About: Mount Nelson Hotel