Cape Town restaurants are many things, but longstanding isn?t generally one of them.

New establishments spring up in a blaze of sauteed lobster and double baked souffle, before quietly simmering into the background as newer, brasher establishments catch the eye of a city notoriously fickle in its culinary devotion.

10 years

Which makes celebrating ten years of fine dining no mean achievement. 96 Winery Road has been going for a decade, a small country restaurant borne of a pair of wine makers looking to add a culinary touch to their existing endeavours in the Cape winelands.

Ken Forrester and Martin Meinert are celebrities of the vine, and with good reason; they might not be personally responsible for the food, but their vision is flourishing, adding restaurateur to an already polished list of accomplishments.

New chef

96 Winery Road is not resting on well-established laurels, however, and a new chef has injected fresh flair into the restaurant. Craig Backhouse has done time at the Westcliff, as well as at Singita; now it?s the more laidback confines of the Helderberg, and the chance to add his own touch to a well established menu. And so far, Backhouse?s touch seems a worthy addition.

Great wine

He does have some great wine to work with. 96 Winery Road?s intimate private dining room is lined with a cellar from heaven, Forrester and Meinert vintages amongst them.

It?s the first of those that partners Backhouse?s amuse bouche, a mouthful of smoked salmon dressed up in fennel mayonnaise, and thrown back with bold, fresh Forrester 2005 sauvignon blanc, young and brazen enough to cheerfully take on the food.

Forrester?s current high profile offering is his chenin blanc, getting plenty of attention as one of the best offerings amongst a resurgent varietal. The days of chenin blanc as little more than house plonk are fading, and not before time.

Need convincing? Try the alluring Forrester chenin 2005, or the Forrester Meinert 2004 team effort, for a quick conversion.

The former lines up with crispy duck firecracker; not quite the Bombay or Mexico City explosion you might be expecting, but spiked with an exquisite curried onion marmalade.

The Forrester Meinert matches sweet chilli calamari, tenderly done, but like the duck, merely a diversion before Backhouse really flexes his culinary muscle.

Guinea fowl

Guinea fowl sees surprisingly little time on local menus, which is a pity, for when done right, it?s both full of flavour, and uniquely African.

It needs a little attention, and that?s exactly what chef Backhouse gives it: simmered away in balsamic vinegar and red wine, and riding alongside the rich splendour of the Meinert Synchronicity ? merlot, cabernet sauvignon and a touch of pinotage combining for quite simply one of the most pleasant red wines I?ve come across this year ? it?s a dish most splendid, and worth the trip to 96 Winery Road on its own.

Chefs have an inherently maternal streak when proudly displaying menus, insisting on feeding you with a relentless barrage of courses, which means fielding a perfectly good fillet doused in brandy and cream, washed back with Meinert?s 2003 Devon Crest, a cabernet sauvignon-weighted blend that drinks agreeably, but will offer a good deal more in a few years time.

And should you have a bottle or two in store, there?s a small and unassuming restaurant in the Helderberg that doesn?t look to be going anywhere soon. Did Ken Forrester and Martin Meinert expect to be going strong ten years on in Cape Town?s unpredictable restaurant scene?

Possibly; now that they?ve rung up the first decade, the second looks a good bet. Which, in a city marked by a capricious palate, is quite an effort. Bring on the next ten.

  • To celebrate ten years, 96 Winery Road will be celebrating from 19-21 May. As well as a specially-created menu for the weekend, a market will run on the 20th, offering plenty of food and wine to browse and sample, and on Sunday top South African band Watershed will accompany a leisurely picnic on the Zandberg Farm alongside the restaurant.

    For more details or restaurant bookings, contact 96 Winery Road on (021) 842 2020.