It was a decent start to the day, the Farmhouse breakfast with fried eggs over medium. Going clockwise from 12 o’clock, the bacon was nearly the pick of the bunch with nice crispy edges but sadly lacking the crunch you expect from streaky bacon. The bread was nice and toasted on the outside while remaining soft on the inside; I wish I could be as complementary of the butter which looked straight out of a pump for ‘Butter Flavored Popcorn Topping’ found at a typical American cinema. Ordered as over medium, delivered as over easy, but actually over hard, the eggs were an exercise in misdirection. The beef sausage was a bit of a curveball for breakfast but was the best thing on the plate. It was the same as the one served at the Braai the night before, but no matter, its flavour is sensational morning, noon, and night. The herbed mushrooms were flavourful and nicely cooked, nothing to write home about but mushrooms seldom are. I have described tomatoes on previous fry ups as decorative; these were not. As a benefit of being in the southern hemisphere, the tomatoes are delicious in the middle of a February summer with acidity that cut across the richness elsewhere on the plate. The americano with milk (not pictured) was well rounded and hot, living up to the high expectations of the coffee culture in South Africa’s Western Cape.
The service was slow despite being one of the only people there at about a quarter to eight, but that could be attributed to what one tour guide referred to this week as ‘African Time’ to embrace while on holiday. Price N/A: Breakfast is included in the nightly rate to stay at the estate, mimosas cost extra. Overall rating: 6/10 (Baron Abramowicz)