All Fired Up!

Jill Peper heads to Durbanville to experience an explosion of flavours at Ke-Monate

For over 300 years, the signal gun on Hooggelegen Farm has been sounding out across the Durbanville valley.  It was originally part of a signal chain installed by the Dutch East India Company to call the Burgher Militia to defend the Cape. 

Today it stands guard proudly over the entrance to Ke-Monate, the Boutique Wine Cellar and Restaurant on the farm which is situated at the end of Hooggelegen Road, off  the Visserhok Road/M48, just outside Durbanville. 
Wouter de Wit, the fourth generation owner of Hooggelegen, enjoys restoring old cannons, and many of these can be seen lining the restaurant car park.

‘Ke-Monate’ means ‘That’s nice!’, in Sotho and the name was given to the establishment by Ryk’s Sotho-speaking wife, Elmi, who grew up in the Free State.

Morkel Jacobus (MJ) de Wit and his wife Estani are the fifth generation of the de Wit family to run this
historic, scenic farm.  Having opened their doors to the public in October 2010, they converted an old farm house into what is now the charming restaurant, last year. Situated alongside an active water spring, the venue enjoys a panoramic view across the farmlands towards Durbanville. 

 “We wanted to create a warm friendly atmosphere in which to enjoy the boutique wines of the farm (Signal Gun Wines) and the wines from the other Boutique Wine Estates in Durbanville”, explained MJ. “It was also important to us to offer a venue where relaxed, informal food could be served which is also good value for money,” Estani added.

They have succeeded in creating a place where friends and families can share a meal together, where sundowners can be enjoyed on the stoep at the end of a busy day, and where special events can be celebrated.

The interesting menu of tapas, wraps and platters, together with daily specials, offers something for everyone.  On Wednesday evenings the restaurant adopts an Italian theme and cuisine and Chris Swanepoel adds a layer of authenticity as he entertains with contemporary Italian music.  On Thursday evenings the theme is Mexican, and on Friday evenings between 4pm and 7pm they offer something they refer to as “Wine-ing Down” time, as Rupert Mellor entertains into the evening.

On the 25th and 26th May, ‘Ke-Monate’ presents their  Art and Shiraz Celebration evenings at which the work of local artists is to be displayed, a communal meal will be shared, and Chris Swanepoel’s music will entertain.

Although Hooggelegen is one of the oldest family-owned wine farms in Durbanville, it was only in recent years that they started experimenting with producing their own estate wines.  Their Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc have done them proud.  These are bottled under the “Signal Gun” label.

In the next couple of months they will be adding a Rosé and a lightly wooded Chardonnay to their collection, and a Merlot is on the cards for next year.

Wine tasting takes place on Fridays and Saturdays in the Tasting Cellar, where R20 buys you an opportunity to sample the two Signal Gun wines and three of the Durbanville boutique wines.

They also host a Wine and Dinner Club on the 3rd Tuesday of every month which gives guests a chance to learn about different local and international wines, under the guidance and instruction of Cape Wine Master Charl van Teijlingen, the winemaker of Maison de Teiger. 

On the first Saturday of the month, the signal gun is fired at noon, as a reminder to all within earshot, that they are open and cooking up an explosion of flavours and good times.  Listen out for it, or better still, go along and join them for a meal!


Ke-Monate is pleased to offer readers of The Month 10% off their restaurant bill, valid from Tuesday morning until Friday lunchtime, for the month of May, on presentation of this article - No photocopies please! Booking is recommended.

Ke-Monate can be contacted at 021 976 7343 for enquiries and bookings.  They are open Tuesday – Saturday 9h00 – 22h00 and Sunday 9h00 – 16h00.

For other interesting places to explore, visit www.capecountrycalls.co.za.