When Matt Schreuder was naming his first restaurant, it took him a while to find a name that summed up his vision: good food, creative but not fussy, with a relaxed and welcoming vibe. The word “homespun” kept cropping up, and its definition – home-made, rustic, and unpretentious – struck a chord. While the innovative food is several notches up from rustic, it retains an authentic bistro feel, with an emphasis on knife skills and everything home-made, rather than the frills of fine dining. “Flavours are honest and natural,” says Matt, “if you see beetroot, you taste beetroot, it’s in the combinations of textures and flavour profiles that the magic happens for us.”
The Homespun History
Matt grew up working in his father’s Table View restaurant, Dale’s Place, then worked in restaurants and cocktail bars in Switzerland for eight years to save up for his own restaurant. It was always going to be in Table View. “Every time I came home, my friends would still be driving into town or over to Franschhoek to find good food. I wanted to open something here, so that people can relax over a good meal without a long drive home afterwards.” And since it opened last year, Homespun has grown an appreciative local following – you’ll need to book ahead even during the week.
Main dishes at Homespun
We started with the beef tataki, a sushi-inspired dish of the best aged Angus beef, flash fried in panko breadcrumbs. Matt encouraged us to pile all the elements of the dish onto one forkful, the wasabi mayo, white onion purée, pickled ginger and tempura fried onion making the perfect balance of flavours to complement the tender meat. The smoked springbok carpaccio with wild mushrooms was another delightful contrast of flavour and texture. The innovative vegetarian dishes appealed too, but the meat mains won; a melt-in-the mouth lamb en croute with a voluptuous pea and mint purée, and an intriguing crispy gammon rounded off by teriyaki carrots and a pecorino custard.
Heavenly desserts
Desserts too are a high point: Matt’s great-grandmother’s amazing baked cheesecake recipe, the richness offset with a red wine ice cream, a plate of heavenly roast raspberry gelato with elderflower-infused meringues, blueberry and many more surprise taste elements, left our palates excited and satisfied.
Homespun
021 556 2824
Follow Homespun on Facebook here.
Words: Kit Heathcock
Images: Supplied / Kit Heathcock
