A bumper long weekend at Plat du Jour

The  long weekend ending on 21 March was the busiest weekend that Plat du Jour has had so far.  Chef / owner Andy Falk says that they were fully booked with weekenders who arrived in their droves in Dullstroom for fishing, sightseeing and a good old fashioned get away weekend.

The current favourites on the menu are the Roast Duck, Lamb Curry and the Porcini soup. 

Plat du Jour even had the pleasure of welcoming cricketer, Paul Harris over the weekend.

Andy is off to pick fresh mushrooms on Friday this week...he says the best mushrooms seem to be avalable at the time of a new moon!  Any comments?

Craft Market

Join me next weekend the 19th of March for our next Craft Market by the Restaurant Gardens, bring the family for a fun filled day from 9:00 onwards, hope to see you there.

Chef's comments

Chef's Comments

The rains are breaking and soon its time to pick wild mushrooms – PORCINIS – or Bolitus Edulus, those fabulous mushrooms that grow under the oak and pine trees. Already I have my basket and a sharp knife in the car, just waiting for the first flush. It's like an addiction, the need to go out and harvest one of natures treats. Its something primeval, the hunter/gatherer in us.

We need some heavy rains, some warm weather, and some more rains, and hopefully the porcinis will emerge from mother earth. It's a half hour drive to my hunting grounds, a good half dozen places, some where there are an avenue of oaks, sometimes just a couple of trees. This will be my fourth year of picking, and I am learning more each year. It seems the 'schrooms' emerge at different spots from year to year. One spot will yield regularly for four months of the season, and next year almost nothing. I normally go two or three times a week, and sometimes it's a jackpot, a full basket or two, and times its only half a dozen. But the joy of finding a mushroom is so rewarding. You bend down to cut the base of the mushroom, and suddenly you see another two growing under the grass nearby, and then more – 'whoopie' – a gift from God.

Sauted Porcinis will soon be back on the menu at Plat du Jour, sliced, cooked in butter and finished with lemon juice and cream – a big favourite. Our Porcini Soup is becoming renowned, made from dried porcinis, and allows us to have it on the menu all year.

Just got in a consignment of Kingklip in yesterday, and my ladies in the kitchen pan fried a portion for me – fabulous – just served simply with a lemon butter sauce, some mash potato and fresh green beans.

New on the dessert menu is Pecan Nut Pie. We do not normally buy in, but one of the local ladies in Dullstroom makes a superb Pecan Nut Pie, so come and try it.

That's all from me now, until next time.

Andy Falk - Chef/Owner

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Review - Country Life – July 2009

Dullstroom Chef With A Passion For Clivias

The road follows the contours of strung-together hills and mountains. S-bends and straights link sweeping curves through hill-top plantations to the rise and fall of the slopes. Up, down, over and around through the crisp mountain air Each curve a new experience. The next, never like the last. Each a blur. Within the blur, trapped like snapshots, the minutiae of awareness: a pebble, a crack in the tar, a splinter of glass; each an isolated fragment of reality.

Overnight in White River, and then on through forest plantations to Graskop and on again until the plantations break into verdant grassland near Blyde River.

Towards evening, Dullstroom. The chilly air nips the peripheries of the day as the BMW flits through the rolling hills. Trout ponds, gullys and rivers criss-cross the landscape. Around the next curve, a ribbon of street lights: Dullstroom, shelter, food and rest.

The Plat Du Jour on the main road: hot porcini mushroom soup and mutton curry

Andy Falk (the owner/chef) cultivates two passions: food and clivias."You know them?" he asks pointing at a burnished red clivia blossom.

I shake my head.

"They're unique; they should be South Africa's national flower"

He sighs. "If the universe has sent me a lesson it is patience. You can't work with clivias if you haven't got patience. It takes four to five years for them to blossom."

Bliss? If it beckons, follow.

Country Life – July 2009

Review -Country Life – November 2009

Food Is One Of The Joys Of Life

"Food," says Andy Falk wiping his hands on a chequered apron, "is one of the continuing joys of life, so it's sensible to make the most of each meal, however simple it might be.”

This elementary approach to food preparation complements Dullstroom's numerous eating establishments, each claiming a’ special or different' culinary enticement; some qualifying, some not.

Andy's `Plat du Jour' makes no highfalutin' claims to pretentious eating. He merely offers good, tasty food in an atmosphere much as you might discover in a provincial French restaurant; the owner defining the meal with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

Were you to order porcini soup off the menu, Andy would serve you one made from porcini mushrooms from under oak trees near Belfast that he picked himself; the exact location of the oak trees only he knows. Should you order roast duck, it will arrive crisp and moist, served with a home-orchestrated ginger and orange sauce. "I make the best roast duck in Mpumalanga”,Andy claims.

Earlier years at the Bistro restaurant in Sea Point consolidated the’ good, simple food' philosophy for
Andy."Food has an enormous range of flavours and textures, so don't overdo your cooking by using too many spices, herbs or ingredients," he suggests. "Keep it simple and let the food do the work. That’s very much the French provincial approach I enjoy.”

An example for a starter: sardines baked in the clay oven with olive oil, lemon juice and oreganum. A main dish might include pot roasted lamb, slow cooked for hours with rosemary, red wine and lemon juice and served on a bed of mashed potato. Or a mild, aromatic lamb curry served on the bone with sambals and poppadoms.

Wine? Le Bonheur Sauvignon Blanc or a Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir/Chardonnay (one of the finest local blends, he claims).

Desert? Tandi's secret recipe for Malva pudding, or Crepes Suzettes, the traditional way, "taught to me by the former maitre d'hotel at the Polana."
Country Life – November 2009

What else is there to do in Dullstroom?

Dullstroom is a charming little holiday and tourist town nestled in the hills and highlands of Mpumalanga where log fires and red wine are an cherished ingredient of life. Dullstroom is the ‘capital’ of trout fishing in South Africa, and lends itself to romantic & family getaway weekends and stayovers, with fabulous choices of guest houses, lodges and self catering units, both in town and in nearby surroundings.

The friendly locals welcome honeymooners, families or tourists to their picturesque town. A selection of wonderful restaurants offer visitors a gastronomic feast. A variety of shops proffer wares from antique books, furniture, art, clothing, Xmas ware, curios, local cheese & trout products.

Numerous streams and dams are available in the vicinity for amateur and serious trout fly fishing. Horseriding is a popular activity, and a visit to the birds of prey rehabilitation centre is a must. Walking and bird watching are popular activities and two beautiful nature reserves are found nearby. Both English and Boer war forts are established on a hill overlooking this quaint town.

Dullstroom looks forward to welcoming you to the ‘jewel of Mpumalanga’

Shops & places to visit Simply Carolls - gift shop Dimitrov Art Gallery The Clock Shop The Smokey Owl

Things To Do Bird Of Prey and Rehab Centre Dullstroom Riding Center Mavungana Flyfishing Center iCreate - Art activities for children

Local links Dullstroom Reservation Dullstroom Accommodation Fernando's Hideaway

Where is Plat du Jour?

Dullstroom, nestled in the hills and highlands of Mpumalanga, is just over two hours drive from Gauteng, and halfway to Kruger National Park. Easily accessible via the N4, branch off at Belfast, and it’s just another 33kms through open countryside of farms and forests to this quaint and charming town.

Dullstroom is within easy reach of Nelspruit, one of the venues for the Soccer World Cup, as well as Blyde River Canyon, Pilgrim’s Rest, God’s Window, Long Tom Pass and Graskop.

The Menu

To Start
French Onion Soup
Grilled Sardines
Cold Smoked Trout
Mussels in Wine
Porcini Soup
Butternut Soup
Snails in Garlic

The Main
Fettucine Alfredo
Trout & Capers
Cottage Pie
Pot Roast Lamb
Roast Duck
Schnitzel Francois
Chairman’s Prawns
Grilled King-klip
Lamb Curry
Fillet Steak
6 Tiger Prawns
8 Tiger Prawns
Pizza

Desserts
Malva Pudding
Lemon Cheesecake
Ice Cream & Choc Sauce
Crepe Suzette for 2
Strawberries & Cream

Please note that I do change my menu according to availability and seasonality.

Contact details

PO Box 96

Dullstroom 1110

Main road/Naledi Drive

Dullstroom
Mpumalanga

e-mail: andyfalk@platdujour.co.za

Telephone 082 859 1603.

Plat Du Jour

Plat du Jour is based on French provincial and home cooked meals, the menu depending on seasonal availability. Currently asparagus is a popular item, with wild porcini or cep mushrooms being an absolute winner. Roast duck with ginger and orange sauce, one of the signature dishes from Andy's Bistro days, is already a big favourite at Plat du Jour, and the pot roast shoulder of lamb is fast becoming another requested dish. For a simple wholesome meal, the cottage pie is hard to beat.