Taking The Starring Role

Edible storytelling from fearless young chef Nicole Loubser has pinned Gate at Quoin Rock to the apex of the South African culinary constellation.

“I’m going to take you on a journey through sight, taste and touch,” promises Nicole Loubser, head chef of Gåte restaurant in Stellenbosch. Namibian-born Nicole has pulled her long, auburn hair back into a ponytail, and she’s wearing a charcoal grey chef’s jacket overlaid with a leather apron.

At just 25 years old, she’s young to be at the helm of a fine-dining venue, but her trajectory speaks for itself. After graduating from the Stellenboschbased Institute of Culinary Arts in early 2016, Nicole held positions at La Colombe, The Test Kitchen, the Michelin-starred Restaurant Jan in France and Wellness-Residenz Schalber, a five-star hotel in Austria

Hers is a bold proclamation, but then Quoin Rock is all about statements. On arrival, a bronze male greets you over a reflecting pond. Behind, a low-slung modern building of glass, steel and wood incorporates the winery, function venue and Gåte. The entrance has been designed to mimic Valhalla, with its geometric wooden beams tunnelling into infinity. Watercourses beneath the footbridge over smooth, round pebbles; and at the entrance, a dramatic bronze vine reaches for the sky, backlit water tumbling down around it.

The wine estate reopened in December 2018 after six years of renovations. The Gaiduks, a Ukrainian family, purchased Quoin Rock in 2012 and they have spared no expense in restoring it. Vitaly Gaiduk, patriarch and wine lover (he’s purported to have over 10 000 bottles in his personal cellar), is said to have fallen in love with Stellenbosch on a chance visit to the Cape.