Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery is bringing the locals back to Spier Wine Farm in Stellenbosch. Recently Spier has meticulously restored The Werf, its historic farmyard, where Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery is housed in the Jonkershuis building; a structure from 1778. The Werf, once again acts as the bustling heart of the farm as it did in history.
Head chef PJ Vadas has worked with Roger Vergé at Moulin de Mougins in France, with Angela Hartnett at The Connaught in London and for several years with Gordon Ramsay at his Michelin Star restaurants in London and New York City.
Back in South Africa, PJ established The Roundhouse restaurant in Camps Bay which he ran for four years and then went on to work as Executive Chef at Camphors, Vergelegen. Both these positions earned him Eat Out Top Ten awards and more recently he established and ran The HogHouse BBQ, which won Eat Out’s Best Eatery.
Vadas Smokehouse & Bakery is run by a group of long-time friends and colleagues with a shared passion for quality food and great service. The restaurant creates a place where families and friends can join together and eat food that is carefully, ethically and healthily sourced and prepared.
Vadas believes in supporting local, quality-driven businesses and practices farm-to-plate dining where simple dishes embrace and showcase the quality of produce.
The restaurant serves a variety of dishes, able to be shared at the table. Although smoking meats is a large focus at Vadas – think smoked brisket, bourbon BBQ juicy smoked pork or smoked pork belly with apple ketchup – there is a considered focus on ample, delicious vegetarian dishes, something chef PJ is becoming quite well-known for.
While the ingredients are hyper-local, the inspiration for the dishes is worldwide. “Why should we have boundaries of what we can do?” Vadas asks, “Our menu might go from an English pork pie, to a taco, to a ramen-style broth. It is all super tasty.”
The restaurant is built on a foundation of cooking with fire & smoke, focusing on sustainable meats and ethical farming practices. Organic vegetables are treated with care & respect showcasing delicious vegetarian meals.
The bakery is a treasure trove of what PJ calls his ‘Sweet Surrender Pies’ – American-style sweet pies such as blueberry & nectarine pie, chocolate cream pie, pecan pie and strawberry pie. Don’t forget about PJ’s now famous Pastéis de Nata; the Portuguese custard tarts he shared with Cape Town whilst at The HogHouse.
With a one-of-a-kind oven brought in from France, slow-fermented, fresh Sourdough and farm-loaf breads are on offer daily at Vadas, which guests are welcome to enjoy throughout the day at the restaurant or collect and take home.
Vadas welcomes the entire family. Enjoy a lazy lunch under the trees while the children play on the werf lawns.
Reservations 021 809 1137 www.vadas.co.za
Kitchen is open 7 days a week: Monday to Saturday 12h00 – 15h00 & 18h00 – 21h00 and Sundays 12h00 – 15h00
