I'll admit readily that running a restaurant in South Africa was never on my radar as a career choice. Eighteen years ago, when my mother opened a restaurant at Noble Hill, I was surprised to find myself bussing tables, pouring drinks, and running in circles on a busy weekend lunch.
In this time, I've changed as a person, Noble Hill has changed as a winery, and my understanding of the nature of truly good food has evolved. Whereas my mother was passionate about Californian cooking (where she grew up), I have lived my whole adult life in South Africa, and have slowly remade my philosophy of food around high-quality, local ingredients and techniques that respect the intrinsic character of produce.
Our wines have changed over the years, firstly with a change to estate growing (in 2009-12), with all our wines grown at the site of the winery on the slopes of the Simonsberg, secondly with a move towards lightness, elegance and freshness (2017-2019), eschewing extraction and heaviness for delicate minerality. Thirdly and most recently, we converted to certified organic farming (2020-2023).
Our wines carry a lean, mineral, saline character that's distinctly Mediterranean in nature. Our climate is Mediterranean. Our olive trees are Mediterranean. Our winemaking draws from the traditions of old-world European viticulture.
The food, until recently, did not match this register. For many years, Cosecha at Noble Hill served Latin and Mexican food. It was good food, and many of our guests loved it. Notwithstanding, the food cultures that inspire me are the ones that have always inspired our wines: the Luberon and Provence, markets overflowing with olives, fennel, and fresh herbs. The coast around Marseille, where fish is treated simply and olive oil does the work. The eastern Mediterranean, where chickpeas, lemon, and za'atar feel fresh and light on the palate in warm summer weather.
Our new menu reflects an intentional break from Mexican cooking, howevermuch our previous clientele might wish us to continue in this vein. I can't operate Noble Hill as my mother in her absence forever, and more than anything she would want the business to succeed. Her passion wasn't for Mexican food, it was for happy guests.
Some of our new dishes make sense alongside a glass of Chenin Blanc or a cool Cinsault on a warm Simonsberg afternoon: pan-seared line fish with saffron rice and estate olives; roast chicken leg braised in white wine with dates, capers, and smashed potatoes; slow-braised lamb shank with roasted fennel and a clean, light jus; chickpea fritters with lemon tahini, pickled cabbage, and herbs.
We still press our own olive oil. We still cure our own olives. We still grow organically. The philosophy hasn't changed: the food has finally caught up with it.
We'll miss some of what Cosecha was. But we're more excited about what comes next. We hope you'll come and eat with us.