Babel

Babel Review

Set on the grounds of one of the Cape's oldest Dutch farms, Babel and the Babylonstoren boutique hotel are a vision in white surrounded by lush fruit and vegetable gardens with a gorgeous backdrop of mountain views. Aiming to use as much of its own produce as possible, Babel's menu includes inventive categories like a "salad" menu defined by color: the "red" (in summer) includes bronze basil, watermelon, red pepper, plum, red cabbage, and beetroot among other things, drizzled with a strawberry and pomegranate dressing. A blackboard menu lists daily specials, like watermelon gazpacho or fresh oysters, and mains remain relatively traditional with offerings like the melt-in-your-mouth prickly pear and ginger glazed pork belly or baked eggplant with gorgonzola and macadamia nuts. Desserts are deconstructed into sweet, sour, bitter, and savory.