Still, I am pleased to have been invited to stay at the fabulous Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa on the Shekel-ridge of Knysna. After a four-hour journey of heart-stopping beauty and speed from Port Alfred, I'm reclining on the bed, a Bloody Mary clutched in one hand, the remote in the other. But I mustn't relax too much. After all, I'm here to meet the chef.
Disarmingly Zen, Geoffrey Murray is a New York boy who arrived here via a rather circuitous route, bringing with him global culinary trends, experience and of course a keen eye, tastebuds and intellect.
His "modern ethnic" menus at his restaurants, Boom in New York (voted Best New Restaurant by Esquire magazine in 1992) and Madrid, and Bang in Miami and Mexico City, had diners and major international travel and food magazines raving.
But his first visit to South Africa in 1998 had him falling in love with the country and, although he'd been offered a job at the White House, our white beaches won him over.
Zachary's is named after a "well-loved and widely travelled Labrador who truly had a dog's life, from fishing for oysters to sniffing his way home from forest soirees".
The restaurant is found through the double volume, pale wood-clad entrance, an intimate, oblong room where international celebs dine incognito, their voices hushed by the clever cushioning of carpets, cladding and decor. Service is as it should be at a swank place like this ? seemingly effortless, which of course means the "swan" principle applies: superficially graceful, paddling like hell underneath.
Murray personally sources "the very finest" local ingredients and organically grown produce to create his inspired cuisine. I opt for the chef's tasting menu, with a matched glass of wine for each course.
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To start with, the kingklip, presented as a Malay-style Laksa with coconut milk and the slight crunchiness of rice noodles, with Klein Constantia Rhine Riesling 2004. Then mille-feuille celeriac and duck confit, seduced with star anise and a clever counterpoint of mandarin vinaigrette, served with Cape Point Semillon 2003.
And what follows is the teasingly elusive taste and texture of tamarind-marinated lamb loin, served with sweet potato rosti, tatsoi and sesame (with 2002 Katbakkies Syrah).
Dessert is Roast Pear Tart with pear coulis and vanilla-verjuice caramel (so clever I could swoon), served with Sylvanvale Vine Dried Chenin. An inspired, beautifully balanced menu for R195 per person, excluding wine, or R295 per person for food and wine.
The winelist is a liver-boggling 46-pages. Murray is also responsible for the more-than-a-thousand wines ? mostly limited, handcrafted ones, although there are also "honest, easy-drinking" (in other words, more affordable) ones.
Wines by the glass on this list are dependable choices: Louisvale Chavant Chardonnay, Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc or Weltevrede Gewurtztraminer for the whites, then Raka Rose, Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap or Louisvale Dominique for the reds.
White wines by the bottle here include Durbanville Hills Sauvignon Blanc, Seidelberg Viognier and Waterford Sauvignon Blanc, while reds include Ken Forrester Petit Pinotage (R70), Villiera Merlot, Alto Rouge and Kanonkop Kadette (R160).
The Big List winelist includes locals as well as foreigners, and there's even a page on wine and food combining, a useful tool to open up debate if you're sitting with particularly taciturn guests.
Wines by the glass or carafe in this section include a local and imported bubbly, as well as well-priced whites, roses and reds.
The local Methode Cap Classique list contains almost all the top ones ? and then there are 25 Champagnes, an impressive list of handcrafted wines.
With each item there is a short ? and thankfully not too flowery ? description. Then, a page on Zachary Shiraz, with Veenwouden Private Cellar winemaker Marcel van der Walt to thank for the limited release 2003 Shiraz (R60 per glass, R175 for 375 ml and R320 per 750ml bottle).
The whispers about Geoff Murray and his cuisine are without exception those of unabashed admiration. As is my wont, I give credit where it's due and, conversely, won't let an eating establishment get away with shoddiness.
So here's the credit: that Zen-like attitude of Murray's grace without effort reflects cleverly in the cuisine. But that the menu changes daily tells me there is more swan than Zen in the running of the place.
Average three course meal: R150 ? R250.
Zachary's at the Pezula Resort Hotel and Spa, Knysna. Phone 044 302-3333. Booking essential. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This article appears courtesy of WINE magazine.
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