So I didn’t quite manage to get back from the USA in time to celebrate our big 10 year wedding anniversary with Chantelle (back in November last year), but to be fair I did only miss it by a single day – so hopefully not all marriage brownie points are completely lost.
Making the most of my unfortunate scheduling mishap and the onset of a very busy baking weekend for Chantelle and her Helderberg Cake Company endeavour, we decided utilize the lone Friday afternoon available to us by celebrating with a romantic lunch out in the Stellenbosch winelands.
Chantelle suggested that we head out to Mont Marie, a simple but elegant restaurant tucked away on the slopes of the Blaauwklippen Valley that prides itself on its ethos of family friendly casual gourmet dining.
Sitting on the outside deck, taking in the view over the rolling green fields, the dam, and the mountains, we tucked into the most succulent of mains, downed a bottle of excellent vino and then rounded it off with the most decadent of chocolate desserts.
Exceptionally good food, cute curious ducks, the tranquility of the setting, the slight buzz of happy patrons all around, and of course the view itself, all blended together to make for a wonderful lunch experience with this most amazing woman that I’ve been blessed to call my wife for an entire decade now.
It doesn’t get much better than that.
(Obviously wedding anniversary lunches are best when undertaken with nary a kid in sight, though just for the record, Mont Marie does have a fantastic outdoor kids play area meaning that if we do ever find our way over to the restaurant in the future again, I begrudgingly guess that the girls can tag along.)
Related Link: Mont Marie Restaurant | Stellenbosch