This winter, Bistro Sixteen82 at Steenberg Farm is inviting guests to slow down, settle in, and lean into the kind of dining winter was made for: comforting food, good wine, and long conversations around the table.
The restaurant’s refreshed seasonal menu has been designed around shared dining and the estate’s newly launched Canvas Collection wines, creating a more relaxed and interactive food-and-wine experience that feels perfectly suited to the colder months.
Set on one of the Cape’s most celebrated wine estates, the experience also reflects the wider Steenberg offering. Home to the five-star Steenberg Hotel & Spa, recently awarded a Michelin Key and named among Condé Nast’s top 10 hotels in Africa, Steenberg has long been known for pairing understated luxury with exceptional food and wine.
At the heart of the new winter menu are five small plates made for sharing, with each dish paired alongside a wine from the Canvas Collection. Rather than overcomplicating things, the focus is on seasonal flavours, balance, and giving guests the freedom to experience the pairings in their own way.
Executive Chef Kerry Kilpin says the menu wasn’t created to completely reinvent Bistro Sixteen82’s winter offering, but rather to celebrate the new wines in a more thoughtful way. “We’ve had a winter lunch menu for years, but this year we wanted to do something a little different to celebrate the Canvas Collection,” says Kilpin. “Shared dining has always been part of Bistro Sixteen82, and we wanted a format that allows people to experience the wines properly alongside food, both at lunch and dinner.”
The menu starts with a comforting seasonal soup paired with the Blanc before moving into a refreshed version of the restaurant’s signature pickled fish, a dish that has become something of a staple over the years. “The pickled fish is something we’ve always celebrated and kept evolving,” she says. “It works beautifully with the Semillon. It’s a dish shaped by the team over time, and it continues to change.”
From there, the flavours become richer and more robust, with dishes like mushroom and beef carpaccio and slow-cooked venison paired with Nebbiolo. “We wanted to show the versatility of Nebbiolo,” Kilpin explains. “It works not only with warm dishes like venison, but also with colder preparations. It’s about contrast and balance.”
Instead of arriving as a strict multi-course meal, the dishes flow naturally across the table, encouraging guests to share, taste, and linger a little longer. “Sharing changes the pace,” says Kilpin. “It becomes more relaxed and the table more interactive. That’s really what we’re aiming for.”
The Canvas Collection itself marks a slightly more expressive and exploratory direction within Steenberg’s wine portfolio, which is already celebrated for producing some of South Africa’s leading Sauvignon Blancs alongside a range of other award-winning varietals.
Carryn Wiltshire says the collaboration between the wines and the winter menu was always intended to feel approachable rather than overly structured. “The Canvas Collection was created as a space for freedom and expression within our portfolio,” says Wiltshire. “Pairing it with Bistro Sixteen82’s winter menu allows guests to experience that philosophy in a very tangible way. It’s not about rigid rules, but about discovery, how the wines interact with different flavours and how each guest finds their own interpretation.”
She adds that diners are increasingly looking for curated experiences that still feel relaxed and personal. “People are looking for more curated but relaxed experiences,” she says. “They want guidance, but they also want room to explore. This pairing offers both.”
For Kilpin, the beauty of the menu lies in its simplicity. “One of the most important things for us is that people don’t feel they have to think too hard about it,” she says. “The pairing should work naturally, feeling both generous and easy.”
That easy, conversational approach is ultimately what makes the new winter menu feel so fitting for the season. Less formal pairing rules, more shared plates, good wine, and the kind of dining experience that encourages you to stay for just one more glass.
