Fodor's Expert Review Heaven

If you're keen to escape the crush in Hermanus, head to Heaven, situated on Newton Johnson Family Vineyards. It's up the picturesque Hemel-en-Aarde Valley Road, where vines and fynbos cover the slopes and where you may wish you owned a country home. The view is wonderful, the service is attentive, and there's a good selection of local wines. The menu, which changes often, always emphasizes the best seasonal produce. Starters could include hot-smoked yellowtail and slow-braised beef tongue. Mains, served with hand-cut chips or a green salad with mature Gruyère, include winter root vegetables with cheese and hazelnuts, cashew-crusted hake, and pork loin with braised lentils. The restaurant is big on foraging. Michelin-star chef Eric Bulpitt heads the team and sends them out into the garden for fresh herbs and the fields for wild greens and waterblommetjies (literally translated from Afrikaans, this means "water flowers").