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Jeannie D interviews VUUR owner Shaun Scrooby about his fine-dining, fire-cooked restaurant.

By: Jeannie D

As you may, or may not know, I love being a little (ok, ok, a lot) extra and will find any excuse to throw a themed partytjie… My darling husband’s most recent birthday was no exception, and since we were going to be in Europe for the actual day, I organised a small gathering of friends to gather at VUUR, a smoking hot private dining steak restaurant on Remhoogte Wine Estate in Stellenbosch.

Out went the invites, mentioning only the venue, and asking guests to wear a touch of giddy up country style to add to the vibe. On the day, our crew did not disappoint. They all arrived channelling a Ralph Lauren country shoot in flannel shirts, denim-on-denim, Stetson hats and cowboy boots.

Their sartorial effort was rewarded with a chilled glass of Remhoogte’s First Light Chenin Blanc, then we drifted down to the renovated stable and spent a happy few hours sitting under the ancient oak tree, soaking up the storybook view and savouring a mouth-watering, fire-cooked multi-course meal paired with delicious wines and an artisanal brandy cocktail.

I knew this experience was too special not to share with my #jeannieous friends, so asked owner, Shaun Scrooby, to sit down and tell me all about how he lit the creative flame that became VUUR restaurant.

Jeannie D: Shaun, I’m so impressed with what you’ve created here. Tell us how you came up with the VUUR concept?

Shaun Scrooby: During COVID, I decided to follow my dream and open a unique restaurant that only offers one table seating a day, and serves a fine-dining, fire-cooked menu where each course is paired with a phenomenal wine. My friends Chris and Rob Boustred of Remhoogte Wine Estate loved the idea of pairing their wines with my menu, and we settled on a small, dilapidated stable built beneath a beautiful old oak tree in a wildlife camp on their wine estate as the perfect location for our new concept. After renovating it into an intimate show cooking space, we launched in April 2022. News quickly spread, and before we knew it, we were fully booked. Turns out a lot of people like the idea of a private but relaxed space where you can have a lekker kuier, eat good food and enjoy great wines.

 

Jeannie D: And you’ve been highly rated by carnivores the world over, I believe?

Shaun Scrooby: Yes! Last year we made the Top 10 of the 101 World’s Best Steak Restaurants Coup de Coeur List (Favourites List). And earlier this year, we placed 88th on their 101 list – the highest ranking African restaurant in the year. A huge honour for our tiny restaurant.

 

Jeannie: Tell us more about your #jeannieous menu?

Shaun: We don’t have an actual menu at VUUR. Our diners furnish us with any special dietary requirements, allergies or dislikes, and we then craft a specialist menu based on the best vegetables, fish and meat we can source from our suppliers, from the ocean and out of our garden. Fire is key and every dish has an element of fire or smoke in the seven to eight courses that we serve.

 

Jeannie: What’s your advice to guests who can’t get a booking at VUUR?

Shaun: You can now make a reservation at our 16-seater social table, or at the chef’s counter, at our new venture, VUUR Goose Island. This is an equally beautiful space that we built on a picturesque island on the Remhoogte Wine Estate farm dam. It’s next to the original VUUR but also completely private.

 

Make your reservation for VUUR or VUUR Goose Island today.

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