Braai, Nunwell

Braai is a summer pop-up dining spot on the Nunwell estate, near Brading. It’s a collaboration between the estate, its farms and produce providers, and the dynamic Ryde-based restaurant brand The Heron led by chef Alex Kimber. Braai was not quite what we were expecting, and that’s no criticism. A traditional South African braai is a domestic affair with heroic amounts of meat. Although Braai has a delightfully rustic and informal atmosphere, it still showed a strong restaurant influence. The food was beautifully presented, with plenty of non-meat options on offer. And even though the attractive scent of woodsmoke perfused the venue, much of the food was non-smoky in style. The menu was no Saffer sausage-fest either, although some African nods were there, including a smooth and rich Nunwell Farm Belted Galloway beef biltong which we eagerly chewed on for an appetiser.

The star of the show at Braai is the venue. A huge disused barn is approached down a rough farm track, with parking in a nearby field. It’s been cleverly converted with a light touch, creating a vast open-sided room for adults to eat and drink while children and dogs can play safely nearby. There is quite a bit of space, including indoor and outdoor seating; although the distinction is not absolute, with some seats right inside, next to the smoky open BBQ kitchen, and some on the barn edge. We got one of these peripheral seats, which was still under cover but had superb views out over the idyllic Nunwell parkland and outdoor benches proper – complete with fun activities including a rope swing for the older kids. Our tip – if you don’t want to smell of BBQ smoke afterwards, you’ll want to sit away from the kitchen area; but on the other hand, why come to an open-air BBQ if so? Perhaps a more relevant consideration would be the weather. We would definitely recommend Braai as a fair-weather venue. Rather like the brilliant True Food Kitchen at Castle Haven; in theory you will appreciate the venue in any weather, but in practice a dry sunny day is going to be better.

The Braai Tasting Board is a rare bargain at only £35 per head, including four characterful side-dishes and five tasters of main dishes. What’s more, there was enough of each sample for both of us to indulge. Nunwell Farm sausages? Two of them. Smoked crevettes? Two of those, too. This may seem obvious but you would be surprised how many sharing platters have uneven quantities. The gorgeously-rich butterflied smoked mackerel was the only exception, but that was generous enough to cut down the middle without argument. The best item on the board was Wight Whisky and Nunwell Honey glazed shoulder of pork, which came as a sticky pile of pulled meat heaped onto a pitta and loaded with crispy onions. Also available as a main course, this meaty delight showed that pulled pork is not just yesterday’s trendy ingredient – it’s got plenty of surprises left in it when Alex Kimber is dishing it out.

Out of the three dessert choices, only a lunatic would have turned down Mermaid spiced rum pineapple. We had one each, unlike our overcautious neighbours who ended up reluctantly sharing one. A steaming-hot chunk of pellucid caramelised pineapple came with a sharp, creamy swirl of lime creme fraiche, topped with a raspberry granola. The rummy, grilled juice seeped out of the fruit into the cream to make a dish so fabulous that we both considered licking it off the plate.

You see where this is going. We liked this place a lot. It’s innovative and fresh, with impeccable local provenance credentials. And the food is excellent. So we’re going to suggest that you go there. Braai is open for lunch and dinner only until the 22nd of September this year (2024), Friday-Sunday plus Bank Holiday Monday. We don’t know if it will be back next year but if it is not, we’d be very surprised. Tables, especially in the evening, are hard to come by. So if you want our advice – and if you’ve read this far, you probably do – book a table early.

This is the full-length version of a review that was printed in the Isle of Wight County Press.

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https://www.braai-iow.co.uk