Here are two ideas if you’re in Franschhoek over the next few weeks. Be sure to book ahead.
Pierneef à la Motte restaurant at La Motte wine farm seemed a good, slightly luxe option to take our visitors. The grounds are immaculately kept and the glassed in outdoor section of the restaurant makes you feel part of the garden without being affected by sweltering or chilly weather. The food is cheffy with an eclectic mix of flavours that draw on early Cape recipes, chef Chris Erasmus’s Karoo heritage and plenty of modern influences. It’s visually appealing and the amount of diners clamouring for a table suggests that the formula works. Yet our group of seven felt some of the menu’s braver combinations worked better than others.
A success: starter (R59) of blackened calamari tubes, chilli sausage and sugar-cured venison loin slivers over assorted salad leaves with crunchy cashews. Ingredients that wouldn’t ordinarily partner each other in a salad, with excitingly different yet not too aggressive flavouring. The menu mentioned a sweet and sour peppadew dressing, and on the plate tasted mildly curried. Slices of Shiraz bread formed Melba toast.
Porcini roast venison loin (R155), on the other hand, was eye-catching on the plate. The warthog was tasty, the spearmint and sumac potato dumplings offered unusual flavours, yet two diners found the dish overpowered by an overly sweet tomato-laced ‘watermelon and amber braai sauce’.
Desserts were dramatic to look at and satisfying. Pierneef’s textures of chocolate deserves special mention. It’s chocolate in various guises, from a thin chocolate top layer that has to be cracked with the spoon, to playful rubbery strips, a surprise baked fondant and retro peppermint crisp ice cream.
Parents can relax in the knowledge that despite the venue’s smart décor and finishes, babies and toddlers won’t upset other guests here. Service in this department deserves special mention as staff go to incredible lengths to make little people comfortable. It starts with designer highchairs and five-star baby changing rooms in the restaurant bathroom, and finishes with a basket of towels on hand for kids –few can resist playing in the outdoor water feature – and even wet clothes being tumble-dried on occasion!
The new Maison wine tasting centre and ‘The Kitchen’ eating venue is very close to La Motte so we popped in to have a look after lunch. ‘The Kitchen’ only opened a month ago. We liked the restored historic home that is Maison so much we stayed for a late-afternoon drink on the lawns. Homemade lemonade – nicely tart – and Darling Brew ales were carried out.
On the wine side, owner furniture retailer Chris Weylandt has employed a winemaker to make a Shiraz and three white wines in rented cellar space.
They are available for tasting in the character-filled interior with modern painted white floors and an interior bearing the shabby chic décor hallmarks of a Weylandts store. Oversized comfy couches, casual wooden benches under old oaks and terribly clever chandeliers made of unlabelled wine bottles impressed. But the star of the show is an oversized hanging chair - a delightful spot for two or three mates to lie back and take in views of tranquil vineyards. A quick squiz through the tapas and regular menu revealed lots of creative dishes to entice. Prices look good too. We’ll be back to try it out.
PIERNEEF à LA MOTTE, La Motte wine estate, R45 Franschhoek. Tel 021 876 8800, Pierneef Lunchtime venue.
MAISON, R45 Franschhoek. Tel 021 876 2116, Maison Lunch and tapas venue.
I never understand it when country restaurants overcomplicate their offerings. Enthusiastic customers have made the decision to drive out of the city, admiring lovely orchards and vineyard scenery. And then somebody tries to impress with bought-in ingredients cooked fancily with dots, froths and foams. When I’m in the country I want simple food that shouts freshness, and gives me a taste of where I am and who is cooking it. It doesn’t have to be perfect; each dish should merely offer personality.
It’s all of this that forms the basics of Fresh restaurant. Seasonal stuff picked that day. Elgin chickens. Everything else comes from a supplier in Villiersdorp. Eating from the blackboard menu in November means starting with steamed artichokes, leaves plucked and dipped into a delicately creamy lemon butter. A robust chunky tomato and fresh herb soup, alive with pungent sunburst flavour. In fig season, from December onwards, you’ll be able to have grilled black figs, stuffed with Gorgonzola and wrapped in Parma-style ham…
You’ll drink freshly squeezed orange, Elgin cider in the bottle, or Paul Cluver wines without much of a mark-up. Perky Sauvignon Blanc (R75), Pinot Noir (R160) or a deliciously fruity find not usually sold, their unlabelled Cab Franc (R75).
To diehard rugby fans, the movie Invictus did a disservice to South Africa’s rugby history. It also made light of the complex themes playing out in John Carlin’s excellent book Playing the Enemy. Invictus may have worked as a feelgood Madiba movie, but allowing Clint Eastwood to direct a storyline about a sport he didn’t understand was guaranteed to flop. Imagine if a South African director tackled a football movie?
Druk My Niet also makes an unusual Tannat-based wine, which you don’t often find in 
Tokara restaurant celebrated one year of operation with chef Richard Carstens in charge of the kitchen, on Fri 28th October. They launch their new summer menu next week.
Four years ago I asked a waiter at a reputable V&A Waterfront fish restaurant if the catch of the day was orange or green. He was stumped by the question. Had not a clue that I was referring to 
Wild Kob should be 40cm by law. Most Oceanwise fish are bred to over 40cm, and have a full traceability system to prove they have been land-farmed. With oceans increasingly being stripped of fish through controversial line-caught methods, long-term we have few alternatives but to pay accordingly if we want our children to know the taste of fish.
And no different to the ocean version most of us are used to. Farmed Kabeljou ceviche hit the spot with lime juice zing, with avo, broad beans and baby fennel bulb.
The cooked Kob was plump and succulent, with Eric’s signature plating and froth, with sea lettuce, pickled mussels and a tasty beurre noissette emulsion. Pastry chef Vanessa Quellac has recently been hired as the Valrhona chocolate ambassador in South Africa, a very tasty job indeed. Wild Peacock has the agency for this uber-quality French couverture chocolate, so it was appropriate to conclude a cosy dinner with glasses of Valrhona Ivoire chocolate layered with mousse berry cremeux and almond streusel. I’m not usually a white chocolate fan, but this evening ended on a richly sweet note.
A breakfast gathering to watch the All Blacks smash the Wallabies during the Rugby World Cup semis turned into an impromptu weber braai in our courtyard. It’s one advantage of experiencing this tournament on an impractical timezone - you have the rest of Sunday to socialise, eat and relax once the sport is out of the way.
It’s great to know about off-the-beaten-track eating spots, particularly when they are accessed from roads you’ve driven multiple times but never knew to deviate from. Towerbosch Earth Kitchen restaurant at Knorhoek wine estate in Stellenbosch is that sort of place. I’m really glad to have made a new discovery, visiting recently after hearing positive reports.
The asado set menus combine a few plated items and plenty of shared platters. Think homemade bread, farm butter and preserves, followed by Argentinean-style empanadas. Starters typically include smoorsnoek rice, before moving on to meat in a big way. Slow-roasted beef or lamb or pork cooked to perfection, plus fat, 250g-slabs of aged Chalmar beef sirloin finished on the braai. Roasted veggies and traditional South African accompaniments, plus contemporary salads with say, beetroot and feta. Malva puddings, apple bakes or sweets along those lines finish the meal, plus a hot beverage.
Crispy lamb empanadas with a side salad, or beetroot salad with crumbed goats cheese. Heartier options such as grilled fish with a butter and burnt garlic sauce partner a sliced potato bake. A comforting free-range chicken pie, roasted and baked with an oval lid of sour cream puff pastry. A ‘plaasbord’ designed for two is a lighter option, with a selection of charcuterie – home-cured when available – local cheeses, homemade pickles and farm bread. Knorhoek and Two Cubs wines by the glass and bottle are very affordably priced.
So I popped downtown this week to find Honest Chocolate in Wale Street. Open for just over a month, the store is sandwiched nicely between Bree and Loop, adjacent to Liam Mooney. It’s a modest operation and as the name implies, has honest intentions. Importantly, the chocolate tastes damn fine in the way an artisanal product should. This is why I paid R42 for a slab.
What joy to wake to a view of apple orchards cloaked in mist in the beautiful Elgin Valley. We were invited for an overnight stay in a vintage trailer free of our little guy meant sleeping in. My man is excited because it’s his birthday. And I’ve waited 403 days for the luxury of having an entire night off – thanks for babysitting granny!
Ever get that feeling that everybody else has cottoned on to something good, yet somehow you’ve completely overlooked what’s in front of you? Woodlands Eatery is a small spot in the city-flanking suburb of Vredehoek, which makes it part of my ‘hood’. It opened in late 2010 but I only heard or read good things about it some nine months later. I’m surprised because it’s super-popular for a spot that on face value is an entrenched neighbourhood local. The food and prices are decent too.
Looking for potential nanny candidates. It’s a mind-numbing job but has to be done when the nanny you’ve trained takes another job without giving notice. Calls in sick for two days, then switches off her phone until I send her sister over with police, expecting the worst. You do this when people have troubled, complicated personal lives. Eventually I discover that her former employer made her a better offer. Originally laid her off and now recruits her for baby number two. Ethical? Hardly. But they did me a favour as she wasn’t a great fit.
Pricy but mostly very tasty. Fish and chips – beer-battered kingklip with homemade tartare sauce and chips – at R110. A lamb burger at R98. Great fish in perky batter, crispy Belgium-style thin chips. The burger was less satisfying. Two battered onion rings were fine and I liked the cumin-laced patty but would’ve preferred warning about a humus and tzatziki topping. A Greek meze twist clearly, but I prefer relish.
Been meaning to post about a clever new idea for aspiring bakers. 
I’m loving my new hood, particularly when explored on daily walks. Moving to Oranjezicht means leafy streets and parks, friendly families and gorgeous Victorian or Georgian homes.
Unfortunately I believe Pinot needs a bit of a wood to enhance its silky tannins and coax out its gentleness. Drinking this wine solo and slightly chilled, I thought of candyfloss and cherries, but it lacked something on the mid palate. Wood! Admittedly it improved immensely when paired with creamy mushroom soup and other smart food, but then Pinot Noir generally partners a variety of smoked to braised to creamy dishes with ease. I couldn’t help thinking that a slightly chilled Rosé would do just as well – because it is also a lightweight red.
I should label this: inexpensive Cape Town things that are good for your soul and wallet too. Those experiences are rare in a city where many of us are struggling with rising costs so I’m sharing my recent discovery.
We’ve taken a toddler successfully, but this is where adults unwind so it’s not an ideal option if a noisy, energetic brood is in tow.
Another Cape Town winter rainy day… a get together of friends… winter specials at The Foodbarn. You connect the dots.
Warm rhubarb pudding with crème Anglaise custard swirls and vanilla pod ice cream looked like a Franck Dangereux dessert, and had many takers. Tasty and wintry, but criticised for the sponge smothering the rhubarb bits. Pineapple carpaccio slivers with granadilla panna cotta and guava sorbet was tasty enough, but looked like a child had been let loose with red and yellow syryp.
Inspired… but culinary stamina required. That was my impression after attending a brilliant eight-course lunch - plus extra dishes - at The Test Kitchen today, with Eben and Adi adding their bit. Paying diners are sampling their way through similar courses this evening.
This special chef’s table showcased the efforts of Wellington buffalo farmer Wayne Rademayer of Buffalo Ridge mozzarella. Wayne had a buffalo going begging. And good chefs love the challenge of fiddling with bits and pieces - they’re anorakish like that.
A friend asked for my annual list of winter specials so I’ve rounded up a few delicious meals from venues with proven track records that I know to be good. As a rule I find better value by opting for smarter restaurant tables – those places you would like to eat at but can’t justify the expense ordinarily. 
Short of time and looking for one winter special meal out that ticks all the boxes? I highly recommend George Jardine’s daily-changing winter menu - tried it last weekend. I certainly go for the magnificent panoramic view and relaxed vibe, but Jordan Restaurant with George Jardine tops my list for exquisite food that sounds straightforward yet simply and understatedly knocks the senses into submission. The day’s menu could feature barrel-smoked tuna, followed by saucy braised veal frikadelle with roasted Jerusalem artichokes and Stellenbosch Ceps, to homemade ice cream or baked malva-style puddings.
Meal highlights on the day: 1. Hot-smoked Franschhoek trout with dots of charred aubergine puree, and sago – served as tangy sago vinaigrette and then as crunchy sago chips similar to fried Indonesian prawn crackers. 2. Utterly delicious Valrhona chocolate hot pot with homemade vanilla icecream. A spongy mass with bittersweet French chocolate oozing from the centre. 
Everybody is expected to take their seats at individual tables by 12.45 sharp, and bring their own wine (only non-alcoholic beverages can be ordered). And then the boys lovingly prepare a nostalgic series of help-yourself courses.
For later courses we exercised restraint. Had to. There was the Med – assorted cold meze, cold cuts and salads to a hot sort of ‘bomb’ of lemonish Greek chicken in phyllo, plenty of nostalgic Afrikaans favourites, from baked tongue in mustard sauce under a layer of crumbs, pumpkin fritters and sweet potatoes cooked in sweet orange juice sauce. Fall-off-the-bone oxtail. Plus more conventional carvery items – ours a gammon roast with crispy potato wedges, cooked-just-right roasted and steamed veggies. On that point, vegetarians will find plenty in the buffet selection, whether dolmades and spring rolls – a little dull – or the tastily gooey cheese-olive-and-tomato polenta bake, or spinach and ricotta cannelloni.
There’s a welcome break before the dessert table is brought out. Wander to the outside loo or admire the lemon trees planted below the stoep. It’s also a great time to sip some wine in front of the cosy fire, especially when you realise you’re actually in the owners’ lounge. Basjaan the Basset hound is usually underfoot at this point. Our sweet selection included a stunning Pavlova, old-fashioned runny chocolate mousse, fruit salad, chocolate cake, koeksisters made by a Greyton local, and of course Malva pud. Coffee was served alongside.
The gastric juices are on the move again after two months of project-managing our building renovations. What relief to be thinking food and wine again!
With all the delays we also had to pack our flat into two completed rooms and move into a temporary rented home. But the end is finally in sight.
Pretentious foodie spot. Silly. Faddish. These thoughts came to mind on reading about designer white spaces and colour-coded salads at Babel restaurant at Babylonstoren farm. But after four of us experienced lunch recently I’ve changed my mind. I like this place and the intentions of those involved. This is why:
Starters sound faddish on the menu yet taste very good. We shared two salads - the only starter options. A Green salad (R55) was a tasty collaboration of textures and flavours, consisting of salad greens, basil, rocket, apple slices with cucumber ribbons, courgettes in a spiced dressing, and delicious shah-ma rah-spiced lentils (apparently that’s a herby leaf of Iranian origin). A roasted fennel, lemon verbena and yoghurt dressing was drizzled over. The Red salad received the most table votes. Watermelon slices, black olives, beetroot, roasted red peppers and aubergines, raw red cabbage, radish, red salad leaves and bronze basil leaves were served with mint geranium-infused chickpeas with a dressing made of rose geranium, strawberry and pomegranite. Are you getting the picture? Some essential oils and raw edible plants take getting used to, yet you don’t mind because they are creatively combined as a whole dish.
With so much designer style in the décor and starters the main courses are thankfully conventional poultry, fish and red meat dishes. The menu includes Franschhoek trout with Babylonstoren Viognier grapes or baked aubergine with melting gorgonzola and gremolata. We tucked into nicely marbled and expertly charred rib-eye steak, although the accompanying sauce of soy, sesame, mustard and green apple sauce was too vinegar-acidic. Roasted pork belly fans will find a twist in a prickly pear and ginger glaze, plus a spekboom and smoked chilli dressing; the crackling nicely crisped. Accompanying bowls of hand-cut chips – surely farm potatoes too? - were the best we’ve eaten. And how lovely to be served innovative veggie side orders: pumpkin flowers stuffed with saucy Swiss chard and mushroom, and assorted green and yellow string beans.
Out of the blue Overgaauw winery contacted me and asked if I’d like a “spontaneous Valentine’s Day experience”. Why not? So yesterday we trekked out to this small Stellenbosch Kloof farm with blankets and cushions and spent a delightful summer evening on the lawns and under trees dangling red paper hearts. It’s the third Valentine’s Day the Van Velden family has organised and it’s really popular, with February’s hot weather virtually guaranteeing a great evening under the stars. The deal was R250 for a picnic and a bottle of chilled Sauvignon Blanc.
Supper goodie bags were provided by Food Fanatics, filled with tasty snacky stuff such as chicken liver pate and tapenade, chicken mayo baguette and delicious goats cheese and tomato tartlets. Overgaauw’s 2010 Sauvignon Blanc made a delicious green fig and grassy wine partner.
It’s interesting how some sites don’t work for a restaurant, and then new owners move in and a dead loss becomes a popular space again. Gauteng friends in town necessitated lunch out on a Monday, which is typically when most good venues close. Sea views appeal to people up north, so we gave Sotano by Caveau in Mouille Point a try. Quite a few outdoor diners had the same idea.
Spinach and ricotta cannelloni (R60) baked under a tomato sauce and melted cheese was decent, but Italian mom and pop joints do a more authentic job. Harissa chicken served with pita bread (R60), plus a side order of straw fries (R18) was nicely presented with salad, but the chicken lacked spicy bite.
Restaurateur Giorgio Nava’s new Caffe Milano looked mighty promising on its opening weekend, with brisk breakfast trading and plenty of satisfied departing foodie customers. They included chef Luke Dale-Roberts, happily having a family breakfast adjacent to our table, thankful that he has Sundays free.
The café’s breakfast options are decent, from eggs Benedict on homemade sourdough (R52) to gourmet muesli. Freshly blended juices are R20 to R30 per glass. Worth trying: the cinnamon and pecan brioche French toast (R58) with its gooey, spiced nut segments in the homemade brioche. Served with fried bananas, Canadian maple syrup and whipped cream it was very tasty yet very rich. A bacon side order improved the dish as a whole. In my view a plain brioche option for French toast, sans cream and with bacon optional, would make a good alternative.
Americano coffees (R11) are courtesy of Lavazza, also responsible for the moody wall mural running the length of one side. For the rest the appealing décor combines caramel tones with chunky ash wood shelving displaying breads and plain pastries, focusing the eye on all the sweeter goodies within the glass display counter.
When next travelling the dusty roads to Elim, be sure to squeeze in a lunch stop at Black Oystercatcher. The southern Cape isn’t known for good restaurant eating but this spot is worth a 40-minute dirt drive. No surprise then that it’s a lunch destination for urbanites hanging out in Struisbaai, Arniston and Pearly Beach.
