I found Franschhoek to be a surprisingly small town bursting with fantastic things to eat! I walked around and discovered the little town between meals, with the beautiful restaurants displayed below via the stunning plates from quick pictures that I snapped between mouthfuls comprised of dancing flavors.
LA PETITE FERME
This venue offered contemporary presentations of country style cuisine.
Tuna Poke
Wasabi mayo, citrus pickled onions, cape pickled ginger coriander and lime gremolata, turmeric puree, chill and sesame dust
Venison fillet with date labneh, blackberry, chocolate au jus, pistachio crumble, and pumpkin fitters
Cardamom and pistachio mouse with orange blossom sorbet, sable crumbs, and picked orange
LA PETITE COLUMBE
The experience at this restaurant was aesthetically outstanding. The dining room was formal and the service was on pointe, but the staff was personable and interactive. The presentations were inventive, making this very memorable.
Caraway sourdough, home churned butter, sesame, and roasted yeast
Yellowfin tuna, aubergine, miso, naartjie, avocado.
The presentation of this little dish had outstanding detail. Each item was flawlessly set in the dish and it was truly something that seemed almost too pretty to eat.
Ravioli of langoustine, curled hake velour, cauliflower, coriander.
Every bit as complex as it sounds, yet with an overall delicate profile.
This was a playful contemporary version of soft boiled eggs with soldiers, served on a table separating the diner from the chef on the other side, as pictured below. He offered us the opportunity to "find" our food in the foliage. Such a playful and creative presentation!
Meeting the chef who allowed me to pass to his side of the table for this picture.
Palate cleanser- refreshing frozen delightful and tart, a little sorbet on chilled rocks
Herb crusted lamb loin, confit neck, smoked olive, salsa verde, rib jus.
The heaviest dish remained light as the meat was offset by the accompanying greens to balance each bite.
Foxenberg goat cheese, goats milk caramel, kouign amann, guava, tamarind.
For me, this may have been the least outstandingly memorable plate as the flavors were more traditional in my mind, but nonetheless beautiful and satisfying with a play between sweet and savory.
La Columbe Treasures
This was another delightfully creative presentation with a treasure box to open that contained tiny desserts.
FOLIAGE
This is a restaurant focused on serving foraged edible plants. The menu is certainly seasonal and when I was there I experienced the following dishes:
Potato Chip with river trout tartar and fish dust.
BBQ karoo lamb belly, wilted pak choi leafs,confit turnips and braised fennel, red cabbage puree, roasted red pepper. The leaves provided a bitter contrast to the rich sauce accompaniment.
Banana bread with honey comb mousse and chocolate dust.
Geranium leaves were candied in sugar syrup before being dehydrated.
Blueberry and poplar bolete nougatine, candied forest leaves and hazelnuts, buchu and honeybush sherbet, beetroot and amazi ice cream. Buchu has a flavor profile similar to mint, but less intense.
SOLMS DELTA
Although I visited many wineries in the region, one that has a more intense memory for be was Solms Delta. This winery had become neglected when in 2001 Professor Mark Solms intended to revive it. However, the estate supported seven families who weren't eager for any changes. After learning the history of the land and the people there, the winery has been restored with respect to this and is now 45% co-invested as partnership with those who care for the lands. The uncovering of this history also resulted in a small museum on the property that tells the story of the place.
Another reason was was intrigued to visit was that there is a restaurant on site that was advertised as having heritage South African food. However, when I visited, it was early in day and the estate was quiet. The women who greeted me explained that they were only providing a small selection of prepared foods that day. I am certain that my face fell and I shared how excited I was to experience the food. They then more than kindly cooked me my own meal! They explained that it was just a simple dish that they would eat themselves for lunch, but that fit the bill of what I was aiming for: authenticity.
They made me the dish Bobotie, which is of cape malay origin. It consisted of minced ground beef, curry, raisins, turmeric, egg, wild garlic, citrus buchu.
The other wine tasting that I participated with was the popular "wine train". I took the train on two different days, which meant that I visited two different routes, all containing different stops at different wineries. It was fantastic to see how the different wine makers achieved varying tastes across similar soil.
I invite you to discover the foodie town of Franschhoek if you find yourself in South Africa!
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