This is a continuation of our Munich & South Africa trip. You can find the full trip itinerary here.
Just like Napa/Sonoma, South Africa's Cape Winelands were filled with wonderful restaurants. We had 2 really great meals in Franschhoek. First was lunch at Bread & Wine, and second was dinner at the Tasting Room.
Bread & Wine
Bread & Wine was a casual restaurant serving really great food in Franschhoek, located at Moreson's estate. Interestingly enough, the Tasting Room was also somehow related to the Moreson group.
The front part of the building was a deli, to buy some cold meat and cheese for picnic outside. The restaurant was located towards the back. There was indoor and outdoor seating, and we were seated inside because it was raining when we came.
I loved how this place was decorated! It had a French/country chic vibe, and the music that they played really added to the ambiance.
Bread & Wine made their own bread and cold meats. They even have classes on how to make bread & charcuteries. I love it when restaurants serve their bread warm, and this place did!
To start off we got the Charcuterie plate. We didn't know what to expect, but we were blown away! This was probably our best lunch in South Africa! The combination between the toast, cold meat, cheese, olives, and the rocket salad was just perfect! It's such a simple meal but done so beautifully. We couldn't find any fault with this dish! If you go to Bread & Wine, definitely order this plate!
We didn't realize how big the charcuterie plate was, and once we were done eating almost all of it, we were both quite full. However, we still had two more dishes coming. :) First was the seafood bisque. The bisque was less creamy than what I had in mind and had a strong seafood taste. It was pretty good, but we were so full at this point and were still in awe of the charcuterie plate to be able to enjoy this dish.
And then our "Greens Pizza" came. The dough was very thin and light, and it had garlic, ricotta, and kale toppings. Again, we were too full at this point and even though the pizza was pretty good, we couldn't finish and took almost all of it to go.
The star dish was definitely the charcuterie place. However, the other dishes were good as well. I would recommend this place if you are looking for a lunch place in Franschhoek.
The Tasting Room
The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais had been consistently ranked as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world 4 years in the row. The restaurant was located inside the Le Quartier Francais hotel, a small upscale boutique hotel in downtown Franschhoek, which is part of the Relais & Chateaux group. Interestingly enough, our safari was also part of the same group.
I booked a table months in advance and was able to secure a reservation. We came in a bit early and got seated first in the bar/lounge area, the Common Room. We ordered a glass of rose wine which was excellent. At 7 PM, we were notified when the table was ready.
The menu at The Tasting Room was a "Surprise African Menu", which was either a 8 course or a 5 course. We went all the way and both got the 8 course. The concept of the surprise menu is that the chef would surprise us with each dish and no menu is distributed beforehand. All ingredients were local and the food was African inspired. The 8 course cost 770 Rand each, which was definitely our most expensive meal in South Africa. Dan also got the wine pairing which was an extra 320 Rand.
We were welcomed with complimentary sparkling wines which was excellent, very light and refreshing. The waitress asked if we had any food alergies or preferences and noted our requests. We also got 3 amuse bouches, and they were all quite unique. Immediately we knew we were going to have an interesting dinner experience.
The amuse bouches were biltong sandwich, chicken pate, cigar rolls, and a chakalaka. The biltong sandwich tasted like a savory crisp cookie with creamy filling which was our favorite. The cigar rolls were also quite good and it was actually crunchy, with the inside tasting similar to guacamole. The chicken pate was a bit rich but the crisp outside was an interesting touch. The chakalaka was our least favorite. It looked cute like a lollipop but the taste was a bit weird, it was basically a tomato foam.
First course: Beetroot, spinach and onion puree, buttermilk labne, dill and cucumber granita
Wine pairing: Graham Beck the game reserve chenin blanc 2010
The visual presentation for the first course was amazing. The waitress brought out this herb on a stick for us to smell while we eat.
The sponge cake had a heavy spinach taste and the creamy paste had a strong herb aroma. When eaten together there was a nice harmony but the dish overall was just very interesting and something that we had never had before. The best way to explain how it tasted is a cold spinach sponge cake with creamy sauce. Not our favorite but definitely unique.
My 2nd course: Lightly smoked mushroom flan, parsnip, spekboom
This was probably one of my favorites. The presentation was not to shabby too, inside a small le creusset iron pot. The mushroom flavor was quite strong and nice, and the flan had a really nice consistency.
Dan's 2nd course: Watermelon and tomato consomme, baobab, fennel pollen
Wine pairing: Excelsior viognier 2011
Very refreshing and tasted a bit more savory than sweet.
3rd course: Organic egg yolk, vegetable cornflakes, lovage, sherry caramel
Wine pairing: Silverthorn genie brut rose 2009
The dried veggies tasted like regular veggie chips. The egg yolk made the dish come together...again, a very interesting dish :) not our favorite.
My 4th course: West coast crayfish, coconut, plum, pumpkin seed oil
I loved the crayfish powder, it had a very strong seafood smell and reminded me of Indonesian's "abon".
Dan's 4th course: Curry dusted kingklip, yellow dahl, mustard leaf, braised spices, confit tomato
Wine pairing: Moreson premium chardonnay 2010
Fish was great and cooked perfectly. However it was a bit on the salty side.
In between our 4th and 5th course, the restaurant observed "Earth hour" where the restaurant turned off all the lights in the dining room and brought out extra candles to light the room. Hence, the really dark pictures.
Dan's 5th course: Rabbit ballotine, madagascan pepper, salt baked yellow swedes, fermented garlic nougatine
Wine pairing: La Motte pierneef shiraz viognier 2008
My 6th course: African grains, carrot, amasi, pumpkin seed oil, toasted baobab
This was actually one of my favorite dishes. I loved the grains and they were cooked perfectly, slightly chewy - I could taste the sweetness from the carrot.
Dan's 6th course: Slow cooked botrivier kid leg, cauliflower, amasi, radish
Wine pairing: Springfontein - terroir selection pinotage 2007
My 7th course: Dalewood lanquedoc, spiced pear, naartjie, fennel
This was actually a sophisticated version of cheese, crackers, and jam. The cheese was a soft mild cheese, reminded me of camembert. The puffy small pillows were hollow crackers. When eaten together with the pear jam it tasted so good.
Dan's 7th course: Swissland drakensberg, pressed rusk, mebos custard, currants, pickled onion
Wine pairing: Allesverloren fine old vintage port 2008
I didn't try this dish since it contained goat cheese. Dan liked this dish though.
My 8th course: Chocolate, pineapple, lemon olive oil, butterscotch
The chocolate cylinder had pineapple juice inside which was fun to eat. Not sure if I was a fan of the olive oil though.
Dan's 8th course: Milk cookie, avocado, verjuice granita, black sesame brittle, apple, malt ice cream
Wine pairing: Pierre Jourdan brut
Love love the milk cookie, very light, crunchy, airy, and had the perfect sweetness. All the small elements worked together nicely.
Cake and Cones
As a last course, the chef sent 2 slices of chocolate/vanilla pound cake, and 2 mini sherbet in ice cream cones. They were the perfect ending to a wonderful dinner.
Thoughts:
Just like Napa/Sonoma, South Africa's Cape Winelands were filled with wonderful restaurants. We had 2 really great meals in Franschhoek. First was lunch at Bread & Wine, and second was dinner at the Tasting Room.
Bread & Wine
Bread & Wine was a casual restaurant serving really great food in Franschhoek, located at Moreson's estate. Interestingly enough, the Tasting Room was also somehow related to the Moreson group.
The front part of the building was a deli, to buy some cold meat and cheese for picnic outside. The restaurant was located towards the back. There was indoor and outdoor seating, and we were seated inside because it was raining when we came.
I loved how this place was decorated! It had a French/country chic vibe, and the music that they played really added to the ambiance.
Bread & Wine made their own bread and cold meats. They even have classes on how to make bread & charcuteries. I love it when restaurants serve their bread warm, and this place did!
 |
| Homemade bread |
To start off we got the Charcuterie plate. We didn't know what to expect, but we were blown away! This was probably our best lunch in South Africa! The combination between the toast, cold meat, cheese, olives, and the rocket salad was just perfect! It's such a simple meal but done so beautifully. We couldn't find any fault with this dish! If you go to Bread & Wine, definitely order this plate!
And then our "Greens Pizza" came. The dough was very thin and light, and it had garlic, ricotta, and kale toppings. Again, we were too full at this point and even though the pizza was pretty good, we couldn't finish and took almost all of it to go.
The star dish was definitely the charcuterie place. However, the other dishes were good as well. I would recommend this place if you are looking for a lunch place in Franschhoek.
The Tasting Room
The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais had been consistently ranked as one of the top 50 restaurants in the world 4 years in the row. The restaurant was located inside the Le Quartier Francais hotel, a small upscale boutique hotel in downtown Franschhoek, which is part of the Relais & Chateaux group. Interestingly enough, our safari was also part of the same group.
I booked a table months in advance and was able to secure a reservation. We came in a bit early and got seated first in the bar/lounge area, the Common Room. We ordered a glass of rose wine which was excellent. At 7 PM, we were notified when the table was ready.
The menu at The Tasting Room was a "Surprise African Menu", which was either a 8 course or a 5 course. We went all the way and both got the 8 course. The concept of the surprise menu is that the chef would surprise us with each dish and no menu is distributed beforehand. All ingredients were local and the food was African inspired. The 8 course cost 770 Rand each, which was definitely our most expensive meal in South Africa. Dan also got the wine pairing which was an extra 320 Rand.
We were welcomed with complimentary sparkling wines which was excellent, very light and refreshing. The waitress asked if we had any food alergies or preferences and noted our requests. We also got 3 amuse bouches, and they were all quite unique. Immediately we knew we were going to have an interesting dinner experience.
The amuse bouches were biltong sandwich, chicken pate, cigar rolls, and a chakalaka. The biltong sandwich tasted like a savory crisp cookie with creamy filling which was our favorite. The cigar rolls were also quite good and it was actually crunchy, with the inside tasting similar to guacamole. The chicken pate was a bit rich but the crisp outside was an interesting touch. The chakalaka was our least favorite. It looked cute like a lollipop but the taste was a bit weird, it was basically a tomato foam.
Our waiter brought us our bread dish which was cornbread with brown butter. It was served warm and we're glad that it wasn't too big since we knew we were about to have a big meal.
 |
| Corn bread with brown butter |
First course: Beetroot, spinach and onion puree, buttermilk labne, dill and cucumber granita
Wine pairing: Graham Beck the game reserve chenin blanc 2010
The visual presentation for the first course was amazing. The waitress brought out this herb on a stick for us to smell while we eat.
The sponge cake had a heavy spinach taste and the creamy paste had a strong herb aroma. When eaten together there was a nice harmony but the dish overall was just very interesting and something that we had never had before. The best way to explain how it tasted is a cold spinach sponge cake with creamy sauce. Not our favorite but definitely unique.
 |
| Beetroot, spinach and onion puree, buttermilk labne, dill and cucumber granita |
My 2nd course: Lightly smoked mushroom flan, parsnip, spekboom
This was probably one of my favorites. The presentation was not to shabby too, inside a small le creusset iron pot. The mushroom flavor was quite strong and nice, and the flan had a really nice consistency.
 |
| Lightly smoked mushroom flan, parsnip, spekbom |
Dan's 2nd course: Watermelon and tomato consomme, baobab, fennel pollen
Wine pairing: Excelsior viognier 2011
Very refreshing and tasted a bit more savory than sweet.
 |
| Watermelon and tomato consomme, baobab, fennel pollen |
3rd course: Organic egg yolk, vegetable cornflakes, lovage, sherry caramel
Wine pairing: Silverthorn genie brut rose 2009
The dried veggies tasted like regular veggie chips. The egg yolk made the dish come together...again, a very interesting dish :) not our favorite.
 |
| Organic egg yolk, vegetable cornflakes, lovage, sherry caramel |
My 4th course: West coast crayfish, coconut, plum, pumpkin seed oil
I loved the crayfish powder, it had a very strong seafood smell and reminded me of Indonesian's "abon".
 |
| West coast crayfish, coconut, plum, pumpkin seed oil |
Dan's 4th course: Curry dusted kingklip, yellow dahl, mustard leaf, braised spices, confit tomato
Wine pairing: Moreson premium chardonnay 2010
Fish was great and cooked perfectly. However it was a bit on the salty side.
 |
| Curry dusted kingklip, yellow dahl, mustard leaf, braised spices, confit tomato |
In between our 4th and 5th course, the restaurant observed "Earth hour" where the restaurant turned off all the lights in the dining room and brought out extra candles to light the room. Hence, the really dark pictures.
My 5th course: Swartland guineafowl, fennel, porcini, liquorice baobab
 |
| Swartland guineafowl, fennel, porcini, liquorice baobab |
Dan's 5th course: Rabbit ballotine, madagascan pepper, salt baked yellow swedes, fermented garlic nougatine
Wine pairing: La Motte pierneef shiraz viognier 2008
 |
| Rabbit ballotine, madagascan pepper, salt baked yellow swedes, fermented garlic nougatine |
My 6th course: African grains, carrot, amasi, pumpkin seed oil, toasted baobab
This was actually one of my favorite dishes. I loved the grains and they were cooked perfectly, slightly chewy - I could taste the sweetness from the carrot.
 |
| African grains, carrot, amasi, pumpkin seed oil, toasted baobab |
Dan's 6th course: Slow cooked botrivier kid leg, cauliflower, amasi, radish
Wine pairing: Springfontein - terroir selection pinotage 2007
 |
| Slow cooked botrivier kid leg, cauliflower, amasi, radish |
My 7th course: Dalewood lanquedoc, spiced pear, naartjie, fennel
This was actually a sophisticated version of cheese, crackers, and jam. The cheese was a soft mild cheese, reminded me of camembert. The puffy small pillows were hollow crackers. When eaten together with the pear jam it tasted so good.
 |
| Dalewood lanquedoc, spiced pear, naartjie, fennel |
Dan's 7th course: Swissland drakensberg, pressed rusk, mebos custard, currants, pickled onion
Wine pairing: Allesverloren fine old vintage port 2008
I didn't try this dish since it contained goat cheese. Dan liked this dish though.
 |
| Swissland drakensberg, pressed rusk, mebos custard, currants, pickled onion |
My 8th course: Chocolate, pineapple, lemon olive oil, butterscotch
The chocolate cylinder had pineapple juice inside which was fun to eat. Not sure if I was a fan of the olive oil though.
 |
| Chocolate, pinapple, lemon olive oil, butterscotch |
Dan's 8th course: Milk cookie, avocado, verjuice granita, black sesame brittle, apple, malt ice cream
Wine pairing: Pierre Jourdan brut
Love love the milk cookie, very light, crunchy, airy, and had the perfect sweetness. All the small elements worked together nicely.
 |
| Milk cookie, avocado, verjuice granita, black sesame brittle, apple, malt ice cream |
Cake and Cones
As a last course, the chef sent 2 slices of chocolate/vanilla pound cake, and 2 mini sherbet in ice cream cones. They were the perfect ending to a wonderful dinner.
Thoughts:
- Service was really good and attentive. It was interesting that they had 2 waitresses for our table, rotating in explaining each dish.
- Food was very innovative and cutting edge, maybe a little too much so for our taste. Some dishes we had never seen anything like before, and some we liked while others not so much :p
- Pricewise, it was our most expensive meal in South Africa, but compared to most fine dining restaurants in the US, this was a pretty good deal, especially considering it's ranked higher than French Laundry on the Top 50 list.
- This was actually our first ever meal where we got the wine pairing (well, only for Dan - I'm not much of a wine drinker). We usually only get one or maybe two glasses to share for the whole meal. Maybe we're not big wine connoisseurs, but we didn't feel that having different wine for each dish really enhanced the experience that much. We'll probably go back to just ordering 1-2 glasses to share if we do visit another restaurant like this in the future.
- We both preferred the Test Kitchen in Cape Town over The Tasting Room. However, if you want to do both, I would still recommend doing so. :)
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