Well arrived in Cape Town overnight from Heathrow, the flight was good, but only after a slight problem with the booking. I was told that I would be travelling in Club Class, got to the airport to find it was World Traveller Plus whatever that is. The young lady who checked me in told me that there was a note to say that there could be a possible upgrade, but she could not confirm this. Not a problem I thought, this is not a jolly, its work, so proceeded to go through all the checks, passport control, shoe control, liquid control, laptop out of the bag control, belt control, too many people at the X-ray machine control blah blah. I know all these controls are in place for our safety, but having travelled quite a bit recently, it does become a little tedious, especially when the security staff are short and sharp with everyone.

It was at this point I started to think what John my agent had told me re the whole trip to start with. He definitely told me that I was to travel Club class, so I telephoned him. He did indeed tell me that it was Club class, so I proceeded to the BA customer service counter. I explained the problem to them, and a very nice gentleman called Adrian called the company who organised the trip to check the details. The problem being that it was now 5.50pm, so the office was about to close, they said they would sort it out and get back to him, they didn't return his call!! We left it that if it could not be sorted out, I would pay the upgrade price and reclaim when I returned to the UK. So off I went to get a cappuccino, dreaming of business class, bed, food, wine, earplugs...

A few minutes later, Adrian appeared (how he found me in Terminal 5, I will never know) and gave me a card to say that I could use the BA lounge, I asked him if he was sure, he said that he had let the staff know, so off I went, for a further Cappuccino. After wrestling with my laptop trying to find a wireless connection for 15 minutes (where's your 15 year old son when you need him) I had a call from Adrian to let me know that he had a new boarding pass for me, upgraded to Business Class. Hurrah I thought, the company must have got back to him, alas no, BA had agreed the upgrade internally. That was a very nice gesture on their behalf, they didn't have to do it, I didn't ask, and it was not their problem. It seems to me that people are really quick to jump on the 'bash BA band wagon' but I couldn't fault them today, and I have to say I had the best dish I have ever eaten on a flight. A line caught Welsh Sea bass fillet with roasted new potatoes with minted peas; it was delicious, perfectly cooked and hot. The only criticism I would make was the fact that the new potatoes were roasted, why? They are delicious just simply boiled.

After a couple glasses of wine that was it.


After landing, I proceeded through passport control, to get my bags and was duly asked are you here for business or pleasure. I replied eating and writing, in that order. The lady was lovely, she asked if she could come with me, I said yes no problem, she just laughed and off I went to meet Chris Weir, the owner of the first hotel I was going to stay in, Kensington Place, right beside Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain.

Cape Town airport is not a beautiful place, but its small, clean and efficient. There is a wonderful character in a bowler hat trying to see you a taxi ride to town. I shied away from him as I strained my eyes looking for a sign with my name on it. I couldn't see one, so looked again. By now, the only signs left were for a Mr & Mrs Foley, a French supermarket company and a tour company rep. I hung around for a good 30 minutes as the airport cleared. The bowler hatted man, was now sat down, he didn't seem to get any customers and was looking slightly miserable. I called Kensington Place, to see if Mr Weir was on his way. The receptionist explained that there was no plan for him to pick me up, so the best thing was to get a taxi and to look for a company called Marine Taxi's, that’s who they use.

The only taxi company I could see was Mr Bowler hat, by now arguing with a colleague. I approached and immediately he sprung into life, ignoring the other guy. 'Taxi Sir' he said, 'Yes please, to Kensington Place' He nodded, and duly took my suitcase.

Outside you could see the airport was being expanded for the world cup onslaught, builders everywhere, scaffolding, trucks, and the lot. It’s going to look impressive when it’s all sorted.

We swung onto the motorway, the sun was shining, and it was cool, but very pleasant, a sort of early summer’s day in the UK.

Ahead I could see in the mist a huge mountain range. It looked quite eerie. Like any major city in the world, the morning rush hour was in full swing. After a few minutes the road widened and behind high fences I could see the infamous squatter camps. Miles and miles of tins shacks, covered in tarpaulins and scrap wood. Some not even shacks, just a few pieces of twisted metal held together with wire or string. Both sides of the road, crammed together. It was quite shocking, and something I had not prepared for, or knew anything about.

Further down the road, the tin shacks with blue tarpaulin roves and twisted metal, gave way to small brick huts, all the same colour and size, a lot still under construction. My driver told me that these huts had electricity and were what the Mandela government had promised all the refugees from Zimbabwe. Sadly not built quick enough for his liking, but at least change was on the way, finally...

As we drove passed what seemed endless poverty, I started to think about my own situation at home, and how really lucky and wasteful we all are.

After a 20 minute drive, a little 'round the houses' we arrive at Kensington Place Hotel. A small but beautifully renovated town house.

The hotel is immaculate, the staff charming and spotlessly clean. All the reception rooms are wonderfully decorated and have a lovely warm feeling to them. Both rooms open to the small garden, with small plunge pool and comfortable seating areas. My room is spacious, with a modern, minimalist feel, but have a warm cosy feel to them. The bathroom, again spotlessly clean with lovely bathrobes and towels. My bed is very comfortable, with fine linen and nice pillows, a problem sadly common in most hotels. Another plus was the fact that my Internet connection started first time, hurrah!!! This is a fine hotel, run professionally, whilst being discreet. A beautiful lady called Blessings served me breakfast, simple and straight to the point, all served with care and attention. Be aware that dinner is not served in the hotel, only if the whole hotel is one party.

There had been a small change to my itinerary, so this was hastily retyped and the appropriate phone calls made. In the meantime I had one of the best Cappuccino's I have ever had, the froth was superb!!!!! Chris Weir, the owner of KP was going to meet me for my first lunch. I had a couple of hours to finish my coffee, shower after a long flight and unpack my bag. Whilst doing this, I realised the hotel is situated right at the bottom of Cape Town's most famous landmark, Table mountain. After the showering and unpacking I took a taxi to the cable car station for Table Mountain, and queued up.

It was beautiful day, sun was out and as we proceeded up the mountain, the wind started to blow the car about a bit, much to the dismay of a large party of Japanese tourists.

At the top, the views were stunning, but windy and cold. The mist swirled around the mountain and semi covered Cape Town and the waterfront. The town stretches for miles, and then in the distance, far out in the sea, I could see Robben Island, Nelson Mandela’s home for 27 years. I paused for a couple of minutes, staring at the mist-covered island. I quickly took a few pics, then back down the mountain to meet Chris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First lunch was at Overture, a restaurant at the Hidden Valley winery, Chris explained that it was a short drive to Stellenbosch? A young chef  who had travelled the world and was trying something new here. He had worked at Chez Bruce in London, so he obviously had some good experience.

The drive to the restaurant from the main drag, takes right past Ernie Ells, the golfer’s farm and cellar house, heading to a beautiful range of mountains, all bathed in soft sunshine. The restaurant is attached to a winery and tasting room, very clean and smart. All the windows and doors were open, and the room had a lovely, modern feel about it. There were a few tables taken. The back the kitchen was open plan, with 6 or 7 chefs beavering away. I explained to Chris that it was nice to be here on such a lovely day. He responded by saying 'Yes, its not too bad for the end of winter' winter, it was like a normal late summers day in the UK for me.


The menu is fairly long, but written every day, with brief descriptions and a wine suggestion with each course. You can choose from three, four or five courses, with an 8 course tasting menu with wine. Price wise, I was still trying to calculate Rand to Pound conversion, having not slept too well on the overnight flight. But once my brain had kicked in the 750R menu with wine worked out at about £55, which I thought was pretty good value. But, even better was the 3 courses with wine for only 290R or £20.

The chef Bertus Bosson came to see us, and we shook hands. He was slim build, with a Mohican, and with all the normal chef nervous energy. He explained then menu and then we chatted about his thoughts on food. He was very keen to use local ingredients, carefully and thoughtfully, music to my ears. He told me about Chez Bruce and was obviously very passionate.

We kicked off with Chilled Crayfish Bisque, Crayfish & Sweetcorn. Slight caramel flavour. The crayfish (or lobster we would call it) had arrived that day had been poached and cooled. The tail was sat on a very nice well flavoured bisque, with a small mousse of very intense flavoured sweet corn, with a caramel flavour, all worked very well, washed down with a 2008 Lands Hill Rose, all very well balanced. My only slight criticism was the crayfish tasted slightly bland. I was expecting a real deep flavour.

Quickly followed by Basil Risotto Fried Mozzarella Tomato Butter, this was a very bassily, soft mixture, with a good balance of texture and colour, topped with small pieces of deep fried Mozzarella and surrounded by tomato butter.

We drank a 2008 Hidden Valley Sauvignon Blanc, light and fresh.

Next we had Sweetbreads, Bacon, Cauliflower Mousse, and Fritter & Raisin Jus. Rolled sweetbread poached then pan fried (very French) with again, a very intense, beautifully smooth, cauliflower puree, fritter and crisp sliver or bacon with a few raisins in a sauce. This was served with a 2006 Dalla Cia Cabernet Sauvignon, perfect match. The dish was very good, well thought out, cooked and served perfectly.  Chris was not too keen on the sweetbread, but that was a personal thing, he hastened to add.

We moved onto Trout With Waterblommetjie, Brussels Sprouts & Fresh Turmeric? The trout was local as was the Waterblommetjie, a flower that is poached and stewed especially in the winter months, very traditional here, just what I was looking for. It tasted like a cross between asparagus and artichoke, rather nice. The trout slightly overcooked, skin removed, sat with a very undercooked Brussel Sprout (yuk) with a single new potato. The local spud was superbly fresh and had an almost earthy, Cornish flavour to it, very nice. It all came with a 'Fresh' turmeric flavoured sauce. This was too strong for me, a little bitter not sure about fresh turmeric either...

The wine here was a 2008 Lands End Sauvignon Blanc, crisp, light and well flavoured.

Gnocchi, Peas, Pancetta & Pecorino was the next offering. The dish looked very nice, topped with s few shoots of some description. I looked for the Pecorino; it was in a foam... almost straight away I wanted to hate this dish (will come back to that in a mo) The Gnocchi were okay, slightly heavy, peas nicely flavoured, with a cross between a mousse and a foam of something, the waiter explained to me, then topped with a Pecorino foam, why? Have never really got foams, spumes or bubbles, they should be banned, forever, they serve no purpose whatsoever.

The wine a 2007 Waterkloof Peacock Ridge Chardonnay, was not too rich, and worked really well together.

Our final savoury dish was a Confit Of Shoulder Of Lamb With Roots Pickled Red Cabbage, Pommel Puree & Gremolata. The waiter explained that the lamb had been cooked all night, very slowly, so it will very tender.

The dish looked good, the vegetables all worked well. The pomme puree was, as all the other purées have been, excellent. The lamb however, was slightly dry and fibrous. Perhaps it had been cooked too long; nevertheless it did have a good flavour. The very lightly pickled cabbage was a good idea to cut the greasiness of the shoulder of lamb. The gremolata I think was a step too far, love it as I do, it was not needed here. The sauce was sticky and not light, again it may have come from the too cooked lamb. The wine was something I have not seen before a 2006 L'avenir Cabernet Franc, deep colour and flavour, with a smoky edge to it. Perfect for the long slow lamb dish. I think this was the only dish to be a let down from all the savoury courses.

At this point we had to say enough was enough and took a slight break whilst we contemplated dessert. I'd only been in South Africa 5 hours, and that included a trip up Table Mountain!!!!!

We only really had space for 3 puds between us, so went for the Orange & Cointreau With Caramelized Orange Ice Cream, served with a 2009 Bon Courage White Musadel. Peppered Witzeneberger (cheese) Pain Perdue Apple Sorbet, served with 2006 Bo Plas Port and finally, yes finally a Chocolate Royaltine Strawberry & Strawberry Sorbet and the final wine a Chilled 2006 Hidden Valley Pinotage, quite unusual.

Soufflé, right, slightly over whipped egg white, too eggy and lacked real orange flavour. The chef, came to the table and spooned the ice cream, all very nice idea, but completely ruined the soufflé sadly. The Musadel was very thick and unctuous, perfect. Peppered cheese was quite a nice combination; a very clever balance of textures and flavour, apple sorbet was exceptional. The port, thick and gooey was very good and perfect foil to the cheese, not too sure about the apple though. Last of all the Chocolate Royalitine, a nice mixture of fruit, chocolate spread and sorbet, working very well with the Pinotage and something that I have never tried before.

Overall, the restaurant is a stunning place to visit, wonderfully clean and modern. The drive and views are breathtaking, the chef and staff work exceptionally hard to produce very clever, intelligent, tasty food. The skill in the kitchen clearly comes from the top; Bertus is a gifted cook and at the tender age of just 30 shows immense talent. I feel slightly bad at having pass criticism, but I feel that he is trying too hard and relies too much on his imagination and show, rather than solid cooking. There is no doubt that if he can restrain himself, slightly and not burn himself out he will go far. I would recommend a trip here just for the views itself.

We arrive back at KP after a long lunch and drive; I'm starting to feel it now, so retire to my room for nap. Chris said he would pick me up at 7.30.

By now the hotel lobby was beautifully lit, and Michael, a lovely gentleman who offered me a drink and canapés, greeted me. Bang on the button, Chris appeared and off we went again.

Chris changed the itinerary and he took me to a down town restaurant run by a South African lady and her French husband, Cyrillia & Laurent. I think after our chat on the way back about Bertus, he changed his mind about where to take me. The restaurant was called Bizerca and is situated on the ground floor of a residential block slap bang in the centre of Cape Town. The restaurant reminds me of a car show room, very simple with plastic tables, already I was liking it. we were welcomed by Cyrillia and shown to our table. The staff brought bread and a Kir, all very relaxed.

The menu specials arrived chalked on a blackboard, I was liking this even more, and the Bizerca bistro classics came in a separate menu. The blackboard read well and several dishes caught my eye. Fresh oysters with gooseberries, Beef Tartare, Poached veal tongue and Kudu Carpaccio, along with the bistro classics you would get in France or even London such as Daube de Boeuf, braised pig’s trotter.

I went for the oysters, kudu and veal tongue. Chris went for beef tartare & salmon salad with creamy goat’s cheese, soy and echalote dressing.
The oysters came raw topped with a dressing of gooseberries. I was expecting the British green sour variety, silly me, thinking what a good idea. In fact it was a dressing made from Cape gooseberries (of course) soy, ginger, rice vinegar and a little sugar, the dish was a perfect balance and very simple, delicious.

The kudu again was very simple, it came wafer thin, sprinkled with grated Pecorino cheese, thank god no spume here, a little oil, pepper and a very 'earthy' tasting beetroot dressing. The richness of the beetroot, and the deep flavour of the meat cut really well with the dressing, again it worked really well.

Chris's tartare looked good, it came with gaufrette potatoes. These are wafer thin potatoes; cut criss cross on a mandolin, and deep-fried to give you a latticework crisp basically. We used to call mandolins, finger shredders, because being so sharp; they would literally take the ends of fingers and nails off in a flash!!!!! If you did not respect them.

When it comes to tartare, the best ones I have eaten are in Club 55 in St Tropez, The Ivy & Caprice in London. This was as good both, carefully hand chopped and mixed with spice, salt, onions.

Back to my poached veal tongue, simply poached (I think he meant simmered) with a few vegetables and new potatoes, the sauce being the cooking stock. This dish was a triumph of simple, sound, accurate cooking, packed with flavour.

All this was washed down with a bottle of 2008 Spring Fontein unfiltered Chenin Blanc, perfect for all the dishes.

Puddings again were a simple offering; we ate Apple sorbet with sugared dried slices, Raspberry sorbet with chocolate fondant and very thin sugared crème brulee. All very good, but I expected more here having tasted the starters and main courses It looks like I was starting to find what I had come here for, chefs who had travelled, returned and using their experience to embrace local products and ideas.

 



The next day a beautiful lady called Blessings, served me breakfast, simple and straight to the point.

Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, all served with care and attention. We went to the Saturday market in Cape Town called the biscuit mill, close to the centre of town. An area that had been redeveloped.

And was bustling part open part covered market. I thought it would be good fun to have a good look around to try and find some real South African foods or ingredients.

We walked past Hungarian Goulash, Japanese Sushi, Italian breads, Greek olives, Spanish products, Belgium waffles but I could not see anything vaguely South African. Then finally, I stumbled upon 2 Afrikaans guys selling Biltong, an air dried piece of meat, salted and spiced for up to 6 days. I tried Kudu, Ostrich, Impala, Beef, warthog and Springbok hurrah I thought finally we were getting somewhere. We then tried a very nice dry Cider made in Somerset. Yes, there is a Somerset here, and they produce good cider, how weird having spent 9 years in Somerset England. Sadly, that was all I could find apart from a vegetable store on the way out. Here I scanned the produce for anything out of the ordinary the right in front of me the Waterblommetjie, the flowering lily flower I had eaten at Overture. So I bought them and took a quick picture.

After a couple of pics for Araminta, my official photographer, we headed off with Nick one of Chris's staff and a lovely bubbly girl called Scarlet to lunch in a small town the other side of Table Mountain at the Food Barn.

This restaurant had come highly recommended to me, and the chef Frank, had at one time been voted one of the best chefs in South Africa.
The drive was lovely over the mountain and dropping into a small village of Noordhoek not far from a beautiful, quiet beach. The food barn was a small collection of shops, mainly for tourists, a deli/cafe with cakes, pastries, coffee drinks etc with an art studio attached. In the centre was The Food Barn Restaurant. The restaurant was very simple, lovely decor, light and airy, very shaker style. On the walls were signed letters from a lot of people I have never heard of, thanking Frank (the chef) for lovely food. I did recognise one, the one and only Leonardo Di Caprio, so it must be good I thought... The menu reads like a bible, lots of food and blurb, I plumped for the Bistro menu, as the waitress said they were slightly smaller portions, especially after yesterday. Nick went for the A La Carte option.

I chose; wait for it, the Fresh Yellowfin Tuna Tartare On Avo Pulp, Served With Pan Fried Prawns On Cuminaise (?) Finished Swirls Of Olive Oil And Soy Sauce. The dish arrived absolutely full of colours, flavours and food. There was way too much going on. Every flavour just mixed together, just completely over the top. In fairness, the tuna was very fresh, the avo pulp, nice and creamy, but the rest was just lost. Also, a huge amount to eat for a starter.

My main course was A Grilled Line Fish Served On A Croute With Braised Fennel Finished With Pernod Butter And A Cherry Tomato & Parsley 'Petite Salad' In A Saffron Vinaigrette R5 Supplement.

The dish came in exactly the same format as my starter; food piled up in the centre, far too much sauce around, heavy reduced cream sauce with oil, the same overworked style. I looked at Nick's dish he had the Line fish but curried this time you can guess the rest.

The wine was very nice, this seems to be a theme, a light fresh Blue Cove Chenin Blanc, can't remember the year, and think it was 2008.

I left most of my main course, looking forward to pudding. The menu read quite well, they seem to like crepes in South Africa, along with strawberries, and sorbets. The cheese selection sounded interesting.

I chose the Sliced Chocolate Roulade With Almond Biscuit 'Roulade' Served With Toffee & Vanilla Sauces Finished With Homemade Ice Cream. Same central presentation, heavy chocolate roulade topped with sesame ice cream, and a spider’s web of oversweet sauces, oh dear.

Overall, again I'm disappointed; the food had a very early 80's feel to it. The chef has a very big following here and is well thought of, but he was not here. I don't think in this case that would have made any difference at all. One guest who I had dinner with later that day commented after I had told her the story, that 'He had not moved on from' I think he may have rested a little too much on his laurels.

Too much, not thought out and very heavy handed. Perhaps I'm missing something here? Perhaps its what South African's like to eat, perhaps I'm out of touch I'm not sure, let’s see if things change when I go to Franschhoek tomorrow.

In the meantime I was off to meet and have dinner with a lady called Marlene with Chris and some chefs, friends and fellow chefs and writers 'a new experience' as he described to me.

Marlene van der Westhuizen was more what you’d call the life and soul. The effervescent wife of a prominent plastic surgeon welcomed Chris and me through the garage-sized front door of her Green Point mansion, which doubles as her cookery school.

Trained at Michelin-starred restaurants in France, her laid back style nevertheless remains that of the enthusiastic amateur, though her books are locally well received.

In her massive kitchen, with special prep areas and ambient chilled store, she had me helping out with her chevre tarts with toasted hazelnuts and the lamb with truffle risotto; she served to around 20 guests at her long dinner table. None of the other guests did much as I commis-cheffed for the energetic Marlene, but visitors to Cape Town can take a one-day course with her - eating the results, teamed with a local winemaker, for just R400 - four day courses cost R6,000. She also takes guests to her French home, to hone your cooking skills further. I have to say the whole experience is a very pleasant way to spend a Saturday evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 



My driver picked me up at 10.45 and off we set to Franschhoek to stay at the La Residence hotel. He didn’t say that much, and seemed rather grumpy. We didn’t converse much for a good 30 minutes or so. It was at that point that he revealed to me why he was disappointed. Disappointed? Not sure what he meant, but being a lifelong rugby fanatic (silly me I’m in South Africa, err hello) he thought he was picking up the England rugby captain. Oh well, he did warm up and in the end we spent the rest of the journey gently teasing each other about rugby related stories.

The drive was pleasant through the suburbs of Cape Town. My driver pointed out points of interest on the way. We passed the biggest shopping Mall in Africa, passed government housing, Ostrich farms and field and fields of trees just starting to blossom and into the wine growing area of the Cape. The scenery gets more and more breathtaking as you get closer to the mountains, but they never seem to get closer. I sort of know how Steve McQueen felt now when he was trying to get closer to the Alps on that motorcycle in The Great Escape. In the end we arrived in Franschhoek, a pretty, small town. My driver said he would show me the town quickly so I knew where to go later.

Basically, Franschhoek is a road with boutique shops, baby shopping malls & restaurants. More about the town later. My driver then took me to the hotel.

The owners of La Residence have three properties and beach house, 6,000 acre safari park and La Residence all are available for hire. No non-residents are allowed in the hotel for meals. The 11 rooms are beautifully maintained with vines planted in the gardens.
Breakfast is a joy here, juices, coffee, cold meats, salamis, smoked salmon good croissants and fresh fruit.
The staff are impeccably trained, well presented and charming. There is a real sense of a home here, Edward Morton, the general manager and Stuart McFarlane, his deputy are, by their own admission 'anal' about everything in the hotel. I would call it a healthy attention to detail. This is a very new venture; the grounds will mature in time. The rooms, and especially the bathrooms are stunning, no doubt about it, the public areas are beautiful filled with paintings, and wonderful furniture.  As lovely as everything is I feel the hotel is still settling down and needs to soften and relax slightly. It almost needs to be comfortable with its self, then; I think you will never want to leave I sat down with Sue-Anne for lunch. We ate in a large elongated lobby, lobby opposite a small log fire. The menu was a breath of fresh air. 1 sheet of A4 with 2 starters, 2 mains and dessert or fruit platter.

I had, West Coast Mussels Poached In Our Homemade Tomato Sauce followed by Lightly Smoked Franschhoek Trout With Baby Potatoes Grilled Asparagus & Herb Dressing.

The large, soft mussels were a real treat, beautifully poached in a well flavoured sauce, perfect, no fuss just spot on.
My main course again was very good, fried salmon, griddled well trimmed, perfectly cooked asparagus, lovely flavoured potatoes and a very fragrant herb dressing. The whole dish had a lovely aroma as it was placed in front of me. The only comment I would make is my salmon was slightly overcooked.


We drank a delicious 2008 Porcupine Ridge Sauvignon Blanc and an equally good 2006 Haute Cabriere Pinot Noir, this was light red, not a Rose, but in between, very nice and fun to drink. It went very well with the salmon, but I am being very picky!!

I finished with Caramelized Banana Pancakes & Vanilla Ice Cream, simple tasty, straight to the point. It lacked the finesse of the other 2 courses, but tasted good. It reminded me of the sort of pudding you got at Morelli's coffee shop when I was a kid in Folkestone. Sue could not tell me if the ice cream was made in house or not.

Well, after that I went into the town to see where I was going to eat tomorrow and a welcome walk.

We met for dinner at 7; Phil & Liz (the owners) were already in front of the fire, along with Edward the manager and two regular guests from Cape Town. Also joining us was a dentist and his wife from Australia, he was a keynote speaker at a conference in Cape Town. Phil is a charming, late middle aged man with a sharp sense of humour, he reminded me of a youngish jimmy Carter the peanut farmer president of America. He was very laid back. His background is finance. Liz is a very well respected interior designer, again with a good sense of humour.

We were all to eat at the chefs table, which meant the chef Charles demonstrated the dishes we were going to eat and Whilly the sommelier, gave us overview of the local wines. This was a nice touch, not laboured, quick and straight to the point.

The menu again simply described and sounded good, but this time was 4 courses.

We could choose from, Chevin Pannacotta With Beetroot Ginger & Baby Cos Lettuce or Trio Of Peas Fennel Bulb and Franschhoek Smoked Bacon
Next, Roast Butternut Squash Soup With Celery Tops followed by Franschhoek Salmon Trout Cauliflower Curly Mustard Leaves Potatoes & Butter Sauce or Rack of Karoo Lamb With Braised Wheat, Courgettes Turnips & Jus.

The Pannacotta and the lamb were the dishes Charles had demoed, so I chose them, plus I had had fish for lunch.

Breads offered were the same as lunch, a delicious fruity loaf and plain bread, both had a nice texture and were made in house.

The pannacotta arrived, looked good, simple restrained presentation. The texture was nice, but slightly overcooked. The candied ginger for me, its quite a brave move, for me it was a step too far for the mild tasting mousse. Also, my beetroot were raw slices, perhaps very fine strips may have been easier to eat, nevertheless I enjoyed it.

The soup had a good flavour and colour, sprinkled with green celery tops, but not like we get in the UK, more of a cress looking plant, but full of flavour. Could have done with a touch more body for me.

Charles and Phil had explained about the Karoo lamb. Its reared in an area about 120km from Franschhoek, that extends a further 1000km beyond that. It’s reared on wild shrubs not grass, so it’s rather less fatty and has a wonderful flavour. I have to say I have never eaten it before, but all the menus and the Biltong man at Biscuit Mill Market, were selling this lamb, so I had to try. Mine was cooked exactly as I asked medium rare. The flavour is very distinctive, nothing like I have eaten before, very tender, with an almost herby flavour. The fat was good to the small amount I tasted.

The braised wheat was like our barley risotto, nutty and with good flavour, the veg were okay also.

There was one pud on offer a Warm Plum Cake With Granadilla Ice Cream & Crème Anglaise or Cheeses.

I opted for the plum cake, this had a nice deep texture similar to an upside down cake, the bottom, or the top, as it would have been was burnt. The ice cream was slightly grainy also.
        
All in all the dinner was refreshing change and approach from what I had been eating. Edward explained that the chef had just come back from working abroad for a year and had only been back a few weeks, so he was still settling in. The food currently served here is not going to set the cooking world on fire, but it could one day. It’s not going to compete with the Overtures of this world for instance. But there is a sense of restraint and careful thought gone into all the dishes I have tasted. Whether this is down to the chef, or the management of the chef, I'm not sure but its there to see. He is a very safe pair of hands.

I also detected a slight insecurity to the dishes and cooking ability, but once he settles down I'm sure his confidence will grow. He is still young chef learning his craft.

 

The next day it was raining very heavily indeed, I could not really believe it, then realised its winter here!! I had a nice relaxing breakfast, and then Edward pitched up to take me out for my next full day.

We drove into Franschhoek, then slightly out of the town, to an estate called Morison to meet a British chef who is making a bit of a name for himself here.

This is a big estate producing some very good wines indeed, but they also have a small restaurant run by a guy called Neil Jewell. He is a Brit, hailing from Southend-On-Sea, Essex and having worked with the likes of Stephen Bull and the larger than life Richard Corrigan he is settled down here now. What drew me here was his reputation for producing wonderful cured meats, something very close to my heart. I had come across his stall in the Biscuit Mill market on Saturday. Once I had tasted his products, I had asked the two young girls if I could photograph one of his products whilst sat at the long tables opposite their stall. At first, I think they thought I was going to run off with it, but once I had explained to them that I was going to meet the man on Monday, plus they saw Araminta with a big camera, they were fine.

The restaurant is fairly small, with a long counter down one side. In one corner is a dehydrator for probably the most famous food in South Africa Biltong.

Out came Neil, bemoaning the fact that it was Monday, looking slightly hung-over. Ahhh it was like being at a full time chef again. He reminded me of a better looking and thinner, cockney Johnny Vegas. We shook hands and I explained the Biscuit Mill connection, then about my passion for pigs, bacon, sausages, salami and air-dried meats. His eyes lit up, have a look at this then and went to the back of the counter and opened a fridge door. Inside was from top to bottom, cured meat heaven. There was everything you could imagine, from saucicon to chorizo, air-dried ham to salami, and it was incredible. He got a selection for us to taste, they were very good, in fact as good, if not better than I have eaten anywhere in the world. Perfect look, colour, taste, you name it it was spot on.


We tasted Chorizo, truffle salami, Saucicon, peppered salami, air-dried whole leg ham, Karoo lamb, what a start to the day. He was going back to the UK tomorrow for a short visit with his wife, so was I, what time I asked? Same time as me but different airline. So he suggested we meet up for a beer or two at the airport, you can take the boy out of Essex, but you can't take Essex out of the boy.

Sadly, we had to move on as time was short, but I could have spent all day with him, so we said our goodbyes and headed towards probably the most famous wine maker in the area Graham Beck wines.
The estate is very impressive, and has been producing fine wines since 1983, the tasting room is spectacular. We were met by one of the young wine makers called Howard Booysen.

After a brief tour of the wine cellars, we retired to the tasting the rooms. Howard had ready for us 5 wines to taste. We started with a very impressive 2006/7 vintage Chardonnay Pinot Noir Rose sparkling wine. It was a delicious, really light, with a very appley nose and flavour. This was more of a 'blush' rather than a rose, I loved it, and it reminded me of the Camel Valley Rose Champagne, sorry sparkling wine from the Camel estuary in Cornwall.

Next, a 2005 vintage Blanc De Blanc, made with 100% Chardonnay. This had a crisp citrus linger, very light and fresh, would be very good with lobster linguine or bisque. Howard thinks it will need two more years in the bottle.

Quickly followed by a 2008 Gamekeepers Reserve Chenin Blanc. Good depth of flavour, again appley flavour, lightly wooded for 9 months.

The next offering was a shock to me; we tasted a 2008 Pheasants Run Sauvignon Blanc. Now I'm not a real wine buff, but bear with me on my description, but Stuart and Edward agreed with me. The initial nose was of asparagus, yes asparagus. This then turned into a can of newly opened processed peas after a few minute. It was very strange, but nevertheless, it was very nice indeed, in fact it got better as it warmed up slightly.


On to the reds, first 2005 The Joshua, a full red made from 94% Shiraz and 6% Vigonier, coming in at 14.5%. Dusty, deep full-bodied red. Very nice, would be nice drinking with or without food.

Finally a 2005 Old Road Pinotage, very different to any other I have tasted whilst I have been here. Apparently it’s very difficult to make, but it was big, full and quite a drink. It’s a bit too big for me, although I did enjoy tasting it.

This is a very impressive place, some say too commercial and large and has lost its personal touch. But for me the wines are delicious and reasonably priced. I also think its even more impressive that they can produce this quality on such a large scale. I will be searching out the importer when I get back to the UK. We thanked Howard, and left, back in the rain we drove into town to our lunch appointment at La Petite Ferme.

Set slightly out of town, this lovely restaurant has a big local following. The main restaurant sadly burnt down a few years ago, but it’s been rebuilt and still as busy as ever. The owners Mark & Josephine Denby-Young have been here since 1994. The restaurant is huge, set in the centre of the farm. All the grapes grown on the farm are made into wine for the restaurant. Some are sold separately, but the restaurant benefits first. This explains Mark, is essential to the way they produce and age their wines. Wine for food is very different to wine just for drinking, and they have spent many years honing them carefully.

The restaurant is only open for lunch, everyday and can serve up to 300. It has stunning views over the valley, and you can eat outside in the summer. Today its misty and pretty miserable, but I could see how lovely it would be.

The menu does not change that often, and some of the dishes have been on for years, quite right in my eyes.

The food part of the business is overseen by Josephine and the dishes range from good home cooking such as Bobotie, a kind of savoury mince, flavoured sweetened with raisins, topped with scrambled eggs and baked, to more the more fashionable Thai prawn soup and Crème Brulee.

Mark explained the menu and wines to us. He suggested the wines we should try and entertained us with funny stories. One was about the fact that the baboons come down from the mountains when the grapes are ready and gorge themselves on the free food. They are protected by law, so he has to employ a Baboon Monitor to shoo them away. As he says, 'We have to shoo not shoot them' the same applies when they dry grapes for a sweet wine, they have to guard them day and night.

I started with Bobotie, it was served with poppadom and two sambals pineapple & tomato. Very nice, it’s quite difficult getting your head around sweet mince with raisins and scrambled egg, but I enjoyed it very much. With this we drank a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, very good, light and young, very pale in colour. We then tasted Mark's 2008 Viongier, that was very nice, again very young, and clear, but with good flavour.

I then ordered the special a Warthog Bresaola, With Horseradish, Kudu Tartare With Quails Egg & A Roast Loin Of Zebra With Sauce And Roasted Tomatoes. I expected a more rustic presentation, but the trio were cooked very well, looked stunning and were very tasty. The warthog worked well with the horseradish. The Kudu did make a good tartare, not as gamey as I thought it would be. The Zebra was slightly chewier that I had expected for a loin. The colour reminded me of a cross between a roe or Muntjac deer & lamb. Nice flavour, again I thought it would be more gamey.

With this we tasted a Shiraz, can't remember the year, good deep, fresh flavour, went very well with my wild animal lunch.

Puddings were the only let down. Edward's crème brulee, was so overcooked it was like the topping to my Bobotie. Stuart's Tiramisu was very heavy, but not too bad, my Apple Crumble with Apple Clotted cream was very nice. Crumble good and crunchy, nice clotted cream, something I would never have expected to see in here!!  

  Tammy the chef came to see us, lovely local girl who gave up a possible career in medicine to cook. She had worked a short stint with Jamie Oliver & Gennaro Contaldo, Jamie’s mentor at 15 in London, and could see the influences on her menu. She found the clotted cream lady after tasting it in the UK. She is a very good cook, and wants to learn, her talent is obvious to see.



 

 

 

 

We had an enthusiastic tour of the cellar and we tasted all the new wines to be bottled later in the month. We tasted reds to the now very familiar Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. The cellars are small, but very efficient. There is something really exiting about producing good food, but add to that your own very good wine as well and you have something pretty unique. I will be back.

This was my 4th and final day of tasting and drinking and it was starting to take its toll. So I went back to la Residence and tried to carry on with my writing. Next thing I know, I woke up ready to go out for dinner at Rueben’s.

Rueben Riffel is probably the most famous chef  Franschhoek has produced, a very handsome, softly spoken, quite shy local boy who grew up here.

He went off to Cambridge, England of all places to open a restaurant, then the cooking bug struck, the boy got going.

Marc Boekenhoustskloof a vintner contacted Rueben and asked him to come home and open a restaurant after two years cooking in the UK. He did not need asking twice.


His restaurant is cool, with a very modern feel, I loved it.

Edward, Stuart and myself tucked into a fine dinner, I started with a Cured Venison (Kudu) With Wasabi Mustard Jus, Herb Salad & Honey Baked Goats Cheese, very good, slightly over the top, but well flavoured and stunningly presented.

Next up, Pancetta Wrapped Kudu (yes I had to try) with spiced pears and parsnip puree. Well-timed precise cooking, worked really well, only spoilt by a bloody foam!!!!!!! It did say jus, but it was a foam... Puds were good, my peanut butter split was tasty but too sweet.

After dinner Rueben joined us, and we drank a superb big red, that finally finished me off, that was it, no more food or wine.

After a restless night’s sleep, it was time to say goodbye to South Africa, apart from a quick 16 cheese tasting on the way to the airport. It’s been great to be here and experience all that South Africa has to offer. The wines are spectacular, as is the scenery. The hotels I have stayed in are first rate. As for the food though, that needs to find itself. This country has a vast array of wonderful produce, the cooking talent is certainly here, it needs to be brought out of itself and nurtured.  I think that may take some time.

Phil
January 2010