I love when other authors and foodies approach me. After all, food is a very subjective experience and the world of food is big enough that I certainly won’t be able to cover all of it. In this instance, John Bramer came to me with a take on South Africa. As he included one of my favorite restaurants in the world (Test Kitchen), I was happy to publish! Take it away, John… South Africa is a country with so much to offer anyone who loves travel and food. What I most enjoy about South Africa is the diversity found in its cuisine and cultural infusions. This is perhaps the most diverse and culturally explorative nation in Africa, especially when it comes to food. As a big-time foodie, I feel it is important to sample all the things that a nation has to offer. With this in mind, I am going…
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For our second night before joining up with friends to explore other fun destinations in the country, my decision of where to stay in Franschhoek was more or less made for me. With reservations at The Tasting Room (which is located on the property of Le Quartier Francais), after reviewing the room and suite options available, I didn’t bother looking much further. While Franschhoek is literally spoiled for choice when it comes to boutique properties, knowing we were going to have a 3+ hour dinner, I didn’t want to bother with driving or walking home. Turns out I made an excellent decision! Pros Stunning grounds. Although the entrance is a bit strange (guests park cars in the rear of the hotel, off quieter back streets, but can still enter from the main street on foot as well), once inside, there is immaculate planting, allowing for a genuinely intimate experience (the…
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Having friends in the travel business makes planning a holiday quite easy. In the instance of flying to Cape Town to see some friends (and take advantage of a fantastic Qatar Airways deal, never mind the money stolen off the DWB – DOH portion of the flight, more on that later…), I reached out to a friend who is an expert in arranging travel on the African continent (and is South African herself) and asked, “Where would you stay, if you were in Cape Town?” She gave me a list of three properties. After some research, I decided Cape Cadogan was the perfect choice for us. What exactly went into my decision-making process? As tempted as I was by some of the waterfront properties, for our third trip to Cape Town, I wanted somewhere a bit off the beaten path. Kloof Street was the perfect fit for this requirement. I…
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Lucky for me, the Diner’s Discovery list for the Middle East and Africa list was announced just before we were due to depart for South Africa. While there were two restaurants on the list in the country, due to our schedule we were only able to stop at one, and I’m so glad we did. Foliage, a defined ‘terroir-driven modern South African’ dining experience (a nice play on the ‘forest to table’ concept the restaurant is known for), is a smallish low key venue located on the main street in Franschhoek, located next door to an art gallery. Although we didn’t have a reservation, we walked in for a late lunch and were immediately shown to a table (although, for the record, I would judge the restaurant to be about 70% full during our visit, even at the end of the season). Perusing the menu, I was impressed to find a…
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When planning our trip to South Africa, I knew I wanted to sneak away to Franschhoek for at least one night (we’d visited previously for a wedding and fell in love with the town). When I saw that friends had visited The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais in December 2016 (and their collection of stunning food photos), I knew I’d found the right place. With a 3.5-hour tasting menu, I hoped I’d made reservations for the perfect birthday dinner. While I so (so!) much wanted to like this restaurant, perhaps after our incredible meal at The Test Kitchen, overall, I found The Tasting Room disappointing in a number of areas. While I realize Chef Margot Janse is a celebrated and talented culinary professional, I felt the menu was underseasoned, not equipped with enough food to truly be a full degustation (!) and I wasn’t impressed with some of the…
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Imagine the highs and lows of the morning of February 1, 2017. For those who aren’t involved in the high stakes world of world class dining reservations, most venues of this caliber are hotly contested and difficult to get into (even when you make plans and do everything you are supposed to). Thus, at 10:00 AM on the dot, I logged into the website for Test Kitchen. By 10:02 AM all the 2 tops for March 16th were gone (and with a window of only one day, I didn’t have any flexibility in my calendar). Disappointed, I remembered I had requested my hotel (the Cape Cadogan – which I’ll review in a separate post) to make a reservation as well. Holding my breath, I contacted them, and they confirmed they were successful in obtaining the reservation (even if I had to go under the name of someone else)! So, does…
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