It was in great anticipation that we set off on our weekend of gastronomic adventures in Franschhoek, famed as the culinary capital of this South (with more than one award-winning restaurant, and at least one that ranks in the world’s top 50). We booked ourselves a room at the ever-faithful Protea, which did not disappoint (Protea Hotels do well because they never claim to be more than they are: clean beds, good service and even a decent breakfast, all at a good price).
Alas, the culinary side didn’t fare as well as the hotel. I won’t bother with reviews here, but suffice it to say that the two restaurants we were really looking forward to eating in (having made reservations a week in advance!) just weren’t worth it. One of those unfortunate situations where good-quality, well-prepared food just isn’t matched by service or atmosphere, and therefore fails as an “experience”.
We did have a fantastic lunch at the famed Bread and Wine (thankfully, as expected) – just look at this:
You really can’t go wrong with great charcuterie, good wine, and yumfull bread (not pictured here, but they make bread with a righteous crust, perfect for olive-oil and balsamic dippage).
Other than that, the best times were in the more unexpected places, like a village square full of real people and some non-stellar but very decent food. That’s where we got to do the one thing that we do best, and that should be the only real pursuit in a town called Franschhoek: be French!
One Comment
Its a real pitty about the service. I recently visited Klein Genot though and it was a really good experience. Maybe you should try the restaurant there next time? http://www.kleingenot.com