handtomouth

It should have been the opposite, with some moderation to precede the Christmas excess, but my week leading up to the day was probably the most calorific of any of the last year. The eating was a happy overlap of two briefs – the restaurant guide and a story I am writing for the April issue of the American Express magazine, Food & Wine. The result was a blitz on the better restaurants of the winelands.

The start was inauspicious, a late breakfast at Fairview’s Goatshed where the home-baked breads are great and the cheeses are even better. Plus they make some of the Cape’s best wines, with the Caldera 2004 one of my personal “best of” picks of 2006. Then an unexpected lunch at De Leuwen Jagt, at Seidelberg estate, which was average – just clean and simple food (a fenugreek veg curry) in plain surroundings (but with a setting that has great views).

Our first round for dinner was at Bouillabaisse in Franschhoek. This small place with its quirky interior specialises in seafood in small portions for mix and match eating. I’ve had a great time here before and had heard only good reports, but this experience was dismal. The service was alarming once past the charming front of house. The signature bouillabaisse had a burnt base. The crab salad was tired and stringy. The spring rolls were greasy and clumsy. The sashimi tuna was good, but then again…

On to Mange Tout, the revamped diner at Mont Rochelle Hotel. Here the new chef has international experience and the ice-cream toned dining room sets a sophisticated tone (for ice cream), even though the pianist needed to tone his plonking down. Better luck here, with an outstanding crustacean “latte”; a wsiwyg ravioli of boudin blanc to start – but some serious mis-steps in the gnocchi and a muddled calves’ liver and smoked pork belly with balsamic lentils, awkward flavours. The roast free-range chicken was also too pallid to suit the pretense of the place. And when the coffee is bad.

Lunch the next day at Terroir was simply a triumph. I have eaten here on numerous occasions and this was definitely the best ever. Flavours of stature and direct consequence, friendly and unpretentious service. Cured tuna with salt cod fritters on avocado. Linefish with roast garlic and white bean sauce. Braised belly of pork with shallot puree. Lamb provencal. Strawberry vacherin. Everything great.

What a day of eating, but not over. The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francais may have started with a wobble (the international intentions and the huge bills did scare the locals) but the global recognition began to flow. I had never been completely convinced until this last visit which was simply incredible. Margot Janse and her team are on an international level with wonderfully creative menus that surge with direct flavour. Every plate is an adventure of absolute pleasure. With the four-course menu the easiest entry, the wine and food tasting menu go up to 12 courses – but I would not encourage the matching menu simply because the Achilles heel of the this place remains its insistence on showcasing the wines of Franschhoek, and these just don’t shape up to the sublime food.