Category Archives: Franschhoek

New Restaurants open in Cape Town and the Winelands: January 2023 update!

 

The Cape Town and the Winelands restaurant opening boom continues, with new openings late last year and new restaurants announced for 2023.

The biggest restaurant opening extravaganza is that of JAN Franschhoek, the third restaurant in the JAN Restaurant Collection, which opened n December at La Motte in Franschhoek. La Motte is undergoing a major renovation and changes at its wine estate, with a Bread-related Café & Deli opening  in the La Motte Manor House in February 2023. Chef Chris Erasmus is working with La Continue reading →

Cape Town and Winelands see host of new restaurant openings: December 2020 update!

 

Cape Town and the Winelands is experiencing a restaurant boom, with new openings currently as well as openings announced for 2023.

The biggest restaurant opening extravaganza is that of JAN Franschhoek, the third restaurant in the JAN Restaurant Collection, opening at La Motte in Franschhoek. La Motte is undergoing a major renovation and changes at its wine estate, with a Bread-related Café & Deli opening  in the La Motte Manor House in February 2023. Chef Chris Erasmus is working with La Motte as a consultant, until February. He is going overseas thereafter. Chef Peter Tempelhoff opens his third restaurant next week, a Japanese Street Food restaurant Ramenhead. Chef David Higgs has announced opening Continue reading →

Platter’s by Diners Club Wine Guide 2023 Awards 5 stars to 196 wines!

 

The 43rd edition of Platter’s by Diners Club Wine Guide has announced its 2023 list of 196 wines in 28 categories that were awarded 5 stars this year. A total of 8000 wines by 900 producers was evaluated this year.

Red and White Blends as well as Chenin Blanc are the biggest 5 star classes, with 28, 27 and 28 individual labels, respectively. The Chardonnay, Shiraz/Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon wine categories also performed well, with 22, 16, and 12 brands, respectively.

The Top Performing Winery of the Year goes to the winery that achieves the most five-star ratings after the annual final tasting round, it being Mullineux this year, with 8 five-star wines. It is the Swartland- Continue reading →

JAN opens long-awaited restaurant in the Cape, 8 years after opening in Nice!

 

About six years ago, when Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen launched his JAN series on Showmax, I asked him when he would open a branch of JAN Restaurant in Cape Town or in the Cape. He was evasive in answering at the time.

After opening KLEINJAN Restaurant at Tswalu Game Reserve a year ago, and his JAN Innovation Studio in Cape Town, Chef Jan-Hendrik has finally Continue reading →

SA restaurants awarded with stars for the first time in 2022 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards!

 

The Eat Out Restaurant Awards were held for the first time in three years today, an eagerly awaited event, given the impact of the Lockdown on the restaurant industry, and the change in the restaurant awards system, restaurants no longer ranked, but rated with 1, 2 or 3 stars.

It was a surprise to read a year ago that Eat Out would reintroduce its Awards this year, and that Abigail Donnelly was heading up the judging for the awards again, after an absence of a number of years. Continue reading →

September Restaurant Opening and Closing Update: Cape Town and Winelands

 

 

Despite it being Spring, few new restaurants are known to be opening, or planning to open, in Cape Town and the Winelands.

The biggest recent restaurant openings are Dusk in Stellenbosch, a joint venture by Chefs Darren Badenhorst and Callan Austen. Chef Peter Tempelhoff is to open a Japanese Street Food restaurant on the ground floor of Speakers Corner, the building in which FYN operates. TANG will create a big stir when it opens in the Waterfront, already being a socialite’s haven in Sandton. Paul’s Bakery and Tiger’s Milk are said to be Continue reading →

Franschhoek relaunches Cap Classique Route, celebrates with Festival 1 – 4 September!

 

Franschhoek launched a Cap Classique Route a number of years ago.  On Thursday this week the Route will be relaunched, coinciding with Cap Classique Day on 1 September.

The relaunched Cap Classique Route will be celebrated with a four day festival, from 1 – 4 September. Each of 19 Cap Classique producing wine estates are inviting bubbly lovers to their cellars, to taste their excellent bubblies and to experience special events.  Continue reading →

Introducing 2022 Top 10 Woman Chef Nicolene Barrow of Orangerie Restaurant

 

On Saturday my friend Gary Peterson and I did a road trip to the Winelands, delivering the prize of a 1 litre tube of Rio Largo Extra Virgin Olive Oil to each of the five chefs who made the 2022 Top 10 Women Chefs.

Our first stop was at Le Lude in Franschhoek, and we were lucky that Chef and owner Nicolene Barrow was in her Orangerie restaurant, as she almost always is. Continue reading →

Kfm announces its 2022 Best of the Cape Awards winners!

 

On Friday radio station Kfm announced the winners in each of the 30 categories in its 2022 Best of the Cape Awards.

The winners are from Cape Town as well as from other areas in the province. Kfm introduced the competition in 2021 for the first time. Continue reading →

Top 10 Women Chefs in Cape Town and the Winelands: 2022

 

For the third year running we are acknowledging female chefs heading up restaurant kitchens in Cape Town and the Winelands.

Started during Lockdown in 2020, as a celebration of Women’s Day, the Top 10 Women Chefs List highlights how few top restaurants have female chefs in their kitchens in general, and even fewer have women chefs heading up the restaurant kitchens.

We are grateful to Brenda Wilkinson of RIO LARGO Olive Estate for sponsoring a gift of its beautiful colourful Extra Virgin Olive Oil packs to our Top 10 Women Chefs. Continue reading →