While some restaurants have closed down or remain closed until October, there are exciting plans for new restaurant openings and take-overs I learnt in Franschhoek yesterday. While the La Colombe Group has a strong presence in the village with three restaurants, it is about to be overtaken by Chef Darren Badenhorst, who will own four restaurants by the end of this year, and will be running two further ones too! Continue reading →
The Tuk Tuk Microbrewery, the newest member of the Leeu Collection, opens on the main road of Franschhoek today, between Leeu House and Le Quartier Français. Continue reading →
I received a personal invitation from Chef Bertus Basson to join him for lunch at his new Bertus Basson at Spice Route restaurant, which opened on the Paarl wine farm 6 weeks ago. He and his charming wife Mareli managed to re-invent the restaurant within five days from taking over the space, modernising it to reflect their promise of ‘A Modern South African Restaurant’, both in terms of its decor and its food offering
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A lot has changed at Spice Route, my last visit having been when Charles Back had taken over the wine estate, previously called Seidelberg, next door to his Fairview. I didn’t have time to see all the artisan businesses which have opened at Spice Route since Back took over, but they include a Richard Bosman charcuterie outlet, with tastings at R30 (a bit cheeky I thought), a wine tasting centre, and Cape Brewing Co, about which I Continue reading →