Tag Archives: Ebony

Sounds of silence at Franschhoek Boutique Hotel, central location, excellent service!

imageSince selling my guest houses I have stayed at a mix of self-catering and guest houses in Franschhoek, and have been very disappointed. Franschhoek Boutique Hotel GM Llewellyn Lambert took pity on my Franschhoek accommodation experiences, as documented in Sour Service Awards on this Blog, and invited me to come and stay at the hotel. He had showed me around just after it was completed a few months ago, but this was my first stay.

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WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 3 August

imageTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*    A diverse number of Capetonians who have influenced the character and culture of Cape Town will be honored by having their names linked to footbridges crossing Nelson Mandela Drive and Rhodes Drive. The City of Cape Town’s Naming Committee list includes poet Ingrid Jonker, Khomani San leader Dawid Kruiper, singer and composer Taliep Petersen, and Father John Oliver.

*.  Ebony gallery is opening an exhibition entitled ‘Modern Masters‘ for First Thursday on 6 August, at 67 Continue reading →

WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 26 January

WhaleTalesTourism, Food, and Wine news headlines

*   Mrs Liz McGrath, owner of The Collection by Liz McGrath, which includes The Cellars-Hohenhort,  The Marine, and The Plettenberg, with The Lord Milner in Matjiesfontein recently taken over by her too, passed away this weekend.

*   James Laube, writing for Wine Spectator, generically describes South African wines as aiming for longevity, of up to 40 years.  Cape Point Vineyards winemaker Duncan Savage told him: ‘South African winemakers say they feel as if they’re in a state of limbo. “It’s as if we’re in the New World of the Old World, or part of the Old World in the New World’.  He expressed his personal dislike of our country’s ‘low pH, high-acidity wines’.

*   Cape Town already has a street named after former President FW de Klerk, in Wesbank it has been discovered, Continue reading →

Ryan’s Kitchen opens spicy small-plate space in Franschhoek! (reposted)

Ryan's Kitchen exterior Whale CottageRyan’s Kitchen has re-opened in Franschhoek, in a space double its former size, in Place Vendôme at the entrance to the village.  The restaurant now focuses on ‘small plates’,  even though ‘small’ is a relative term!  Chef Ryan Smith has simplified his dishes, reducing the number of ingredients, and added more spice to those on his new menu, each dish introducing itself through its fragrance before one tastes it.

For the past four years the restaurant operated from what was the breakfast room of Rusthof Guest House higher up the main road, a tiny space that could serve no more than 30 guests at a stretch, and up to 400 plates in an evening. A major blow to the restaurant in July was the sale of the guest house to Mr Analjit Singh, and Continue reading →