Tag Archives: sparkling wine

Meet Chef Nicolene Barrow of Orangerie at Le Lude: 2021 Top 10 Woman Chef!

Chef Nicolene Barrow is a quiet and unassuming restaurant owner and chef at the family sparkling wine estate Le Lude in Franschhoek. Her French-inspired with a contemporary twist restaurant is the best in the village, in my opinion. She is one of our 2021 Top 10 Women Chefs, and has received her prize of a bottle of Adhara Premium Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Chef Nicolene is the best qualified Chef in our province, having worked at 2 Michelin-star Le Gavroche in London for two years. She opened Orangerie five years ago.

 

 

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Sweet Service Award goes to Le Lude; Sour Service Award goes to Pick n Pay ASAP!

 

The Sweet Service Award goes to Le Lude wine estate in Franschhoek, and its Orangerie Restaurant Executive Chef Nicolene Barrow, for spoiling me with two bottles of Le Lude sparkling wine, my favourite bubbly, when I and a friend had lunch at her restaurant and I handed over a prize of a bottle of Adhara olive oil to her for being included in the 2021 Top 10 Women Chefs List. Continue reading →

Chef Jean Delport becomes second SA Chef to head up a Michelin star restaurant, at Interlude at Leonardslee in the UK!


The most exciting news for the South African restaurant industry is that Interlude, at Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens in the UK, was crowned with a 2020 Michelin star today, the kitchen headed up by South African Chef Jean Delport, formerly of Benguela on Main in Somerset West. It follows in the footsteps of JAN restaurant in Nice, owned by South African Chef Jan-Hendrik van der Westhuizen, which also has one Michelin star. It may be no coincidence that both chefs studied at the very under the radar Zevenwacht Chef School.  Continue reading →

A first introduction to Argentinian wines!

Before arriving in Buenos Aires on this my second visit to the city, I had not prepared for my visit from a wine perspective, my main goal in spending a month in Argentina being to learn to dance the Tango. I have planned to visit Mendoza, renowned for its Malbec, have attended a wine tasting and food pairing evening at COWI in Buenos Aires, drunk three wines at the dinner at Buenos Aires’ Tegui, 86th Best Restaurant in the World, one wine at Don Julio, the 34th Best Restaurant in the World and Best in Argentina, and two wines at dinner at 1884 Restaurant in Mendoza. I have summarised my initial knowledge about the wine industry of Argentina, the fifth largest in the world, to which I have added some research information too. Continue reading →