{"id":19449,"date":"2011-04-18T10:03:27","date_gmt":"2011-04-18T08:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=19449"},"modified":"2011-05-21T18:24:10","modified_gmt":"2011-05-21T16:24:10","slug":"restaurant-review-le-coq-good-value-franschhoek-family-restaurant-dreadful-dali-decor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/franschhoek\/restaurant-review-le-coq-good-value-franschhoek-family-restaurant-dreadful-dali-decor\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: Le Coq good value Franschhoek family restaurant, dreadful ‘Dali’ decor!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I have the highest regard for the entrepreneurial spirit of Robert Maingard, although he is not Franschhoek’s favourite semi-citizen.\u00a0 Mr Maingard has incredible faith in Franschhoek, judging by his investment in this village, including ownership of Dieu Donn\u00e9, Le Franschhoek Hotel, Crepe et Cidre, numerous small shopping centers on the main road (one which includes a Clicks and the village’s second Pick ‘n Pay, which has had the residents up in arms), and now owner of Caf\u00e9 Benedict\u00a0and the newly opened Le Coq restaurant.\u00a0 I visited the restaurant three times over two days, to get a grip on this ‘schizophrenic’ restaurant, which is located in the new (as yet unnamed) centre which was built where the old Huguenot Hotel once stood.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The French rooster is the symbol of all things Gallic, Wikipedia informs, and Mr Maingard’s Mauritian roots show in his choice of name for the restaurant in this French-faux village.\u00a0\u00a0 The rooster that graces the entrance to the restaurant was found under\u00a0a table in Mr Maingard’s home, Llewellyn Lambert told me.\u00a0 The restaurant is huge, with an industrial feel to the space, with visible airconditioning trunking.\u00a0 The restaurant is divided over two levels, each seating about 60 patrons, probably the largest restaurant in Franschhoek.\u00a0 The upstairs level\u00a0has its own Grill menu, and focuses on steak.\u00a0\u00a0Here too\u00a0is\u00a0a coldroom, so that one can see the meat hung for\u00a0use for\u00a0grilling, and from which meat\u00a0can be sold to customers to take home.\u00a0\u00a0 Downstairs, the menu focus is on affordable light meals.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

With its French name,\u00a0its\u00a0interior design is a surprise, it is so bizarre!\u00a0The downstairs section has a fireplace, which will be cosy in the cold Franschhoek winter, and above it hangs a Salvador Dali ‘replica’.\u00a0 Here is where things go dreadfully wrong with the decor, the designer being Carol Cornwall, of Cornwall Interiors in Durban, who has done all Mr Maingard’s Quarters Hotels, Dieu Donn\u00e9 and Crepe et Cidre.\u00a0\u00a0Dali was a Spanish abstract artist, now used in a French style Franschhoek family restaurant.\u00a0 There is another Dali ‘replica’ upstairs, a copy of the\u00a0famous ‘The Persistence of Memory’ above its fireplace, the well-known\u00a0pocketwatch one, hence all the clocks on the walls.\u00a0\u00a0Without the explanation by Lambert, I would not have made the connection.\u00a0 There are more ‘Dali’s’ to come, I was told!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But worse still is the lounge\u00a0sections that have been created in each of the two levels, for those patrons who have to wait for a table (it will take some time to get to this stage, given that Franschhoek is already seeing its first pre-winter casualties, with restaurants and other shops closing down).\u00a0 The furniture for these two sections looks like it comes straight out of Joshua\u00a0Doore –\u00a0 a white ‘plastic’ couch upstairs, and ‘velour’ high back chairs in orange and blue downstairs!\u00a0\u00a0 Going back for the third time, I understood the decor approach, being to pick up the blue and the burnt orange from the ‘Dali’s’ for the chairs, but it is the execution that I cannot understand, in that they make the restaurant feel common and kitsch.\u00a0 The rest of the decor, in terms of the tables and dining chairs (white leather downstairs and beige fabric upstairs) is absolutely fine.\u00a0 Lambert told me that Mr Maingardis an avid antique collector, and\u00a0antique sewing machines have formed the bases for the upstairs granite-top tables.\u00a0\u00a0 One can sit outside on the terrace upstairs, with a lovely view onto the Franschhoek mountains, but also onto the large parking area below. Parking is\u00a0a benefit of the new development, given that Franschhoek lacks parking on its main road.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mr Maingard recently bought the Lecca il Gelato franchise for Franschhoek, and\u00a0will be\u00a0using one of his already vacated shops in the new center in which\u00a0Le Coq is located for the new ice cream shop.\u00a0 It is so big, that he has decided to make\u00a0the shop\u00a0a play and activity centre for children while their parents eat at Le Coq – I could think of nothing better for a kid to play in an ice cream shop!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

I could not help but think that the large industrial-style two-tier restaurant reminded me of my own joke that the two Franschhoek Pick ‘n Pays have two target markets: one\u00a0serves the ‘bodorp’, and the other the ‘onderdorp’, and so too the restaurant’s upstairs grill and downstairs Light Meal section is likely to see a similar divide!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The\u00a0managers are\u00a0a collection of staff from Maingard properties.\u00a0 Lambert came from Quarters in Durban earlier this year, to open Caf\u00e9 Benedict.\u00a0 Manager Nikki Leu comes from Durban too, where she did staff training for Mr Maingard’s businesses.\u00a0 I found it very hard to connect with her.\u00a0 Food & Beverage Manager Alan Smith\u00a0comes from\u00a0the Grill Room<\/span><\/strong>,<\/a>\u00a0opposition to Mr Maingard, previously owned by Matthew Gordon and the late Trevor Kirsten, who was\u00a0also a Franschhoek property mogul, vying for the same high street properties.\u00a0 Chef Albert van der Loo comes from Dieu Donn\u00e9.\u00a0\u00a0 He said that running a kitchen for a 120 seater restaurant is no problem, especially as the orders are staggered over the evening, compared to the 240-seater\u00a0Dieu Donn\u00e9, where all guests wanted to order immediately after the sun has set, creating huge pressure on the kitchen.\u00a0 He has a massive downstairs kitchen for the light meals, and the steaks are prepared upstairs.\u00a0 Chef Albert is excited about the new challenge he has in running his own kitchen, and says he worked hard on creating the right balance of dishes for the Light Meal menu.\u00a0 He is bringing in a sushi chef from Japan, a relative of the sushi chef’s girlfriend from the ‘bodorp’ Pick ‘n Pay.\u00a0His vision at Le Coq is to offer good quality affordable meals for Franschhoekers.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The tables do not have table cloths, but material serviettes and St Tropez cutlery.\u00a0 A very light weight steak knife by Victorinox seemed too light to be effective, but did\u00a0 a good cutting job.\u00a0 There are no condiments.\u00a0 Only a little glass candle holder is on the table.\u00a0 No one offered pepper\u00a0on any of my three visits.\u00a0\u00a0 My first visit was for lunch on Saturday, in the downstairs section, and I had\u00a0a most delicious pea and mint soup from the Cold\u00a0menu selection (good value at R35, but when Etienne Bonthuys charges R30 for the thickest and creamiest Avocado soup with prawn, it is not!).\u00a0 I asked the waitress whether it comes with bread, but she said it did not.\u00a0\"\"<\/a>I returned on Saturday evening, on my way to Stellenbosch, and tried the Tempura prawn from the Hot menu selection.\u00a0 I\u00a0asked specifically if it is de-shelled, and the waitress checked that it would be.\u00a0 The tempura batter is around the prawn tail as well, and I was\u00a0talking so much that I bit into the tail which did have the shell over it, which spoilt the\u00a0dish for me.\u00a0 I had a good Cuturra coffee, with a strong coffee flavour.\u00a0 If one sits downstairs, one may order from the Grill menu, but one may not order from the Light Meal menu if one is sitting upstairs, which seems odd and inflexible.\u00a0\u00a0 Other Cold Meal options (R35 – R75) are smoked salmon salad, roast beef and blue cheese salad, Caprese salad and Bruschetta of Beef Tartare. Oysters cost R90 for six.\u00a0 The Hot Meal menu prices range from a most affordable R60 – R75, and include mussels, fish and chips, oxtail, beef burger, Cape Malay chicken curry and penne pasta carbonara.\u00a0 Gelatos, jellied sparkling wine, chocolate brownies and ‘American Dreams’ cost R30 – R40.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Grill menu has three starters:\u00a0 The Prawn cocktail was wonderful, with six juicy prawns,\u00a0at R65, but I did suggest to Chef Albert that he take off the tails; beef carpaccio (R50), and a Chef’s salad at R55.\u00a0 There are seven grilled meat options, served with chips and onion rings, ranging from R75 for an Algerian spatchcock baby chicken to R105 each for\u00a0a 500 gram T-bone steak, and 250 gram fillet.\u00a0 The weight of meat is not specified on the menu, but the waitress told me the weight when I asked her, unfortunately getting the weight of two items wrong, one of them being for the fillet I ordered.\u00a0\u00a0\"\"<\/a>The fillet was good, served alone on a plate, and the sauce and mash came in two extra dishes.\u00a0 I had ordered the steak Medium Rare, but it tended to Medium, and Chef Albert (who commendably came to check after every course) explained that it has to do with the ageing of the meat, taking away some of the pink colouring of the meat.\u00a0 It was very tender, and Chef Albert told me that they source their meat from Tomi’s near Hermon, where they farm with Angus cows.\u00a0 Le Coq is the first Franschhoek client, and Chef Albert was very impressed with the marbling of their meat. Sauces cost R15, and one can choose Hollandaise, Bourbon mushroom, Classic red wine steakhouse, and green peppercorn sauces.\u00a0 Desserts here are simply one of four Gelato flavours, costing R35.<\/p>\n

The menus and winelist are beautifully presented, and Chef Albert worked with photographer Eddie Wilson\u00a0to create covers for them using beautiful photographs, one taken from the restaurant.\u00a0\u00a0 The winelist covers has a photograph of three Dieu Donn\u00e9 wines, but has a good selection of mainly Franschhoek wines.\u00a0 It has a description of the wine, but no information on regions or vintages is provided.\u00a0The white wines range from R30\/R100 for Overhex Balance<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and R30\/R110 for Flagstone Noon Gun, to R 380 for Graham Beck Pheasant Run Sauvignon Blanc. Other wines by the glass are Dieu Donn\u00e9 Chardonnay (R35\/R110), Protea Chenin Blanc (R30\/R90) and Ashton Kelder Chardonnay (R35\/R115).\u00a0 Red wines start at R 30\/R110 for Ashton Kelder Satynrooi and R30\/R110 for Avondrood Blue Whale, up to R 500 for Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve.\u00a0 I was surprised to see Chocolate Block Shiraz blend charged at\u00a0a pricey R390.\u00a0 Other red wines by the glass are Diemersfontein Pinotage (R50), Perdeberg Shiraz\/Cabernet Sauvignon (R35\/R130), \u00a0and GlenwoodMerlot at R40\/R165.\u00a0 Sparkling wines are not sold by the glass, which is a shame, and include Dieu Donn\u00e9 Blanc de Blanc Brut (R200), Graham Beck’s Brut Ros\u00e9 (R240), Colmant (R280), and Mo\u00ebt “en” Chandon (R950).\u00a0 One can also order “Le Coq-tails” and “Le Moq-tails” at R35 – R45.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

To celebrate the opening of the restaurant on Friday, live music will be played in the lower section every weekend day and evening.\u00a0 I found the band from Wellington terribly loud,\u00a0as did the chef, and they were asked to tone things down a little.\u00a0 Every month there will be new groups playing.<\/p>\n

Le Coq is a restaurant out of the usual Franschhoek mould, and one wonders if there are enough locals with families to support this large restaurant, currently being supporters of Kalfi’s, Col’Cacchio and Allora.\u00a0 \u00a0It offers very good value for money, especially in the downstairs Light Meals section.\u00a0 Its staff service and training\u00a0needs attention.\u00a0 Its French\/Spanish decor conflict needs drastic help.\u00a0It will survive the winter and any continuation of the downturn, as Mr Maingard is the owner of the building, so that his cost structure is different to that of\u00a0any other\u00a0restaurant. It needs a stronger leaderto run the restaurant.\u00a0 It lacks focus, trying to please too many tastes under one roof, and creates confusion with two-restaurants-within-one.\u00a0 It will be interesting to see if they receive the support from the anti-Clicks ‘bodorp’ Franschhoekers living in a village known for its nasty politics!\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 21\/5<\/strong>: I popped in for a cappuccino this afternoon, and immediately noticed the addition of a massive “Dali Atomicus” print by photographer Philippe Haselman, featuring Dali, three thrown cats, and a thrown bucket of water – what a weird composition!\u00a0 From a Google search I learnt that the photograph took 26 takes\u00a0over five \u00a0It looks very impressive behind the bar, and much nicer than the Dali painting copies hung\u00a0in the restaurant.\u00a0 The Manager Alan has already left the restaurant, for a job elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Le Coq, <\/strong>32\u00a0Huguenot Road, Franschhoek.\u00a0 Tel (021) 876-4224.\u00a0 No website yet.\u00a0\u00a0Tuesday – Sunday, lunch and dinner.<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Twitter: @WhaleCottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have the highest regard for the entrepreneurial spirit of Robert Maingard, although he is not Franschhoek’s favourite semi-citizen.\u00a0 Mr Maingard has incredible faith in Franschhoek, judging by his investment in this village, including ownership of Dieu Donn\u00e9, Le Franschhoek Hotel, Crepe et Cidre, numerous small shopping centers on the main road (one which includes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[124,14,20,21],"tags":[11124,11084,314,11088,11092,11093,11069,9216,11076,1386,9451,32378,6360,2436,224,11077,2543,11086,11068,11571,9723,250,11089,11067,3237,32369,11073,2317,5456,287,11091,11074,7302,11071,11080,318,8317,10958,11066,385,11081,2485,698,11082,11070,11090,3321,11572,957,429,11078,3625,11065,11072,11075,9952,1896,11079,11087,4612,11085,32373,3055],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t