There's a reason the World's 50 Best Restaurants committee labeled Foliage one to watch. Foliage presents some of the most beautiful plates I've seen in a surprisingly casual restaurant, with an ambiance that has all the chill.
Every plate is a fortress of formidable foraging, piles of glowing greens like fallen autumn leaves. The Charred Beetroot Salad is a celebratory starter, festive bulbs of beets that twinkle through wild mixed green like lights on a string. An otherwise crisp and airy salad is rooted by earthy celeriac, A creamy remoulade has a sharper edge with nasturtium and a strongly aged vinegar.
Firm crumbles or pan-fried Black Pudding are a savory blast, much like the meat-butter of bone marrow. Broccolini sits in perfect charred on soft sweetbreads and whimsical pickled peaches.
A dense Ballotine of Guinea fowl, duck, and chicken sits pretty under a canopy of pomegranate and lush greens. Layers of flaky pastry cradle a supple sunchoke in a sea of fennel seed veloute.
The Yellowfin Tuna is from another world. A river of sweet n' sour tom yum engulfs seared circles of meaty red. Medallions of Cape crayfish are succulent and spry, and the squid is strangely soft. Strands of crunchy beach herbs wriggle through like a wormy green tumeric, crisp and citrusy, with notes like lemongrass.
A mousse-like Caramelia Delice plays coy next to a fluffy peanut butter & cannabis leaf marshmallow, bulging from a shattered chocolate rock. Crispy honeycomb completes the ensemble, and a thus a marvel of meal is complete.
Like a significant portion of its ingredients, Foliage requires some foraging to fine. Franschhoek's fine-dining supersaturation makes it hard for restaurants to distinguish themselves, and Foliage is a small corner stop, subtly labeled so that even active seekers might pass it more than once. Well the location may be a little bit hidden, but it'll be a long time before anyone takes their eye off Foliage.
No comments:
Post a Comment