SoYogi Frozen Yoghurt - Franschhoek, South Africa

Sounded like a great idea at the time. A less sweet, healthier dessert...

Got two flavors swirled together, and I can't even remember what they were because they were that memorable. The froyo needs to be more frozen - there's already a puddle forming while it's being weighed. Got lots of toppings: I know it's weird, but I'm a sucker of gummy bears. This is sad. All the gummies are stale, rock-hard from being left out for so long, and the cold froyo only makes it worse. Going to the grocery store for ice cream next time I get a craving. 

Col'cacchio - Franschhoek, South Africa

Last night in Franschhoek, and the theme is no more meat. Meat is murder, and sadly, I've discovered that I do actually have a physical limit on how much meat I can consume.

Pizza is the answer, and Col'cacchio's Green Genie is our pie. A crispy thin crust is a planter of all things green. The avocado is creamy, beets are firmly sweet, and butternut is softer. Arugula finishes with a bitter tinge of spice, uplifting against a down-to-earth mix of so many seeds. Balsamic glaze brings it all together for a pizza that has a lot going on and has a lot going for it.

We split a full salad because we are cows...and we're eating like them too. The Giardino is a full garden in a bowl, with lettuce and spinach as the greens and cute little zucchetti and dramatic broccoli florets for extra effect. There's a soft-boiled egg on top for protein, and though there is more yuzu dressing than I prefer, it's so light with all that sunny citrus that it's easy to keep on eating.

A much-needed selection of lighter fare for us, but the menu promises diversity, with pages upon pages of meat and what meat eats. Nice for a casual meal, a fulfilling fill for your pizza craving.

Reuben's Restaurant & Bar - Franschhoek, South Africa

In Franschhoek, the name on everybody's lips is Reuben's:

Q: Where should we eat?

A: Reuben's. 

Q: Best restaurant in town?

A: Reuben's.

Q: YOUR favorite restaurant?
A: Reuben's.

Either Reuben's is sleeping with everyone in town or it really is the best.

It's the best restaurant in town. Immediately, from the very first sip of the Hot and Sour Prawn and Tomato Soup, I can see and taste the real deal. The sour sets my mouth on fire, and the hot is a glorious burn. There's a real passion in this soup, from the slurpable al dente udon to the succulent shrimp, and the tomato tang just amplifies the explosion.

For those who are weak, there is a side dish of coconut sorbet, an icy salve to soothe the sting.

The Poke Bowl is lighter starter, a fresh feast of cured Franschhoek salmon trout, sweet like teriyaki with a fresh breath of wasabi. They fry the ball of sesame-coated sushi rice, and it really pops against fish roe and all sorts of pickles.

Full disclosure: we ordered the Josper Roasted Cod for the asparagus, and it turned out to be so much more than just a veggie fix. The tender cod is fresh like I've never seen, and the skin is a delicate crisp. This dish is a showcase of both creativity and skill; the cod could stand alone, but add a velvety champagne basil cream draping over sweet pea puree, soft mussels, and spongy gnocchi, and there is not a single spot on this plate you won't be licking clean.

Surf n' turf with the entrees; the Asian Braised Beef Cheek and Oxtail is the land to the roasted-cod sea. The cheek is marbled with fat, and the tail is so rich it's falls off the bone in gooey ribbons of gristle. The cauliflower creme enriches and lightens the fondant potatoes all at once, a silky bed for a hoisin-sauce sensation.

In Franschoek, you don't look for good food. This proud small town self-identifies as a food hub, and they have the cred to back up their claim. It's not so much about looking for good food; it's about looking for different food after a few days of FrenchFrenchFrench. Reuben's manages to be both. The dishes are exquisitely made, and the Asian fusion adds an element of spontaneity, an unexpected extra to the tried-and-true. Each dish holds a spark of imagination, a hint of ingenuity, and fusion of originality that we didn't find anywhere else. Almost every restaurant is good in Franschhoek, but Reuben's really is better. 

The Werf Restaurant - Franschhoek, South Africa

Determined to hit up yet another vineyard, we cruise into Boschendal on our way back to Franschhoek, seeking lunch and another flight of wine.

The Werf has a gorgeous view from the windows, and even the dreary rain doesn't make the gardens of Boschendal look any less like a fairy tale.

The menu is promising, a plethora of small plates, promising creativity and with descriptions that sound like tempting tapas.

A complementary starting gift from the chef is an earthy mix of refreshing veggies in endive and sour cream. The sun-dried tomatoes still hold plenty of tangy juice, rounded out by ground seeds and nuts, and the whole combination reminds me of fresh earth after the rain.

The Ribeye is cooked quite nicely, a pretty medium rare. Dauphine is a fancy term for fried potato rounds, a thinner, Frenchier version of hash browns. These are fried golden brown and crunch with a satisfying chomp. Clouds of horseradish break up the heavy meat n' potatoes, and this may be the only truly edible dish we order.

We intend for the Pumpkin Seed Dumplings to break up all the meat, but that doesn't happen. The wrapper is as thick as a Triscuit, and each bite is flour mush, like it hasn't been quite cooked all the way through. The filling is a dry, diced mixture of seeds with no filler to either hold it together or to at least disguise the resemblance to birdseed. They drown these birdfeeders in half a centimeter of oil (that yellow liquid is just olive oil, NOT soup), and despite the perfectly tender texture of the oyster mushrooms, the salt forces you to wash each bite down with an entire glass of water. 

The theme here is OVERKILL. Even the Roasted Carrots, which are supposed to be a vegetable on the side, possess a cloying quality so intense you're done after a single carrot. They are sticky, like a saturated dishcloth with a quantity of cumin that proves to be suffocating. There is no detectable citrus, and the honeycomb compounds the problem. 

The "new season" Figs are more like dry season figs. They are flavorless and leathery, and the pecan pralines are the only source of sweetness. The fig leaf ice cream, however, is interesting and fun, just like their namesake foliage.

The effort is clear, the concepts are fair, but the execution is utterly unfortunate. All the ideas work on paper, but they definitely don't work together. Boschendal is beautiful, and they have some promising wines, but boy, does The Werf need a little work.

Foliage - Franschhoek, South Africa

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.