Overall Impression Babel, a farm to table restaurant within a working farm in the Wineland region of South Africa, was an unexpected surprise. I went there following the recommendation of the property manager at La Cle des Montagnes, where I was staying in nearby Franschhoek. The experience was as the promotional materials promised, fresh, local, and “an adventure and a rediscovery of the honest essence of things.”

Most of the raw ingredients, fruits, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, for the restaurant were sourced from the farm’s garden. And, the meat, fish and cheese, were purchased from surrounding farms and sellers. The property also produced wine and built its wine list from the environs. In addition and judging by my lunch, the kitchen staff lived up to their goal to maintain the simplicity and integrity of the ingredients, keeping them as whole as possible while seeking out unexpected flavor combinations. They made the delivery of the concept was as sound as the theory.

The interior of the restaurant was sunlit and homey thanks to an abundance of white and glass walls. The dishes I sampled were a feast for the eyes and the portions were generous. I liked the restaurant’s emphasis on internal and local food sources and pretty presentation that accented colorful fresh ingredients. Babel will be at the top of my list of places to revisit when next I find myself in Paarl.

About the Executive Chef Cornelle Minie was a graduate of the Silwood School of Cookery in South Africa. Prior to working at Babel she had worked at Terroir Restaurant in Stellenbosch; Constantia Uitsig in Constantia; De Ouwe Werf in Stellenbosch; Five Flies in Cape Town; and Silwood Kitchens in Rondebosch. She had also worked at Cringletie House Hotel and Osso Restaurant in Peebles, Scotland; The Big Easy in Stellenbosch; Allora Restaurant in Franschhoek; and Cuvée Restaurant in Simonsig Wine Estate. At Bable, she collaborated closely with the restaurant baker, the gardeners and the food director and stylist.

Executive Chef Cornelle Minie

Handicapped Access No

Location The restaurant was 53 kilometers from Cape Town, near Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Paarl.

Manager Simoné Rossouw

Opened-Renovated The restaurant opened in 2010. The size of Babel was scheduled to double in November 2015.

Owned and Managed Karen Roos

Size The restaurant, situated within a 581 hectare farm, could accommodate between 40 and 70 guests, depending on the weather. There were two seating areas, each six meters by 15 square meters. Staff ranged between 12 and 20.

Type of Restaurant New style cuisine focused on fresh produce from the property garden and the region.

Decor-Ambiance The modern space in a former kraal for cattle and sheep was filled with sunlight. It had glass walls on the sides and an open kitchen. The original thick whitewashed walls and pillars were visible. Management sought to marry old and new in “an ode to its provenance.” The décor was meant to combine the textures and colors of a dairy, reminiscent of milk, cream, yogurt and soft cheese, driving for an interplay between shiny and matte surfaces. There were tiles with an oversized bull’s head to anchor the concept. Traditional wooden tables stood next to contemporary white lacquer Kartell creations. Guests sat at farm benches, white Luxembourg chairs and transparent Philippe Starck seats. The dinnerware was selected to be equally eclectic.

Cellars Wine and Alcoholic Beverage Selection The Babylonstoren wines were: 2015 Babylonstoren Chenin Blanc, 2015 Babylonstoren Mourvèdre Rosé, 2015 Babylonstoren Viognier, 2013 Babylonstoren Chardonnay, 2014 Babylonstoren Babel Red Blend, 2013 Babylonstoren Shiraz, and 2013 Babylonstoren Nebukadnesar. Staff planned to launch the vineyard’s first sparkling wine, Sprankel, in late 2015. In addition to the house wines, the wine list included a selection from neighboring wine estates and the inner Simonsberg wine route.

Meal I tried the Red and Yellow salads. Sharing with my lunch partner made it possible to sample both as the portions were abundant. The Red had trout fish cake, pickled beet roots, strawberry and radicchio, red onion crisps, blood orange, hay-smoked pink oyster mushrooms, ruby peas, and pink Caesar style anchovy dressing; and the Yellow had warm churros from “little finger” carrots, cumin and rooibos (tea), grape seek sprinkle, Cape sorrel, granadilla, orange, pineapple, Cape gooseberry, and honey bush (tea), kumquat and orange dressing. I had the San Foraged entree of leek and chard stuffed quail with asparagus, honey bush red wine sauce with mushroom, and plumwood smoked farm bacon with a glass of the house shiraz. For dessert, I ordered the Bitter and Sweet of Seville marmalade and chocolate fondant with crème anglaise.

Other Babel employed a food director, Maranda Engelbrecht, who was a stylist and food consultant. As part of the Babylonstoren team she worked with the chefs, gardeners, winemakers and farmers. The restaurant offered freshly pressed juices (red, green and yellow), homemade iced tea, ginger beer and lemonade.

Date of Review September 2015

Number of Visits One

Reviewers

Photos and Article by Elena del Valle

Service Staff were attentive, friendly and helpful.

Would You Dine Eat There Again-Recommend It? Yes

Overall Impression During a recent visit to Franschhoek, South Africa’s most refined food and wine village, I stayed at the beautiful La Galerie, a 183 square meter artsy and elegantly appointed two bedroom house with a private garden and pool and memorable mountain views. La Galerie was one of only four houses within the La Cle des Montagnes estate, a gated plum and vineyard property a few blocks from the village main street.

The house itself was furnished for style and comfort, and included the services of two unobtrusive butlers and other service oriented staff members. The contemporary art and decor, amenities, fireplace, multiple televisions, sound system, and well equipped kitchen made it homey. In the morning, the butlers prepared breakfast in the house kitchen and served it in the dining room. For the remainder of the day, if I felt like cooking I could. I also had the option of requesting that the staff prepare dinner (during my stay they made a delicious grilled South African style braai dinner). And, thanks to the property’s central location within the village I could dine out at one of several restaurant’s within a short drive or taxi ride away.

I loved the mountain views, especially at dawn and dusk, and the quiet that enveloped La Cle des Montanges. La Galerie was special thanks to its thoughtful combination of luxury features and amenities, outstanding central residential location in the village, relaxed atmosphere, and service orientation. I had a superb stay and would return with pleasure to La Galerie, which is now on my short list of favorite South African properties.

Children Yes

Class of Accommodation Five Star exclusive use Holiday Villas

Concierge Peggy Klement and Jason Hendricks provided concierge services.

Connectivity There was complimentary high speed WiFi in the house. I was able to connect easily.

General Manager Peggy Klement

Handicapped Access One of the houses, Le Manoir, could accommodate guests in wheelchairs.

Length of Stay Two nights

Location A few blocks from the main street in the village of Franschhoek, South Africa

Owned and Managed Michael Pawlowski

Pets Allowed No

Size Four houses (called Villas) with private gardens and pools were located within a six hectare plum orchard and vineyard estate. The property employed 12 full time staff.

Year Opened-Renovated The property opened in 2012.

Lobby and Common Areas Once inside the external gate a narrow driveway led past a security enclosure to a small parking area. The property office was on one side and the entrance to La Galerie was across from it. There was another entrance and additional parking via an adjacent street.

From the entrance of La Galerie a long hallway lined with large framed oil paintings and glass framed photos led to double wood doors. Beyond the doors there was a single living, dining and kitchen area. There was a dining room table with three different styles of armless chairs and seating for six. A plant was in the middle of the table. In the living area there was cloth furniture. A burgundy colored settee, a blue gray sofa with colorful patterned cushions, and two faux leopard style armchairs were centered around a rectangular metal table covered from end to end with books two and three high. Two tall candlesticks and some glass jars took up the slack in the middle. There was a fireplace across from the coffee table, which my butlers lit at night. Yellow and white patterned curtains that reached high on the slate gray walls covered the windows and doors. A modern sculpture of three box shaped pieces set at angles on top of each other and crowned with a black horse head stood against the wall in front of the dining table. Glass doors the width of the house led onto a covered porch and fenced in private landscaped yard with a swimming pool.

The house had gray walls, high ceilings, wood floors, recessed lights, rugs and blue and green chandeliers in the living area. Wall mounted air conditioning and heating units and underfloor heating allowed me to adjust the temperature in each room.

The kitchen had full size Samsung and small Wolf refrigerators, sink, island counter, Smeg gas stove and oven, Samsung microwave, Lavazza coffee maker machine, hot water pitcher, and Mellerware Sigma toaster. There were also pots, pans, dinnerware, silverware, and glassware in a wood cabinet. The alcoholic beverages were atop a small wooden cabinet in the corner next to the sink.

Bathroom The bathroom was divided into three main areas: a frosted glass enclosed water closet, a frosted glass enclosed shower, and the area in the middle which housed a clawfoot bath tub next to a wood towel rack and twin sinks sandwiched between the two glass enclosed areas. The floor in the water closet and shower was covered with tiny round white tiles. The walls were tiled with rectangular white tiles which reached up to the height of the glass enclosure; above that the wall reached the ceiling. A narrow and long rectangular window faced a side garden, allowing sunlight in during the day.

Room From the entrance to the house I followed an art filled hallway to toward the living, dining and kitchen in the back. On either side of the hallway there were two identical 19 square meter bedrooms. I stayed in the bedroom on the left side. Across the hall there was a nearly identical bedroom. The only difference I noticed was in the color of the headboard and night tables and the artwork. Both had closets built into the wall with ample hanging and shelf space. In the middle of the wall, there was a vanity with an armless chair, a lamp, and a small mirror. Above the vanity there was a gray mirror with a flat screen Hisense television mounted on the wall.

A bed for two set against a built in blue cloth headboard and framed by identical small metal red tables occupied the middle of the room. Above the headboard there were night lamps attached to the wall. Additional light was provided by two small lamps hanging from the ceiling over the bed. Behind the bed a partial wall separated the bedroom from the door-less bathroom, which was accessible from either side of the bed.

Food On offer for breakfast there was yogurt, bottled or fresh orange juice, cereal and croissant and an English breakfast (eggs, and grilled bacon, mushrooms and tomato) as well as hot beverages. For dinner John prepared steak and lamb, vegetables, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, and a salad. For dessert there was homemade sweet cream with lemon zest. While there were many fine restaurants within relatively easy reach it was nice to know that if wanted to dine in and not cook my butlers could prepare dinner.

Amenities There was original artwork throughout the house. There were feather pillows, duvets, extra microfiber blankets, slippers, microfiber bathrobes and electronic safe. Butler services such as continental breakfast prepared in the house and served in the dining room.

There was a Hisense flatscreen television in the living room and in each of the bedrooms, Pioneer DVD player and sound system with two wall mounted speakers in the living area, and an iPod dock with an adapter for new iPhone models. At turn down there were fresh lavender sprigs, a hot water bottle and small dark and white chocolate bars.

There were complimentary bottles of local Franschhoek white wine, La Chaumiere sparkling Methode Cap Classique wine and house branded pinotage red wine. There were full size bottles of complimentary (for consumption during the stay) Grey Goose Vodka, Bombay Gin, Johnny Walker Black Label whiskey and KWV brandy. The refrigerator was stocked with complimentary bottled water, milk, yogurt, and juices. There were small apples in a bowl.

In the bathroom, there were plastic bottles of Charlotte Rhys toiletries of 100 milliliters of conditioner, shampoo, body wash, and soap and 200 milliliters of body lotion. There were also cotton pads, cotton swabs, cotton balls, fresh flower, and scented bath salts in a glass container.

Pool In the back of the house amid the lush green garden there was an eight meter long by four meter wide pool. It was 1.7 meters deep. There were cushioned lounge chairs and an umbrella poolside.

Other I had trouble finding the property because Cabriere street is divided into two separate sections. There was no sign on the first segment of Cabriere to indicate that the street continued. The property was on an unpaved road with water filled holes and mud. As soon as I saw the exterior of the building I knew I had arrived because the name was written on the gate. I pressed the button on the pad by the gate and as soon as I provided my name and explained I was checking in the gates opened. After speaking with the guard I continued down a narrow road to a small parking area in front of reception. It was not possible to receive calls directly on the phone in La Galerie.

Cleanliness Excellent

Date of Review September 2015

Reviewers

Photos and Article by Elena del Valle

Service The house was serviced twice daily and the staff were on call in between those times (they provided me a phone number where I could reach them). Frank Chirwa and John Mhone, service oriented and always on time, were my butlers. Jason Hendricks, hospitality manager, greeted me as soon as I parked the car. He was in charge of the property the general manager’s absence. Elizabeth and Pearl cleaned and did turn down. Peggy made several excellent suggestions in advance of my arrival for activities in and around the village that enhanced my stay and appreciation for the area manifold. Jason was helpful and knowledgeable about the village, assisting me with service bookings easily and with good humor, even when I requested last minute changes or additions. The staff’s guest oriented attitude was one of the reasons I enjoyed my stay at La Galerie as much as I did and would recommend it to friends.

Would You Stay There Again? Yes

Overall Impression Arriving in the early evening at Ryan’s Kitchen I felt instantly drawn by the casual atmosphere. Lana, who I later found out was the restaurant co-owner and the chef’s wife, welcomed me in from the chilly outdoors with a bright smile, and seated me right away. She remained attentive all through the meal.

By the time my dinner companion arrived the food smells that permeated the restaurant had awoken my appetite. We selected the tasting menu with wine pairings. I appreciated the chef’s versatility. He seemed to prepare venison with the same apparent ease with which he prepared fish in spicy coconut milk in a bag. The South African wine pairings kept up the pace.

The tasting menu was fun and diverse with a pretty presentation and out of the ordinary plates to match. Because of the chef’s fondness for hot foods I struggled with the meal. I would recommend the restaurant to friends with a preference for hot dishes seeking a casual dinner venue in Franschhoek.

About the Executive Chef The chef belonged to a family that was in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Prior to opening his own restaurant, he worked at the nearby Mont Rochelle hotel. He was an admirer of Pierre Gagniere and Heston Blumenthal.

Executive Chef Ryan Smith

Handicapped Access According to a representative, the restaurant welcomed handicapped guests.

Location Off the main street in the village of Franschhoek in the Western Cape’s Winelands Region.

Opened-Renovated Ryan’s Kitchen opened June 2010. The restaurant moved to new premises November 2014.

Owned And Managed Ryan and Lana Smith

Size The restaurant with a staff of 12 had seating capacity for 50 guests inside, which was about six hundred square feet in size, and 30 outside.

Type of Restaurant Contemporary South African

Decor-Ambiance The restaurant had a contemporary style of decor with an open kitchen in the back. The interior was characterized by clean lines, pale wood floors, gray walls and glass walls facing the exterior. Seating was at bare topped wood tables with cushioned wood chairs and built-in sofas. I liked the comfortable inward facing corner sofa with a large pillow were our hostess seated us. I sat on top of my pillow as did other guests. Although there was a terrace in the back it was too chilly to dine outdoors the night I was there. Lights were dim enough to add ambiance yet bright enough to see the food, just right.

Cellars Wine And Alcoholic Beverage Selection In addition to a South African wine list and a handful of champagnes, the restaurant offered cocktails, a few domestic beers, and an ample selection of aperitifs, spirits and digestives.

Special Menus The restaurant offered a four-course tasting menu for 465 rand and 665 rand with wine pairing. There was also a nine-course Tastes from South Africa (for everyone at the table) tasting menu for 650 rand also available with wine pairing for 900 rand.

Meal Although my dinner partner and I had the tasting menu the chef served each of us different dishes, allowing me to taste a broad selection from his menu. We began with Springbok pate, duck liver parfait, and edible clay baked potatoes with chakalaka dip for the two of us. There was Salmon Ballontine, saffron emulsion, pickled baby carrot Escabeche served with Quoin Rock Sauvignon Blanc. The next course was Buttered Chicken and Pistachio Terrine, yoghurt roulade, and tomato curry served with La Bri Chardonnay. There were Parmesan Croquets, avocado aioli, confit tomatoes, red wine vinegar served with Raats Original Chenin Blanc.

The chef prepared Kingklip, lemongrass, coconut, lime-cooked in a bag for me. It was one of my favorite dishes that night despite the strong chili content that allowed me to only taste it. It was served with Lynx Viognier. Lime sorbet helped us transition to the next courses. We had Springbok Rump, seaweed crust, apple-fennel puree, glazed chicory, shallots served with Rickety Bridge Shiraz; and The Free Range Beef Sirloin, Durban Spices, spinach curry, smoked potato, and wafers was served with Dunstone Merlot.

For dessert there was Licorice Sugar Cannelloni, orange Espuma, licorice ice-cream served with Graham Beck Rhona Muscadel and Paw-Paw (papaya) Soufflé, buffalo yoghurt ice-cream served with a Nederberg Noble Late Harvest.

Other There was a strong food odor inside the restaurant. It stuck to my hair and my clothes until the following morning. Although I requested dishes free of chili or black pepper the majority of the tasting menu was spicy hot.

Date of Review September 2015

Number of Visits One

Reviewers

Photos and Article by Elena del Valle

Service Staff, mainly Lana and one server, were friendly and attentive.

Would You Dine Eat There Again-Recommend It? Probably not, mainly because of the restaurant’s emphasis on chili and hot dishes.