Cape Town, My City.

Franschhoek mountains

There are a few words in the English language that are tragically overused: delicious, delectable, sumptuous, scrumptious, gorgeous, exquisite and mouthwatering – to name but a few. When it comes to places like Genot Restaurant I wish that there was some way to resuscitate these terms, to re-inject them with their original meanings. Sadly this is not possible and I will have to make do with these clichéd, time-worn terms.

I suffer from a chronic condition my father calls ‘champagne taste on a beer budget’, which basically results in me spending an atrocious amount of my expendable income on fancy dinners and wines when I really should be focusing on the state of things like, say, my shoes. My latest over-indulgence was hosted my Genot Restaurant.

Situated on the beautiful Klein Genot wine estate in Franschhoek, the Genot kitchen is run by renowned chef Mark Radnay. I had been to the farm before, but at that stage the restaurant wasn’t quite finished yet and I had been biting at the bit to go ever since. And man, is it impressive! A large, voluminous building with clean lines and lovely surrounding landscaping, the restaurant/cellar/wine tasting room is situated smack bang in the middle of the Klein Genot vineyards. Patrons are greeted at the gravel-strewn parking lot by a very friendly attendant who then accompanies you to the restaurant and hands you over to the hostess.

Although it was a lovely balmy evening, there was a hint of thunder in the air and the proprietors had erred on the side of caution and decided not to set up the outside dining area. We were, of course, having none of that! A table was swiftly laid and we settled down to watch as dusk descended slowly and spectacularly on the Franschhoek Valley. I can only imagine what the view must be like on a clear evening, but the moodiness of the cloudy sky added a certain sense of drama that was somehow completely delicious.

Being innately curious I couldn’t just be a well-behaved customer, I had to get up and explore the restaurant. The main dining area is a stunning combination of bare brick walls, accented with baroque element like boldly printed wallpaper and an abundance of crystal chandeliers. And best of all – the kitchen is completely visible, so you can view Mark and his team bustling about preparing your meal. I am of the opinion that a visible kitchen says much about the way that a restaurant team approaches their craft – being on display like that means that you have a lot of confidence in your abilities and after having my meal I can honestly say their confidence is certainly not misplaced.

The smoking section is also lovely. As a smoker I often feel like sitting in the smoking area of a restaurant is somewhat akin to being shunted to the corner with a dunce hat, but there is none of that at Genot. The smoking section hosts the bar and is laid out around a nice, big fireplace (something I will simply have to experience in the heart of a Cape winter). The chairs and tables are comfy and stylish and imbued with the air of a gentlemen’s cigar lounge from the previous century while still managing to be completely on trend.

So, the food, oh the food! Here is what we had:

Joseph:

Rooikrans smoked snoek quiche with apricot chutney and a side salad
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Aged sirloin (m-r) with butternut gnocchi, onion marmalade and Pinotage jus
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Vanilla pod crème brulee with apricots and an almond koeksister

Anna-Bet:

Seared tuna with daikon cucumber & mint with a soya-mirin and wasabi mayo
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Vanilla pod crème brulee with apricots and an almond koeksister

Beverage-wise we each had a glass of Villiera Tradition Cap Classique since we were celebrating Jo’s birthday and then moved on to a very nice bottle of Porcupine Ridge Viognier-Grenache (how incredibly cultured are we!). The wine was absolutely, unequivocally, drop-dead gorgeous and I don’t care how completely unsavvy it is to say so. Although it is a white, it went perfectly with both my fish and Jo’s meat (that was perfectly done by the way).

Special thanks have to go to Babs Sogwedla, our waitress for the evening. She succeeded in being courteous and friendly without being overly familiar, a juggling act that very few waiters ever manage to achieve. She was also well-dressed, well-spoken and completely versed in the intricacies of the menu, something that I greatly admire.

I will be keeping an eye on this restaurant; it is most certainly going to be an incredibly big hit with foodies from around the Winelands. Plus I am already envisioning a lovely spring wedding hosted in the spacious courtyard (something that will probably give my both my dad and his bank manager many sleepless nights). Do yourself a favour – if you are planning a Cape Town tour, save up and head out to Genot. There is no way you’ll be sorry.