It had been rather a long time since we visited Franschhoek; we haven't had any invitations for a while
We wanted to have a good lunch and Lynne researched all the menus at the well-known restaurants
Sadly, some are now so far out of our budget, we may never get to try their food
And some are still rather traditional and a bit predictable
We have been trying to eat more salads and less heavy food this summer
and we decided that Terra Del Capo had the menu that appealed the most
And it has reasonable prices
It is in the building on the left as you enter the Antonij Rupert estate, formerly the Graham Beck facility
The reception area, with the restaurant behind it; the tasting room is upstairs
There are tables outside, underneath those olive trees on the right-hand side of the building
We were treated to a small glass of the L'Ormarins Brut Rosé while we waited for our table
60% Pinot Noir, 40% Chardonnay; clean red fruit notes on the nose,
a good crisp mousse with raspberry and strawberry fruit
L'Ormarins Cap Classique magnums, in boxes, on sale
It was a lovely surprise to see Cellarmaster Dawie Botha in the restaurant
We had bumped into him recently at the Italian tasting we attended and, as they have just begun harvest,
we did not expect to see him
He had with him some Harvest helpers from the wine trade for the day and they were breaking for lunch
The bottling line is on full view through the glass windows, and it was busy, despite a power cut
Chatting to our very helpful waitress about our menu choices
What to drink with the lunch
John asked Dawie and he suggested the Caroline white Rhône style blend, so John ordered a glass
Lynne wanted to try the Terra del Capo Pinot Grigio again, as the style of food is very Italian,
so she had a glass of that and we shared them both
They were perfection with the dishes we ordered
The Caroline is an exciting blend of Roussanne, Marsanne, Chenin Blanc and Viognier and they all shine through
Golden in colour and aroma; peach, apricot and golden grapes
On the palate, summer fruit in layers with good support of fruit acidity; a lovely wine with food
The Terra del Capo Pinot Grigio has aromas redolent of the dry and dusty Mediterranean summer
On the palate, lime, lemon, ripe grapes; another great match with food, so refreshing
The menu is served Tapas style, so they recommend ordering 2 dishes each and sharing which is what we did
Very theatrical and special is the presentation of the Trout fillets which have been smoked in the bottle
Beautifully fresh confit fish, so tender, juicy and moist, served on a bed of cucumber, dill and capers
It needed a bit more seasoning
It went very well with the other dish, the Artichoke & Romaine lettuce salad,
which was well dressed and had roasted hazelnuts
The bread was superb, small slices of seed and nut loaf, and large slices of perfect ciabatta
There is very good olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the table
Our next choice was to try something new we had not had before
Chicken Involtini - chicken breasts stuffed with sun dried tomato, ricotta and olives and wrapped in streaky bacon,
which still had its rind on it. Good flavours, but a little dry
The other dish was sensational and hard, very hard to share
Next time we will order one each, should it be on the menu, and we sincerely hope it will
Truffle Tagliatelle with parmesan cream. In the foreground on the plate. Yum
The bottling line working at full bore, in the middle of a power cut
Chef HW "Harvey" Pieterse makes delicious food
Our bill with wine and service
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