Foliage in Franschhoek – a definite foodie must

OK so remember I recently told you about my stay at the gorgeous Franschhoek Boutique Hotel?  (if you missed it – you can check it out here).  Well during that weekend I did some incredible things, including the wine tram, some pamper treatments and some great eating…

The meal that really stood out however was dinner at Foliage which is situated on the Main Road (11 Huguenot Road to be exact) just a hop skip & jump away from where we were staying.

Owned by Chris Erasmus (former head chef at Pierneef à La Motte on the La Motte wine estate which was a 2013 Top 10 restaurant) and his wive, Alisha, the restaurant first opened its doors back in July 2014.  The restaurant serves forest-to-table food, hence the name.  Chris is an avid forager and therefore the menu is structured around what’s growing and available at the time.

The restaurant has a very relaxed feel.  They’ve gone for rustic brick walls, a warm colour palette, a wooden bar, an open kitchen and a big fireplace.  So even though it was freezing outside, we were nice and snug inside.

From the moment we sat down it was a fantastic experience… Our waiter was warm, lovely and incredibly welcoming, and then even the bread here is totally Instagram worthy:

As mentioned above, the menu does change from time to time based on what’s freshly available, but you’ll find a lot of foraged edible plants, greens and mushrooms (which Chris collects himself) as well as rich free-range meat and game options.  (Don’t worry – there are also vegetarian options for those who don’t do meat, as well as a few seafood dishes for those looking for something a litter lighter)

Here’s a look at what the menu looked like when we visited:

Then on the drinks side they also have a very good wine selection, including a good variety of wines sold by the glass.

For starters we opted for the BBQ fig leaf cheesecake with garden shoot & candied tomato salad (R90) & the spiced tomato & coconut soup with wilted plantain greens, smoked tomatoes & cheese curds (R85).  Both dishes were incredible, but that savoury cheesecake definitely stole the show.  My friend Kim and I had decided to share as we go along, and neither of us wanted to let go of that plate…

For mains we tried the roasted pork belly with sweet corn cromesquis, barley & marogo ragout, chili & banana yoghurt (R205) and the BBQ Afrikaner beef brisket with forest mushrooms, braised fennel, burned pears, and onion “panzanella”, celeriac & sorrel salad (R215).  Again, both incredible dishes, but by a fine margin I’d say the pork belly won.

And then for dessert we shared the caramelia delice, peanut butter & marshmallow chocolate rock with num nums (R80):

As you can see, there’s a lot of attention to detail and love that goes into every single dish, and I can happily confirm that everything is just as good (if not even better) than it looks.  It’s no wonder that this restaurant is currently voted as the nr 1 restaurant in Franschhoek on Tripadvisor.

Foliage gets a very easy top score of  on my Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale.  You simply have to pay them a visit…

To make a booking, you can contact them on:

• Tel: 021 876 2328
• Email: restaurant@foliage.co.za

Just a note around opening times:

• Until 1 October Foliage will be open for dinner only from Monday to Friday, Saturdays both lunch & dinner, and closed on Sundays.
• They are taking a small winter break between the 4th of August and will re-open on the 17th of August.

Come one, make a booking… you know you want to… 😉

xxx