When leaving Babylonstoren you'll be passing through Paarl and enjoy some beautiful views on mountains and also, the route is well known for being home to many vineyards and wine estates and also to some little gourmet gems, selling preserves, jams, cheese and all the good stuff you’d like to take back home. I don't have the exact addresses, but the places have big signs in front, so it's hard to miss them.

Arriving in Franschoek:

Franschoek is the next station. A small town made up of almost only wine estates, with two main streets and a rail track running through the town, where the famous wine tour takes place. We didn’t book this one though, as it seemed that only the big and more commercial estates were included and we had some other destinations on our list where we wanted to do a wine tasting.

Wine Tastings:

In general, wine tastings range from 80-200 Rand (6-12€) and include around 6 different wines: white, red and sparkling, for you to try. Make sure you organise yourself a driver as the wine can go to your head pretty fast under the hot South African sun (I tell ya!).

Môreson: After a nice lunch (read more below), we headed over to the wine tasting to try the pinotage among others. The setting is nice an intimate and the very friendly people take their time to explain the wines and to make your tasting a nice experience.

Good to know: Address: Happy Valley Rd, Franschhoek, 7690; Website: moreson.co.za

Stony Brook

A little hidden gem that was recommended to us by one of Johan’s friends. Run by an older couple and a very lovely lady who has worked at stony brooks for several years now as sommelier. This place is run very informal, not too fancy but being a very nice experience. Everyone loved to talk, mainly about wine and tell us everything we wanted to know about the place and history. Their wines are great, so we couldn’t resist from bringing four of them back home.

Good to know: Address: Green Valley Rd, Franschhoek, 7690; Website: stonybrook.co.za

Places to Stay:

I booked fairly in advance and nevertheless it was hard to book the same hotel for two nights in a row, so we changed location after one night and I can recommend both of the places.

Holden Manz

A mid-sized wine estate with a breathtaking view on the mountains and vineyards that glow in a bright green. The place itself is a typically looking white building from the outside, the inside is very special. A big entrance leading to a living room and a little pond, a pool and around four rooms. There is a lot of artwork in this place; big sculptures in and outside the house, big colorful paintings in the breakfast area and the rooms and a lot of attention to detail. The rooms are quite big, equipped with a fireplace and a newly renovated bathroom. The breakfast was very nice and the people friendly, the wine from their vineyard I didn’t like too much and the restaurant was a bit disappointing: nothing extraordinary and a bit overpriced. But I would definitely recommend staying here. There’s a big outside area, perfect for a slow start into the day or a relaxed afternoon read. The hotel is a 7 minute drive away from the center of Franschoek.

Good to know: Address: Green Valley Rd, Franschhoek, 7690; Website: holdenmanz.com
Price: Rooms & Rates

Maison d’Ail


Less ‘overwhelming’ than Holden Manz, but only a 10 minute walk to the center and more familiar I’d say. There’s also a pool and a nice view and the owner as well as people working here are very helpful in helping you organizing things. The rooms are fairly small, but still spacious enough for a 1-2 day stay. There’s a common are upstairs and downstairs, but that’s about it concerning attractions the house has to offer. A simple place to stay, but a nice and comfortable one.

Good to know: Address: 77 Reservoir St, Franschhoek, 7690; Website: maisondail.co.za
Price: Rooms & Rates

Where and what to eat:

Foliage



One of my favourite restaurants from the whole stay in South Africa. There’s a big smoker in front of the restaurant, so you’ll know what you’ll be getting! The chef Chris Erasmus seems to be more than just a cool guy, engaging in talks with customers while preparing his amazing dishes. A true forager, Chris looks for fresh and new ingredients on a daily basis. We had 3 starters because I wanted to try everything and all of them were special and delicious. I won't say much, but just read our starters: 1. BBQ Glen Oaks pork terrine, pear chutney, crackling, carrot puree, roosterkoek (omg) 2. Smoked cheesecake, spiced tomato vinaigrette, sunflower, garden shoot salad (omg, omg) 3. Sugar-cured yellowtail tartar, herb stems, sorrel, persimmon atjar & horseradish "egg", which was a yellow cream in a transparent membrane, looking like an egg yolk (omg, omg, omg). The last starter was by far the most amazing starter I've ever eaten, mixing so many great textures, tastes and colours that more perfection is barely possible. The main dishes continued that amazing experience and I went for the BBQ whey-braised beef brisket, wild watercress pomme puree, porcini, wild herb potato nest. Next to looking like a piece of art, this brisket was so incredibly tender and again, a mix of different spices and textures made this dish one that I would order any over and over again. To be honest, I have no idea what Johan had, I think fish, but this just shows how busy I was with grasping the amazingness of my dish. Unfortunately there wasn't anymore space for dessert in my belly. Oh and I forgot to mention the homemade bread that came with some lard and butter in the beginning of the whole dinner - delicious! The restaurant is also mentioned in the World's 50 Best Restaurant list, so a reason more to try. Staff here is very friendly, attentive and fast and the interior is not to extravagant, with a lot of wood and some nice little details, such as the crosbows hanging below the counter of the open kitchen.

Good to know: Book in advance! Address: 11 Huguenot Rd, Franschhoek, 7690; Website: foliage.co.za
Price: Around 90€ for an amazing dinner with wine for two persons







Bread & Wine



This restaurant belongs to the Moreson vineyard and it was good, but I'm a bit undecided whether I would go back. The bread in the beginning with homemade butter and lard was absolutely delicious, home baked in the restaurant, fresh and still warm, straight from the oven. The first course, more bread with their homemade charcuterie and a dish of ravioli was very good. The second course sounded nice on the menu: beef wrapped in cabbage, served with red cabbage and some other nice ingredients, but when I tried it it wasn't really tender and a bit hard to chew, same was the case for Johan's main, a springbok. The dessert on the other hand, nectarines with spiced bread, granita and roasted almond flakes and the other one was strawberries with cream and meringue, were also very delicious. Wine was great, too, service very nice and we were sitting outside in the shade in a very lovely spot, so this was definitely a plus, too. Maybe the cook had a bad day, so you should go and try yourself.

Good to know: Address: Moreson Farm, Happy Valley Road, Franschhoek, 7690; Website: breadandwine.co.za
Price: Around 25€ for a three course lunch.