PEOPLE are truly strange. Pandemic aside, I’ve never been able to understand why they gravitate towards the only occupied table in a restaurant – being mine. I’m a longtime fan of the personal space, the wider the better, and along with an aversion to shaking hands, if conspiracy theorists had it right, they’d be looking at me right now.
At Boschendal, the Deli has a large outside seating area. Enormous. It’s lovely under the oak trees in the dappled shade. But so help me if a woman doesn’t come sit at the table directly next to me when there were at least a dozen further away. Why are they like this? At such times I do believe we are doomed.
Fortunately, I’d almost finished my brunch at the Deli so I picked up my stuff and moved to another table. Do you think she got the hint? Anyway. It couldn’t spoil the joy of the day. Here you get a QR code with the menu which opens in your phone’s browser, and there are blackboard menus as well. Breakfast is served from 8am till 4pm, something of which I always heartily approve. Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, it’s often the best, and should not be constrained by the hour.
The usual suspects are there – eggs, bacon, sausage and so on – but there are some interesting and different options such as kale and spring onion hash with crispy potatoes, fried eggs, chilli oil and garlic emulsion. Now, I’m not a fan of kale. Revolting stuff. But it’s different, for breakfast, I suppose. The one that caught my eye, however, was the marrow griddle cakes with soft poached egg, whipped goat’s cheese and foraged herbs. With a glass of the estate’s famous Blanc de Noir, it was simply perfect.
Afterwards I visited the newly opened Farm Shop, which “showcases an exclusive homeware range crafted by acclaimed local artisans and a fine selection of produce from local like-minded suppliers. The shop celebrates some of South Africa’s small and budding designers, selected for their quality and attention to detail, and robust environmental values.”
It’s quite beautiful and so stylish, with ordered and symmetrical displays that seduce the eyes, from the wooden boards to the jars of jams and preserves to the fresh produce, and of course the wine. I never visit Boschendal without picking up some of the wet fatty biltong made from the Black Angus cattle which are reared on the farm. They have lean and dry too but where’s the fun in that?
For more information, click here. There’s much to see and do on this gorgeous property, and it should be on your Franschhoek itinerary – make a day of it.
