Woolworths_Taste_July_2017

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5.
THE TASTING ROOM AT
LE QUARTIER FRANÇAIS
FOR PUTTING SA FOOD ON THE
WORLD MAP
Sometimes it takes a newcomer to offer
a fresh perspective on produce that locals
might regard as, well, everyday. In the case of
SA cuisine, this newcomer came in the shape
of Dutch-born chef Margot Janse, who joined
the award-winning team at Le Quartier Français
in Franschhoek as executive chef in 1995. Her
passion for seasonal local produce and indigenous
ingredients, combined with a playful imagination
and experimental approach to textures, flavours
and aromas, saw her telling stories through her
African-inspired menu – described by some as
a gourmet safari. “For me it has a lot to do with
origins: the origin of an animal, what it did when it
was alive, what it ate and where it grew up. What
is happening on my plate has to make sense and
reveal these origins,” she once said. “If someone
walks away from the experience saying ‘Wow, I’ve
learnt so much about South Africa, the people, the
food’, then I know I have succeeded.” The world
took note of her approach. The restaurant made
the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2002, and
countless local and international awards followed
over the years. Margot left in April to pursue
something new and there’s a fresh era ahead
as the team from La Colombe (see #3) takes over
at Le Quartier. leeucollection.com
Left, clockwise from top: The Tasting Room’s Pepe Charlot
bûche affinée, fermented turnip, linseed cracker and
smoked honey; beetroot, buttermilk labneh, buchu and
cucumber granita; preserved lime and onion crisps.
6.
Right: The duck-and-cherry
pie at 96 Winery Road.
GATRILE’S
FOR BREAKING THE MOULD
OF MODERN BISTRO FARE IN JOBURG
The stats for Gatrile’s famous duck-and-cherry pie tell a story that
lives on beyond the 2003 closure of this popular Joburg restaurant.
Established in Joubert Park in the mid-seventies, it moved to
Sandown in 1988 and reportedly sold more than 250 000 pies, using
22 tons of duck and 12 tons of cherries. A legendary pie like that
can never die (think rich duck meat, sweet-tart cherries in Port
sauce under crispy puff pastry) and it lives on at 96 Winery Road
in Somerset West, which was started 21 years ago by Gatrile’s
co-founder Ken Forrester (the maker of some of SA’s finest Chenin
Blancs). A look at some of the earlier menus from Gatrile’s tells quite
a tale, too: the popular Kate and Sydney (steak-and-kidney) pie set
diners back a whopping R2.55 and lobster cost all of R5. And the
famous crème brûlée? Well, that also made its way down south
to 96 Winery Road. The recipe remains the same (why change
what’s perfect?). The price, of course, has kept up with inflation.
But it’s so worth it. 96wineryroad.co.za; kenforresterwines.com