Opened by furniture store owners, Chris Weylandt and partner Kim Smith in November last year, the Kitchen at Maison offers Franschhoek visitors scrumptious comfort food in an elegantly redecorated 1920s cottage. Fiona MacDonald reviews.

The food:
Who knew a tomato could be so sweet and tasty? And that was accompanying the delicate assertiveness of tempura prawns, crunchy daikon radish half-moons, cos lettuce, garlic aioli and perfect tempura batter too! It’s no wonder that one of the most popular items on the abbreviated menu is the tomato plate: plum, rosa and vine-ripened globes of gorgeous flavour are simply presented with basil and buffalo mozzarella that celebrates taste and flavour at its simplest and most natural.

It’s equally impossible to refuse the pink salt pepper squid, which comprises crispy tentacles and tiny rings. The menu is abbreviated but it’s still difficult to decide precisely what to order because it’s one of those on which everything tempts! From the cured salmon trout (local, of course) with chilli lime dressing and beans, to kudu bresaola and Karoo lamb rack enlivened with Middle Eastern flavours of chickpea, lemon atchar and cumin.

The chef’s specials are worth noting because they provide a creative outlet for the kitchen. The superb imagination and technique were on display in the porcini-crusted chicken cromesqui (a ball of minced meat) that prompted ample oohs and satisfied mmms across the table. I’ll be back for the smoked bone marrow and gremolata, and might even make it to dessert where the idea of pecan tart, grape sorbet and gooseberries will have to fight it out with dark chocolate torte and frozen berry yoghurt.

The wine:
They’re proud of the wine they make here, so, barring two excellent local Franschhoek bubblies, only house wines are on offer. There’s chardonnay, chenin blanc, viognier and a shiraz for fans of red wine, as well as speciality beers from Darling Breweries. On the soft side they make a wicked lemonade, which is impossible not to glug down!

Service:
The staff are attentive and cordial without being overly familiar or fawning. They know the food offering well and are adept at steering patrons to good choices or daily specials.

Ambience:
It’s like being in a Weylandt’s catalogue: cool, calm, relaxing and super-chilled yet contemporary and elegant. White floors and ample glass windows make the most of the vineyard vistas and the chickens pecking about on the lawns outside. This is the kind of place where you breathe a little easier and feel your shoulders relaxing as tension is released.

By Fiona McDonald

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