Kramerville is a full-on designer location these days. Shoppers will find mostly homeware in the area’s stores, but the neighbourhood is beginning to get a little quirky edge. A contributing factor is The Kitchen, the restaurant attached to Weylandts furniture and décor store, where cool crowds gather for a bite.

Of the three Weylandts stores across South Africa that have restaurants, The Kitchen at Maison in Durbanville was nominated for the Top 10 of the 2013 Eat Out DStv Food Network Restaurant Awards. The Kramerville Weylandts, with its pale blonde woods and natural elements, also seems to reflect the brand’s ‘simple but excellent’ ethos. We put The Kitchen to the test.

The food  

Breakfasts are created as the mood takes Bulelani Mhlongo, The Kitchen’s cook. The hot and egg-based dishes like frittatas and scrambles are written up on the easel blackboard; croissants and bakes from the bakery are on display under glass domes; and dishes for lunch are listed on small, trendy clipboard menus. The coffee is from Terbodore, originally located in the Midlands and now Franschhoek too. (It has to be noted that the blend going through the machine that day was a bit limp in flavour.)

The food is unwaveringly good: nothing in any new, inspiring direction, but reliably trendy and appropriate for where and what the restaurant is. (The Kitchen at Maison, the Weylandt’s family farm in Franschhoek, seems to produce the more exciting stuff.) I can vouch for the very moreish Cape Malay fishcakes, which are served with an especially good gooseberry chutney, a crispy apple salad and aioli. I can also recommend the gatsby burger – it’s gourmet, of course. It’s a much classier version of the original Mannenberg special: this gatsby includes perfectly cooked beef and triple-cooked chips. You can order the latter separately, with lemon salt; these are so good that this is not the type of dish you’ll want to share. If you’re keen on something lighter, try the tomato, gruyère and thyme scone or a slice of the traditional milktart with a coffee. The menu changes seasonally, so I’ll definitely return to try the autumnal lamb and quince pie promised for when the leaves turn.

The wine

This part’s easy: they’re all Maison wines from the family estate in Franschhoek. While the fare here at The Kitchen is good and pleasant, the wine is much more exciting. The Maison wooded chenin, to highlight one, is outrageously delicious. You can buy cases of chenin, chardonnay, viognier and shiraz to take home.

The ambience

You enter from the palm garden to see ghost chairs, blonde wood tables, fine glass ‘science’ beakers and pale proteas, all in the impeccable Weylandts style. The diners seated around tables are classy and professional in the week, and slightly edgier on Saturdays.

The service

Sassy Lewis Ndlovu enjoys his job of running the small restaurant and it is a pleasure to quiz him about what’s happening in the environs. Very pleasant service with lots of information, if you want it.

Have you been to The Kitchen at Weylandts in Kramerville? Let us know what you thought by writing a quick review.