“We want it to be like people coming to our house,” says Jason Whitehead, one half of the brother team behind Frères Bistro, which opened on Cape Town’s foreshore earlier this March. "With us cooking whatever is good and fresh on the day." Jason, who runs the bistro with brother Dylan, was actually on the lookout for a kitchen for catering, with a small café attached, when he found the space, adjacent to Col'Cacchio on Cape Town's foreshore.

The brothers aim not to import their ingredients and are instead seeking out small producers locally. “We’ve got some great sausages from Rudi Sausages in Paarl,” says Jason, and they also use 2013 Eat Out DStv Food Network Produce Award winners, Wild Peacock. As for fresh veggies, the Whitehead brothers aim to supply their kitchens entirely from their own organic garden in Newlands. “Now if I can just get my bull terrier to stop eating the tomatoes!” laments Jason.

Food
Wickedly delicious French comfort food is the order of the day at Frères. Lunch on a lamb ragout ‘calzone’ – which is part pie, part pizza – with its brioche pastry crust and scrumptious lamb mince filling, or a moreish French onion tart, loaded with tangy cheese and caramelised onions. Both are a little heavy on pastry, but come served with a perfect, light salad. Other options on the blackboard menu might include a seafood potato bake, pork rillette with crusty bread, or pancakes with four cheeses.

The dinner menu has some equally decadent offerings: signature dishes include French classics like duck confit, duck liver terrine and a Toulouse sausage and butterbean cassoulet. You might also find petit poussin with a white wine, rosemary, mushroom and green olive sauce, a sirloin with café de Paris butter, or crispy pork belly with apple on the menu.

For the price, portion sizes might seem a little on the small size, but this is rich, flavour-packed comfort food, so we suggest you attempt to eat like the French: decadently, but in moderation.

Still hungry? Don’t miss the chocolate mousse. Rich, dense and textured with ground chocolate, it’s a challenge for two and nigh impossible to finish alone.

Wine 
There’s a small but balanced list, with 11 or so options available by the glass. Ask your waiter’s advice regarding wine pairing: many of the wines have been selected to match the dishes.

Service
Friendly, quirky and eager to please.

Ambience
Set in a historic building complete with broekie lace, the refurbished space is trendy but approachable, like a hipster out for dinner with his mom and pop. Wooden tables and red and chocolate walls work well with gold feature lamps above and chocolate walls. Large windows let in plenty of light. This is a great venue for a business lunch by day, or a romantic (or rowdy) meal by night.

By Katharine Jacobs