Food and Fun in South Africa's Franschhoek Valley
August 24, 2010 By: Jena Tesse Fox
If your foodie clients are South Africa-bound, suggest they visit Le Quartier Français, a boutique hotel in the Franschhoek wine valley. "Foodies choose restaurants first, before hotels," owner Susan Huxter (pictured, right, with hotel chef Margot Janse) told us when she came by our New York offices today--but at Le Quartier Français, they'll do well either way.
The hotel's Tasting Room restaurant placed 31st in San Pellegrino's list of the Top 50 Restaurants in the World, and chef Margot Janse was the only woman on the list. (For the record, they placed higher than French Laundry.) Janse's menu, Huxter told us, is African-inspired, and she is gradually eliminating all non-African ingredients from the kitchen. (Look for an all-African menu by the end of the year.)
But beyond gourmet dining in the restaurant, the hotel is helping the community eat as well. The kitchen provides nutritious muffins for more than 100 local schoolchildren every day—and for some of these kids, Huxter added, it's the only meal they get. Visitors to the hotel can help bake and deliver the muffins to the children in the schools.
Other activities at the hotel include a visit to the prison where former President Nelson Mandela spent his last few years under arrest (visitors can see the lemon tree he planted there—perhaps a symbol of how he handled the lemons life handed him). Next month, the hotel will celebrate the local vineyards' new vintages with a wine tour and specially discounted bottle prices for guests.
For more information about Le Quartier Français, visit www.lequartier.co.za.
