Le Quartier Français

Le Quartier Français Review

Part of the Relais & Châteaux group, this classy guesthouse exuding privacy and peace is a Winelands favorite. Rooms in two-story whitewashed cottages face a pool deck and central garden exploding with flowers. Decor is vibrant, with rustic furniture, sponge-painted walls, colorful drapes, and small fireplaces. Upstairs rooms have timber beams and mountain views, and suites have private pools. So which awards hasn't the restaurant won? None, by the looks of it, but chef Margot Janse and her team aren't resting on their laurels. You can eat at the Tasting Room, a formal restaurant, or the relaxed iCi ($-$$). Either way you won't likely be disappointed—unless you don't make reservations. Favorites from the iCi menu include the lamb burger with marinated tomatoes, pickled cucumber, and avocado, and the wild-mushroom-and-preserved-lemon risotto. The Tasting Room ($$$$; no dinner Sunday) offers four-course meals (excluding wine) for R490, six courses for R610 and eight courses for R760. This is foodie territory—words like ballotine and rillette sprinkle the menu, but just ignore the complicated terminology and enjoy the creations on your plate. These could include inventive dishes like a roulade of sugar-cured tuna, salmon, and Alaskan snow crab; prawn tartare with horseradish cream; or crisp salmon trout with tomatoes, anchovy-and-basil terrine, and crushed potatoes. As you enter the boldly colored dining room, look for the exotic candelabras, made by iThemba, an organization providing employment for HIV-positive women.