It’s been a while now since our holiday to South Africa, but the memories of some of the food we ate during our trip still feel fresh!

One of the best meals we ate was when we were staying in Franschhoek. We’d arrived at our accommodation in the late afternoon and were pretty hungry, despite gorging on some of the free cookies left in our room by the lovely owner.

We were in the mood for a big meal and luckily the owner of The Garden House in Franschhoek had already booked us into the French Connection Brasserie, a gorgeous little restaurant within easy walking distance of where we were staying.

It was clear when we walked in that the brasserie was popular with locals as well as tourists, which is always a good sign. It was fortunate that we’d booked as the place was packed to the rafters, creating a noisy, buzzy atmosphere.

After gorging on some freshly baked, piping hot French bread with butter, we set about ordering. I was craving mussels, and so opted for moules marinieres with frites. The portion size did not let me down! I was presented with a bowl of steaming hot mussels, drenched in an indulgent creamy, garlicky sauce. The chips were spot on as well; crispy, hot, and fluffy in the middle.

Just a modest meal..!

Kyle went for a steak and it came perfectly cooked. The steaks at the French Connection are A-grade meat, hung for a week and wet-aged for another two weeks. It was clear from the taste the care and love that had been put into the preparation of the meat.

Since we were so hungry, we also ordered a bowl of onion rings, a side dish sometimes done so badly but here done to perfection. The batter was dark, crispy, and not soggy in the slightest, and the onions inside tender.

It was with some disappointment that we were unable to manage pudding. I had noticed the crème brulee on the menu and was keen to order it, but the generous nature of the mains had left me pretty much unable to move (and the delicious white wine we ordered may have contributed to this!)

Good wine and good food guaranteed

If you happen to be passing through or staying in Franschhoek and want a filling meal that doesn’t skimp on quality ingredients, and doesn’t sacrifice service or atmosphere either, look no further than the French Connection. It says something that we can still remember this meal in detail 18 months on!