Set inside a boutique guest house at the top of Franschhoek’s
main road is Ryan’s Kitchen.
A simple name for an establishment that serves the kind of
food that, you guessed it, Chef Ryan serves. A long-time dream of having his
own spot has come true in the form of this gastronomic treat.
I have to say my hair was blown back to say the least. He
has a flair for taking local ingredients and turning them into interesting and
beautifully crafted works of taste-sensation.
Food
Stop reading now if you are scared of any sort of culinary
fabulosity. I am going to give you my
step-by-step experience.
Chef’s appetiser… from the lab: A test tube of smoking frozen basil juice, a spicy
tomato foam, cheese and potato puff and some butternut and ginger juice (also
in a test tube). True story!
2: A sugar and seaweed cannelloni roll filled
with lighter than light sea-flavoured espuma – magical. Served with perfect
chunks of pickled fish and crisp pickled vegetables.
3: A ‘melktert’ made with duck stock and my
favourite dish. An absolute corker, eye-rollingly delicious. It comes with
tastier than tasty shredded duck, green bean atchar and coconut cream.
4: Get this – a smoked snoek tapioca pudding
with a herby crust. I don’t know how he did it but it’s very strange (in a good
foodie way) and very delicious.
5: Springbok shank – sticky shank and
succulent loin with a rich jus and autumn purées. A good portion size with no
theatrics.
Dessert: Stunning pepperminty chocolate roll with caramel
mousse and Tennis Biscuit ice cream. Delish but I was an over-stuffed truffle
pig by this stage.
Check out the luscious gallery to see more of Ryan’s food.
Wine
We indulged in some stunning wines from the gentle giant Rob
Armstrong and the delicious Haute Espoir wines from Franschhoek but there is a wine
list.
From the wine guru (Cathy Marston’s lips) – ‘Pretty good
list, there is lots of Franschhoek but that is as it should be as your’re in the region. Standard
quality alternatives from outside the region and nice choices by the glass.
Prices are perfectly acceptable for a good quality restaurant.
Good for…
A fantastic foodie experience. For flavour, imagination and interesting technique. If you are a gourmand with a love for the wonderful, this needs to go on your foodie bucket list.