Rossouws Restaurants

Adding two real French people to Franschhoek (bringing the quotient to… four or six?) are the charming David and Celine who previously ran Mon Plaisir on the bottom of the Hartenberg Road. Now at the Chamonix Winery, they have called the renovated place Mon Plaisir (again) and are cooking the same real bistro grub with heart. While you may get fancier food elsewhere, it would be hard to find such a genuine menu. After house-baked bread and an aubergine “caviar” we moved on to a frog leg starter (braised in butter and garlic) and a duck terrine. Both were very good, full of flavour. Mains were a kingklip with aioli and veg (good) and beef bourgignon (well cooked, though could have had more depth of flavour); and desserts were rhum baba (a real classic, capably presented, though huge) and a fantastic chocolate biscuit with liquid chocolate filling. Portions are big, and if that’s not enough, they bring sublime macaroons and madeleines to end the meal. Plus there’s a well-priced French wine list to supplement the Chamonix range. We need scores of these places, owner operated, food that’s seasonal and authentic.