Reuben's Franschhoek.
The first thing you notice when you walk in to Reuben’s in Franschhoek is the bar counter top.
It’s made from the wing of a DC3 aircraft. The aluminium has been polished to a shine and it really is a thing of beauty. You just want to caress its smooth cold shinyness with you hand. What’s this got to do with Reuben’s food? I dunno, but Reuben put the thing there, along with drawings and plans of the plane, blown up on the wall behind.
I was there on a sunny warm Sunday and we were seated indoors, as the outside area was going at full tilt. I wanted to remind myself of his food before he opens his brasserie in the One and Only.
Reuben’s mother bakes all the bread for the restaurant each morning. Family, team, friends, generosity; that’s Reuben.
And that’s the thing about Reuben and his approach; it’s all about the team. He never takes the accolades for his food. He attributes his success to his family, his employees, his friends and confidants and mentors in the industry. Richard Carstens and Christophe Dehosse are two respected chefs that have influenced him.
The food on the day I was there was just what I expected. Lots of full on flavours fought for attention, the plating was appealing and there were little surprises.
Chilli salted squid.
The apple and prune stuffed baby quail was ably assisted by pancetta, gingered chard,potato cream, oyster mushroom and citrus juice.
The herb roasted beef sirloin was top quality and the bearnaise sauce had been deep fried. Sounds weird I know, but it worked.
Here is a dessert I had; Pink lady apple, sorbet, apple crisps, compote, calvados apple butterscotch, sponge and pistachio streusel. That’s a hell of a lot of action on a plate.
This brings me to his new operation in the One and Only (reported here, on this blog, three whole weeks ago).
Pink lady sorbet dessert.
Reuben is no eedgit. He has an emotional intelligence that will allow him to get it right for both the tourists and the Capetonians. He knows the brasserie style will work. I can’t think of another Brasserie in Cape Town, so this will be a new experience. Characterised by simpler dishes and an informality, they’ll still be very flavorful, but you won’t get the half dozen elements fighting for attention on the plate.
Exciting times for Reuben.
Capetonians, fasten your seatbelts, this plane is about to land .
The man from Groendal is coming to Cape Town.
Reuben’s
18 Huguenot Road
Franschhoek
021 876 3772reservations@reubens.co.za
And, open from October 1st on, Reuben’s at the One and Only Cape Town.
021 431 5222 restaurantreservations@oneandonlycapetown.com
A DC3 aircraft.
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If Reuben can get the quality of service sorted out at his Franschhoek restaurant then maybe it will be worth it visiting his new venture at The One & Only when it comes to fruition…
Flowerpot, The service, when I ate there last Sunday, was phenomenal.Funnily enough, when Maze was open at thye One and Only, the only good thing about it was the service. I actually don’t believe that service is what this will be about. Reuben himself has identified the fact that the food has to be simple and fabulous.
Hi Clare,
I have eaten at Reuben’s twice. First time fantastic second time abysmal… I will not pay the amount of money that is charged for a dish simply because it is exceptional and just wave away the bad service as if it doesn’t exist. When one pays premium for a plate of exceptional food then one also expects to be served well. In short, a holistic experience.
One does not have to look far to see that service at Reuben’s in Franschhoek has been swinging from the high end of the excellent scale to the far low end of the very bad scale.
Lucky for you that you went there on a good day!
Hey clair I actully went to the new one last week in cape town but it was still under the running of the OneandOnly one thing I can say is wow wow It’s not really the food that did it for me but the staff I was served by a young Indian Called Bradley who was so Informative he new everything about Reubens and the city itself then came this lovely manager with a gold tooth which was rather odd but it was diffrent and I just fell inlove whith him he made our day very special I realy want to say Reubens has got one good team at One and Only
Hi Many,
I ate there today for lunch – the first day that Reuben’s has been in operation. I met Bradley and the man with the gold tooth, Norman actually. Yes I agree, the team there, employed by the O&O Hotel, are in a bit of a daze about Reuben. Their training and standards of service is impeccable, and they have been completely energised by Reuben.
I met Reuben also today, and I can really understand why the team are so “in the zone”. He has charisma, charm and a calm self reassurance that would soothe the most nervous of staff. Thanks for your coments and I am sure we wish Reuben and his team the best of success at the O&O.