Chef Franck Dangereux was probably born famous, and hasn’t stopped since. His legendary Chef’s Table at Foodbarn in Noordhoek is one of the most sought-after food and wine pairings in the Cape and having had the pleasure once, I can but dream of a repeat experience.
This is an epicurean thrill of the highest order – pricy, but oh so worth it. My advice to you is to make a day of it, and book that uber, darlin’, you’ll want to bask in the afterglow for as long as you can.
Click here to view the menu and photos from the most recent Chef’s Table with Avondale Wine:
Foodbarn Chef’s Table with Avondale menu and photos
Reaching out to Franck’s business partner Pete de Bruin about this season’s offerings, I received a friendly email with the following information:
‘A good few years ago now, we sat down with an old mate of ours who had just released his maiden vintages from the Napa Valley in California. We each contributed something from our cellars … and, we ate, we tasted, we compared, we laughed, we enjoyed, we even got deep and meaningful … and we finished late! Our now very popular Chef’s Table was born.
It sounds so easy … we ask our winemaker mates to select the wines they would like to showcase. We taste, Cheffy gets inspired, a menu evolves, and the scene is set for our next memorable adventure.
Both Franck and the winemaker spend the afternoon with us … old vintages bring back memories, and new vintages provide an excuse to fill up the cellar. Franck is in his element and these afternoons provide a unique opportunity for him to push his creative boundaries, test new dishes and just have a damn fine time.’
Touché. As affable as he is passionate, Franck’s food is light yet intensely flavoured, modern yet steeped in the classic French tradition, unmistakably Provencal yet with an entirely unique Cape influence.
A magical, magnificent experience and a must in your dining-out diary.
For more info visit the website Chef’s Table with Chef Franck Dangereux at Foodbarn
The Chef’s Tables scheduled for this summer are:
Friday 5th October 2018: Avondale … check out the menu and pics from the day
Friday 9th November 2018: Cape Point Vineyards … check out the menu
Friday 7th December 2018: Beaumont Family Wines
Friday 18th January 2019: Elemental Bob
Friday 15th February 2019: Raats Family Wines
Friday 29th March 2019: Cathy Marshall Wines
Friday 26th April 2019: Bouchard Finlayson
MENU FOR FRIDAY 9 NOVEMBER WITH CAPE POINT VINEYARDS
on arrival: cpv cape town 2018
noordhoek sauvignon blanc 2011 / 2017
atlantic oysters, kelp cured trout, roe, sea water & seaweed vinegar
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sauvignon blanc reserve 2014/ 2017
asparagus & parmesan tart, poached quail egg, noisette butter hollandaise
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isliedh 2013
the fallen apple, with quail confit & rosemary butter
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isliedh 2017
red mullet taco, whipped miso, yuzu & truffle crème fraiche
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semillon 2007
charred duck, kalamata tapenade, turnips clafouti, burnt orange
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nlh 2011
gorgonzola brik, guava butter jam, bitter leaves
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Friday 9th November 2018
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R1,100 all in
MORE ABOUT CHEF FRANCK:
His training and background is classy and classic, starting in the kitchens of the late and legendary chef Roger Vergé in Nice.
Chef Franck Dangereux was born in Cannes and his early years were surrounded by flavour. “My earliest memories are strongly connected to food… My gran who lived in Nice cooked delicious food for us – rabbit with red wine, cep mushrooms and prunes. Asparagus with a vinegary, creamy sauce, strawberries with homemade custard.”
At 15 he started at the Nice Hotel School and then trained with Roger Vergé of Moulin de Mougins. After stints at two Michelin 3-star restaurants in Paris, Franck travelled to St Bart in the Caribbean where he started a laidback restaurant at the top of a hill. Further travels lured him to Cape Town where after working with Franck Swainston at Uitsig, he started La Colombe where he was placed 28th on the list of the world’s 50 best restaurants. Quite an achievement, yet his approach is philosophical… “It is not about the winning of awards, but the enjoyment of cooking. The award should really go to the patrons who walk through the door” he says.
For Franck, The Foodbarn is an incredibly exciting challenge at a new stage in his life… “Pete and I own this place; it is our hard earned cash that is invested here. At the same time, we are also motivated by spending time with our families. This is quite something to juggle but there is less pressure and more fun. I want to train my team to become passionate about food… they are keen to learn”.
ABOUT CO-FOUNDER PETE DE BRUIN
Pete de Bruin has always had a passion for people, food and restaurants. While studying and to make extra money, he worked at a number of Cape Town eateries where the experience gained and the people he worked with would prove to be a catalyst for returning to the industry he loves many years later.
It was after a hectic evening service at his first restaurant in Hout Bay that Pete and Franck met… “I could not speak French and his English was really bad …. but after a couple of tots of Jose Cuervo Gold and some delicious calamari, we were communicating. By the end of the evening, we had decided to open a restaurant!”
Pete was offered a job with an international IT consulting firm where his career took off, but after 15 years, he was sick of travel and corporate life – it was time to get out.
They saw the site where The Foodbarn is currently located on the Wednesday, an offer was made on the Friday and on the Monday, it was accepted by the previous owners.
A born networker, and a passionate ideas man, his re-inception into the hospitality sector has been a phenomenal experience. “Walking through The Foodbarn, enjoying my guests’ company and being a great host, is when I am happiest”.
BOOK: Foodbarn restaurant: +27 (0)21 789 1390
