Fyndraai At Solms-Delta, Franschhoek

Fyndraai At Solms-Delta

Situated on the Solms-Delta wine estate at entrance to the Franschhoek (French Corner) valley you will find the fyndraai (fine turn) restaurant. This is a fine turn indeed as the setting is unbelievable. There is an abundance of trees and the squirrels run around making sure not to be captured on film. The flies were out in abundance but when I mentioned this, the waiter immediately brought out a fly lamp which discouraged most of the flies. This is the one downside to sitting outside on a working wine farm. I could have chosen to sit indoors in the restaurants, but hot days are few and far between in winter and I really wanted to enjoy the sunshine.

Food

There is a lovely variety of choices including a tapas menu and a picnic menu at R145 per person (pre booking essential). The meal starts with fresh crusty rolls and this influenced my decision to have the soup of the day. It was a creamy seafood soup which was distinctly fishy but not very hot (to the touch). It is built on a prawn stock and was served with 2 slivers of calamari, 2 soft prawns and a tasty mussel. The soup is flavoured with balsamic vinegar and garnished with fresh herbs. For dessert I chose the orange blossom flavoured crème brûlée served with a chilled fruit stew and a lemon and rose petal sorbet (as described on the menu). There was a distinct lemon flavour in the sorbet, and a rose water syrup on the plate together with chocolate sauce, and a berry coulis. The chocolate had no place on the plate and added nothing to the dessert. The coulis tasted like old fashioned strawberry jam and complimented the biscuit crumble under the sorbet. The candied lemon peel on top of the crème brûlée was bitter and I didn’t eat more than a small nibble of one. The sugar had a wonderful ‘nearly burnt’ caramel flavour and the custard was smooth and soft with a floral note. I suspect that it was rose water and not orange blossom that was used to flavour the dessert. Sadly, the fruit stew was actually fresh fruit and this made the dessert feel like two separate dishes on one plate.

Wine

The wine list encompasses wines only from the estate and all are available at either the per bottle or per glass option. Prices range from reasonable to expensive so I am sure you will find something to suit your pocket. As I was dining alone, and it was lunch time, I did not have any wine with my meal.

Service

Iced water was brought to the table straight away, without me having to ask for it, which I found a nice touch. The service is friendly and polite and I was asked before the table was cleared if this was OK. The kitchen is slow so don’t be in a rush if you want to eat there.

Ambiance

The menu is written in a mixture of English and Afrikaans, with a glossary of terms provided, and this sets the scene for a traditional Cape Winelands dining experience.

And…

The price list is a bit out of date which is frustrating when two of the items on the drinks menu are no longer available. The restaurant makes use of indigenous herbs and plants grown on the farm. It is the perfect setting for an alfresco meal when the weather permits.

Telephone Number: +27 21-874-3937

Fyndraai is open: Monday to Sunday lunch only

Average main course: R116

Corkage: not listed and I suspect you will not be able to bring your own wine!

Food type: mix of old style Cape Cuisine and Modern Cooking

Take a look at what was previously posted on Lavender and Lime on June 19:

• three years ago – Bake A Savoury Tart

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