Jan 26, 2025 4 min read South Africa

South Africa | Farm-to-table Lunch at Chefs Warehouse Maison (with video)

You know one of those places you find on social media, you start following so you don’t forget about it, it’s on the other side of the planet but you still add it to your extensive “to go to list” and then, years later, you truly get to go and experience it?

That was Maison Winery for me, one of the most beautiful estates in Franschhoek. I started following their account many years ago and always wanted to go. And this is how I made a dream come true during our 2024 Spring break in South Africa.

If you ever dreamed of having the most luxurious African winery experience, this is absolutely the place to go. You can go there for wine tasting, for a meal or as an accommodation. It was quite close to Mont Rochelle where we were staying and we could not miss the opportunity to head there for a late lunch, after an indulgent wine tasting nearby at Tokara.

As soon as we parked the car and started walking towards the restaurant, we were greeted by the warmest Spring sun with the golden light beaming through the leaves of the majestic trees.

As we are in an open Estate, we get to have an immediate contact with nature with ponies and chickens all around, giving us a such a welcoming and rustic vibe.

The spot is quite scenic. Aside from the aforementioned trees, you picnic-style tables meant to share experiences with friends and strangers and a restaurant that is completely open to the estate, giving an indoors outdoors cosy ambiance.

We were welcomed by a very warm staff. We dove into a full tapas menu with no hesitation lest not before ordering a bottle of the bubbliest of wines. How wonderful it was to enjoy the crispness of the sparkling wine in such a warm Spring afternoon.

Maison's focus on locally sourced and organic products jumps from the scenery to the table. Here are a few of the many dishes we feasted on: Asparagus with fermented shiitake, sunflower seeds, lemon and sunchoke | Game fish sashimi with Mango | Fried Amadumbe (a cross between potato and sweet potato which you can only find in Africa) | Crayfish Bisque Risotto with fennel, fennel dill and pumpkin seeds | Oxtail with Cauliflower, 12-month gruyère velouté and radishes | The Karoo Lamb Rib with celeriac and smoked ricotta | A spicy fish and rassam soup with nori, seaweed and sea spaghetti | Braised lamp pithiviers on a bed of rocket/arugula