Cape Town and the Cape Winelands

At around T-45, we headed out for the short walk to Gate A9, where boarding was just about to start.  

San Francisco-Dubai
Emirates EK 226
A380-800
4:45P-7:35P +1 (sked)
4:45P-6:45P +1 (actual)
March 16, 2015
First Class Suites 2K and 3K

Even though there were only 5 other First Class passengers and a Gate Agent acknowledged our First Class boarding passes, we all queued in the same line with Business Class and EK elites.  Not so premium.

Once on board though, we were each personally escorted to our suites, 2K and 3K.

We typically choose the middle two seats but wanted to try the brighter and more spacious window seats this time.

A happy Mrs. SFO with thoughts of United but a distant memory.

Pre-departure champagne. But no Dom on ground.

OK, that's a long way!

Arabic coffee and dates.

​

On time departure and only 15 hours today.

Nice views of the city as we depart 28R.

And our old Marina neighborhood.

After take-off, my usual G&T.

And today's menu starting with the bar. 

​

And the menu menu.

Time for a glass of Dom.

Showtime.

Caviar to start.

And a very nice fresh garden salad.

With a glass of the pleasant 2010 Mount Eden Chardonnay.

Thai-style marinated beef starter, served on a bed of sesame-seasoned egg noodles accompanied by mango and papaya salsa.

​

And the 2012 Paul Hobbs Pinot.

For my main, the Nilgiri chicken cooked in a rich coriander and mint-flavoured spiced curry sauce served with palak paneer and basmati rice.

For dessert, the delicious wild berry and vanilla cinnamon crisp with fresh berry coulis. And my own cool mini-tube bottle of the wonderful 2002 Chateau Girard Sauternes.

After dinner and another movie, time to visit the fabulous A380 lavs.  Pics from a previous flight.

Another great feature of the A380 is the Business Class lounge.  Again, pics from previous flights.

And the mini-F bar at the front of the cabin in between the two lavs.

With only 7 pax, I asked our FA to make up my bed in 4K, where I slept solidly for 5 hours.   Mrs. SFO slept for 8 hours.  

About 90 minutes out, French Toast for breakfast.

Today's route was directly over the pole.

And 15 hours after take-off, a beautifully smooth landing at DXB.

We checked in, dropped our bags, refreshed up and headed down one level to the Emirates First Class Lounge.  It's the old FLC but still very nice and with a wonderful staff.  

And for the grandkids next time.  ;)

After our meal, we headed down one level to the main concourse to explore. Like the Terminal and concourse itself, everything is open 24 hours a day.

We went up to our room for a little sleep and shower.  And returned at 2AM where the place was a busy as at 8PM.

After Mrs. SFO got her Starbucks fix, we headed back up to the FCL for breakfast.

Arrival was a breeze. Fortunately, we arrived at a real gate and no a tarmac position like so many other airlines we saw.  

Passport control was easy as we were the only international flight arriving late morning.

We met our guide/driver Dave just outside customs and headed outside for the hour drive to Franschhoek.

So cool to pass the set of "Black Sails" which is being filmed in Cape Town.

The picturesque drive to the Winelands.

And the lovely Yountville-like town of Franscchoek.

To tony La Residence, our home for the next two days.

Cuter than Bambi springbok, which is everywhere on the menu here.

Gorgeous grounds and hotel.

[B]La Residence
Franschhoek, South Africa[/B]

Our Suite 9, the Armani Suite.

The spectacular view from our suite.

We both lay down to try to a power nap before we headed out to dinner.  However, about 20 minutes later, a worker bee decided to rev up his humongous and loud hedge trimmer.  LOL.

Off to the pool for some peace and quiet... and gorgeous scenery.

Back at our suite.  Dinner!

For dinner tonight, we had a reservation at Foliage, one of Franschhoek's hot new restaurants.  Celebrated chef/owner Chris Erasmus opened his own place only 6 months ago.  In a word:  Spectacular.

Chris is into foraging and his dishes feature fresh local ingredients with some amazing, indeed orgasmic taste combinations.   

Tonight's wonderful menu.

We both started with the amazing Curry-seared yellowfin tuna, basil and lime crushed potatoes, warm chili and tomato vinaigrette.

As Chris is still waiting for his liquor permit, we BYOB'd from the hotel.  I selected the 2014 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay from nearby Hemel-en-Aarde Valley.  One of the most incredible Chardonnays from anywhere in the past year.  

Mrs. SFO's pan fried smoked cauliflower, watermelon glaze, beets and cashews was divine.

My slow roasted pasture fed pork belly, dandelion and pumpkin seed crushed potatoes, mushroom purée and wilted wild greens was fabulous.

And finally dessert. O-M-G.  

Honey roasted peaches, walnut frangipane, mint bouchu panna cotta, almond and white chocolate velouté was to die for.

As was the Caramelia délice, salted peanut butter, macerated strawberries and honey comb.

This was one of the best meals of the year.  But the most shocking part of this was the price, thanks to the strength of the USD and/or weakness of the Rand.  
Excluding wine and tip, our amazing meal cost a grand total of 623 ZAR which converted to US$51.70.  Simply unbelievable.

For dinner tonight, we are off for a gastro experience at the restaurant named "Best in Africa" and one of San Pellegrino's Top 50 restaurants in the world.  Kudos to La Residence staff who worked the wait list and got us in tonight! 

Dutch-born chef Margo Janse prepares a 9 course African-inspired menu which can apparently change each day. Janse is immensely talented and heavy into presentation and showmanship. The result is a visual and gastro treat that is unlike anything we have ever experienced. As if preparing one 9 course menu like this is hard enough, she actually prepares two as there is a different one for both man and woman. It borders on the insane.

Tonight's first amuse-bouche including foie gras wafers.

The second amuse-bouche was an amazing onion chip with "black pepper" or "cocaine" as one of the wait staff joked.

Delicious corn bread in a very creative presentation.

In an attempt to rein in the drinking, we declined the wine pairing and ordered a single bottle of wine, a delicious 2013 Ataraxia from the same Hemel-en Aarde valley as last night's Hamilton Russell. 

The first official course was "Eugenia, pistachio and fig" with a showtime presentation including frozen eugenia powder.

Next, Mrs. SFO had the Tomato Confit and potatotumble wood, buchu.

While I had "broccoli, broccoli, broccoli".

Next, we both had the delicious Octopus, radish, cucumber, sorrel nori.

Margot's humor with a glass of unfiltered Bandito. Fun label.

Next, Mrs. SFO had the lovely salmon trout, red cabbage, spansek.

While I was stuck with the "Paternoster", salted farmed kabeljou, black mussel, charcoal. Prepared souvide. Yikes. Not my cup of tea.

Mrs. SFO had the Joostenberg vlatke duck in salt, boere kinders, buckwheat, kapokbos.

While I enjoyed the Paradyskloof quail's nest, buffalo yoghurt, braised seeds.

At this point, I joked that I'm sure that "game is coming really soon". To which Mrs. SFO stated "I ain't eatin' no skippy-doo". Next up for me was a Baleni salt and kapokbos peach, peached roasted in a salt crust

Which then became part of the confit pig with mung bean, sunflower, artichoke petals and fynbos caramel. Where does she come up with these??

Naturally, Mrs. SFO was promptly served "skippy-doo" and the rather strong version. LOL. Her mushroom and cocoa nib eland, brinjal, parsnip, sorghum. I was forced to trade plates. Happy wife, happy life.

And finally, our cheese courses. Dalewood languedoc custard, vinegar flings, leeks.

And "Udderly delicious caciotta", quince, fermented turnip, smoked honey.

Dessert including the incredible "Snow globe", num num, ginger, coco pops.

And the amazing Baobab, coconut, honeybrush, caramel.

And a second or third dessert.

What a amazing show, delicious food and some of the most creative, spectacular and indeed insane presentations and combinations I have ever tasted. But this is not a restaurant where you go back on a regular basis. It is an over the top once in a lifetime experience. But worth the experience if you are in the Cape Winelands.

At the end of the evening, we were presented with our menus documenting what we had just experienced. Simply wow. And all for roughly $90 per person including wine.