Eating a lion's share at Deux Lions, Franschhoek

 12 June 2025

 

DEUX LIONS

La Bourgogne farm, Excelsior Road, Franschhoek.

 

Two days ago, Deux Lions was unknown to me and today we had one of the best lunch experiences ever.

 

We’d planned on having lunch at La Motte’s Garden Café, which is adamantly not pet friendly but when we saw the happy excitement of the pooches when they realised we’d be going out, we couldn’t bear to leave them behind in our guest farm room. We checked with Deux Lions that the Yorksters would be welcome (they are quite enthusiastic  about it) and the foursome headed out to what turned out to be the most splendid of lunches on the most glorious of days.

 

The four of us were in Franschhoek for a mini break and on the previous day we’d been on an excursion on roads hitherto  untravelled around the town and passed, amongst other places, Deux Lions.

 

Von-Mari mentioned that it was a highly regarded restaurant yet we’ve been coming to Franschhoek for just over 20 years and I’d never heard of it.

 

The restaurant has a lovely, chic, modern yet homey  indoors space, with deli and merch, but the real deal is the vast acreage outside with tables on a pebbled surface, sumptuous lawn, framed by still mostly verdant trees though there was a continuous leafy expectoration and an ambling brook on the one side, with some tables along the bank.

 

If ever the word “bucolic” applied, it’s this scene.

 

There was Yorkie room to roam, fortunately there weren’t too many other patrons and those who were there appeared to regard the dogs fondly.

Deux Lions offers a Winter Menu of 2 courses for R280,00 and 3 courses for R370,00 and this is a steal; seriously good value for money given the vast portions. It also includes a glass of estate wine.

 

Von-Mari opted for a 3-course spread of Asian beef steak bowl,  veal ossobuco and a chocolate brownie with chocolate sauce and ice cream.

 

I wasn’t too hungry and decided to have just two starters: Asian glazed pork belly squares (R125) and curried octopus (R155). Von-Mari thought this might be too little and we shared the bread course of freshly baked brioche, rosemary crackers, olive butter and farm olives.

 

The brioche was like a suppler “mosbollletjie” bread and the olives  were next level toothsome.  A most impressive bread course.

Von-Mari laughed a tad nervously when the Asian steak bowl was put down in front of her. Shurely shome mishtake, she whispered, I ordered a starter? No mistake, this gargantuan measure of food was the starter but could easily be a main course in many restaurants.

After the bread and the starter, Von-Mari feared that she might not be able to manage the ossobuco but she was a trooper and conquered that too. The veal was super succulent, flavourful and so tender  she could comfortably cut it with one hand, given that Prinses, tired of roaming, had insisted on being picked up and held on Von-Mari’s other arm.

The creamy polenta custard was unusual yet still very yummy. It had a custardy flavour that was a tad too desert-like for her preferences.

 

My two starters were served at the same time as Von-Mari’s main, and here, too, I thought I was getting two main courses.

 

The pork belly was sublime; tender, succulent and with a deeply flavourful glaze, and the perfect accompaniments  of vegetable sauté, candies garlic, Teriyaki and sweet soy.  that made the palate do a jitterbug. By far the best pork belly dish I’ve had in a long while, that’s not from Saigon.  

The octopus dish was a funny one. The small blocks of octopus, mixed with coriander, yoghurt, crisp onion, aioli and a tomato, onion and avocado salsa were delightfully  fresh, light and reminiscent of superb ceviche, with perfectly cooked octopus. Very little, if any, curry. That flavour is in the stack of lentils in the centre of the presentation, which seemed to have been beamed in from another universe. The sharp curry bite that was completely at odds with the seafood. For the life of me, I can’t see how the chef could think that the disparate textures and flavours are complementary.  I didn’t mix the two parts of the dish, as the lentils would’ve overpowered the seafood, and the lentils lingered on the palate long after we’d left the restaurant, even though I’d had dessert. Not good.

The brownie dessert was very good and also a huge portion; Von was unable to finish it. 

My choice was the red wine spiced poached pear (R95), which was the perfect light,

fruity and delectable full stop to a highly satisfactory lunch.

 

The bill, including sparkling water, a mimosa, a beer and two cappuccinos, came to R1134,00 before tip.

 

As mentioned, having essentially two main courses and a generous dessert when you take the 3-course menu, is one of the best deals ever, given the superb quality of the cooking but ordering a la carte is on a par; it seems that you need to arrive with a significant appetite and a capacity for consuming with gusto.  

 

We’d been fortunate to hit Franschhoek during probably the best week of early Winter and it was absolutely wonderful to chow down on such exquisite nosh in one of the most beautiful garden settings it’s been my pleasure to experience. The dining room is luxurious too and would probably be as welcoming on a cold, wet day.

 

I think I’ve found a new favourite restaurant in Franschhoek.