Lunch at Smitten, Franschhoek

 SMITTEN

The Yard, 38 Huguenot Street, Franschhoek

We ate lunch here because it’s pet friendly (midweek mini break with the pooches) and because breakfast / brunch is served only until 12h00 and we missed the cut off point by minutes.

Smitten is quite elegant and luxurious, not the kind of restaurant I would’ve expected to be pet friendly, with two-person tables along the large side windows and larger tables with banquette seating at the back. The deli and door leading out to a courtyard are at the rear, almost hidden from view from the dining space.

The lunch dishes all read as very tempting, with the caveat that Smitten doesn’t seem like a casual dining spot and that the prices aren’t particularly budget friendly

Von-Mari ate penne with mushrooms and spinach (R160) with additional chicken (R55). It was superb; deeply flavourful, creamy and a total yumfest.

My choice was the humble chicken tikka slider with potato wedges (R149) and though the chicken was well cooked and the salad elements were fresh, the tikka masala was disappointingly missing in action. The wedges were perfectly cooked and well seasoned.

The rather pricey but very good coffee (R42 for cappuccino or flat white) is from Origin.

Von-Mari did a recce to the deli and reported back that what it offered was too expensive to merit a purchase.

The bill came to R490,00 before tip, which, on consideration, isn’t too horrendous given the quality of the food. However, my meal was considerably cheaper than the average main course.

Smitten is beautiful, the service was cheerful and efficient, the food was good and it’s very pet friendly.