reuben's

we were quite looking forward to dining at reuben's, and decided to spend our last night in franschhoek here. we pre-booked, so were quite disappointed to arrive and be seated in the corner close to the kitchen entrance and bathrooms. two requests to be removed were met with "i'll see what i can do" and no follow-up. we also waited quite a while for someone to take our order. while i can understand that they may have wanted to go with a more casual dining experience, there are certain expectations at this price point. alas, this restaurant did not live up to them. the wait staff are either badly trained or we were in a position that was ignored; we barely saw our waitress and had empty glasses on the table for a while at some point.

we were presented with breads to start. the waitress had to be prompted to tell us what they were. neither was verygoodor memorable. the waitress didn't remove the plates when done, so we had to juggle the plates when starters arrived.

we went with the chicken livers and reuben's famous chilli salted squid for starters. the liver dish was pretty good, if a bit undersalted. a few more chicken livers would have been great. the same with the brioche, which was miles ahead of the starter breads. we've had the squid at the cape town reuben's before, and really enjoyed it. this one didn't measure up; it was very oily and left an unpleasant finish, as if it had been fried in old oil. the herbs accompanying the squid were nice and fresh-tasting in comparison.

the wait for the main was very long, with no attendance from the waitress in that time nor a reason for the wait. when it i eventually arrived, it thankfully didn't disappoint. the chateaubriand was excellent, certainly in the top 3 i've had in sa; it was perfectly cooked with a nice char on the outside, and very flavourful. it does however come at a price, r245, which is quite a bit more than most high-end restaurants. it was served with 4 (yes, just 4) triple-cooked chips, a small herb salad, and bearnaise sauce which was quite good. the lasagne was nice if undersalted, and could have done with more mushrooms to balance the sweet butternut. but overall a pleasant dish. it was also just warm rather than hot, but hunger kept us from sending it back.

we decided to go for desserts. the mango parfait wasn't nearly asgoodas the salted caramel dessert; the mango flavours were quite muted. the salted caramel dessert was excellent, with the chocolate elements in the plate shining.

we would return, if reuben's is here as we hear the quality is better when he's around.
we should add that several tables emptied out during the course of the night, but not once did anyone ask if we still wanted to move.

i've been wanting to try reuben's for years and was very excited when we could get a table today. i must say i was disappointed. the food wasgoodand the portions were big, but the flavors just didn't complement as perfectly as i've come to expect from fine dining. in some cases the elements were a unbalanced, such as in my starter which had so much goats cheese but so few other elements to eat it with. the restaurant feels quite cold and the ambiance seemed to lack the buzz i would expect from such a famous restaurant. i did like the little soup and waffles store they set up outside though, that was a nice touch for passers by.

beautifully decorated restaurant that was buzzing with people. our waiter, claud, was stunning and ensured our wine and water glasses were never empty. he recommended reuben’s signature starter of the chili salted squid and i am so glad i ordered it!! it was quite large so for my main i had the poke bowl, which was a deconstructed take. it was okay but i found that there were too many elements all over the plate and some of the flavour combinations were not my taste. the cheese board is stunningly presented but you should be warned that these are some strong cheeses. overall it was agoodexperience but my main let me down, i would say it was poor food selection on my part.

spent a week in the cape with my parents coming down from austria. we were based in franschhoek so a stop at reuben's was a must. for me this was the second time there and i must say that in an entire week filled with gastronomic adventure galore, this was the one disappointment.
the food was good. that's straight off the bat. not asgoodas it's said to be, though. and definitely not compared to some of the other restaurants in the area we visited.
the service, however, was downright terrible. the only bad experience we had in a week touring the cape. the front of house is a complete disaster. the manager is doubling up as a waiter and has no time directing the waitrons (or making the guests feel welcome). waitrons seem not to care too much about visiting patrons. our waiter in particular made us wait for everything and showed us no attention whatsoever. the whole atmosphere was flat. all staff run around with automaton faces. nobody smiles. very disappointing.
my advice for mr riffel: write even more cookbooks and do spice ads. your fire as a restauranteur is out. milk it while it lasts.

we enjoyed the night out, the service was good, i enjoyed the chilli calamari as a appetizer and the calf's liver as a main. the liver was cooked to perfection. all together an enjoyable relaxing eveninggoodfood and wine.

we have been wanting to try reubens for a while, and finally got to go, however i was disappointed. not to get me wrong, the food is good, remembering that it is fine dining so, the flavours can be unusual, but that doesn't take anything away from thegoodquality. the dessert was incredible - probably the best dessert i have ever had. saying all of this, the restaurant lacks atmosphere. there is nothing special about the set up and i genuinely believe that a dinner encompasses an entire experience, so the atmosphere is really important. overall, i would much rather try le quartier francaise the next time i am in franschhoek.

was really looking forward to eating at reuben's, and can say i really enjoyed the experience. my expectations were high going in which is always dangerous, nevertheless my starter was good, being the prawns, main was the sirloin which wasgoodas well although at times felt a bit stringy. on the positive side portions were really healthy, the best though without a doubt was desert, the creme brûlée was exquisite!! 😀. service was also efficient and friendly. i would recommend going there, but for me it wouldn't necessarily be a must return or a seasonal favorite.

visited reuben's when it was lesser known a few years ago and have fond memories.. but the standard has not been maintained. i think the chef is benefiting from his now famous name and maybe not spending enough time in the kitchen? all in all a pleasant experience but unspectacular bar the great deserts (salty caramel tarte and creme brullee).goodstarters and boring and dry main course (tuna). nice setting under the tree in the courtyard. friendly staff.goodwine list. still agoodplace to eat but a lot of competition in that neighbourhood and not asgoodas it could be...

food was tasty but certainly not exceptional. had the lunch menu which was quite small and specials of day v ltd ( just 2 items). quite a lot of menu was fried aka tempura but it was basic friedgoodnothing tempura in sight.. for a r135 prawn starter i expected a little more!

the service was quite slow and plates were not efficiently removed after eating. at other tables dirty dishes were not cleared away for more than 30 mins. this is a poor show in an upmarket establishment. perhaps rueben should spend a little more time in his restaurant .

simpler design then the shop in paternoster but still the same fantastic food and service.

reuben's portion size, makes at least two courses a must and the prices are higher then your average place but you get what you pay for. the quality is is asgoodas you will find in cape town.

although this may not be you weekly restaurant of choice, it is certainly one that you have to visit.

verygoodservice and wonderfull food. love the set up of tables outside, really romantic. will go again.

all roundgoodfood, service and of course wine list! pop in if you get the chance. i had the pork belly - yum - and the lady had risotto. i wasn't blown away by the risotto i must admit. it is strange that these very fancy restaurants can be slightly bland when it comes to the overall vibe if the place. haute cuisine can be enjoyed with some exciting music too ;)