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 very good or 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 themainwas 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 as good as 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.

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 mymaini 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 a good experience but mymainlet me down, i would say it was poor food selection on my part.

we stayed over in franschoek for a night and decided to wander down themainstreet to see and decide which of the different restaurants we'd try for dinner. we found reuben's and decided to try it out. we had a great experience - the atmosphere was warm and inviting and the starters were simple but very sophisticated. the mains were interesting, especially the tempura vegetables that accompanied the chicken and prawn curry. overall, despite the slightly distant nature of the waitors, i'd recommend anyone try reuben's one night for dinner when you're in franschoek.

i had a fabulous dinner here over the weekend. delicious and beautifully presented food, great service and comfy chairs i might add. i enjoyed a chicken liver parfait for starters - the portion size was bigger than i expected, (far more than i could have eaten) but it was very tasty. mymainwas the pork belly which was fantastic. another highlight of the evening was being allowed a quick peek into the kitchen after service and meeting chef reuben himself! everyone at the table enjoyed their meals with lots of clean plates going back to the kitchen. i hope to go back!

i was really lucky to get to have dinner at reuben's this evening. the service was really good. we were served with a bread board before starters. i didn't have any but the rest of my table said the breads and spread were delicious.

i didn't have a starter but everyone that did raved about it. mymainwas the pan fried line fish. it was superb! such delicious, clean flavors and cooked to perfection. served hot too. i was very impressed.

for dessert i had the chocolate tart, it was very yummy but really rich.

portion sizes were really decent which i wasn't expecting but was very pleased with. and food was presented beautifully!

i will most certainly be back!

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,mainwas the sirloin which was good as 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.

this was by far one of the best meals i've ever come across. reuben riffel's signature restaurant is situated in the gorgeous franschoek. i was there on a cold, rainy winter's day and was welcomed by a roaring fire.

for starters i tried the chili salted squid which came with a fresh mint and radish salad and aioli. themaincourse of roasted kingklip and prawns with star anise cream, pesto tomatoes and greens were a wonderful winter warmer.

i almost didn't have space for dessert but who can resist apple pie? the granny smith tart tatin is pretty as a picture and equally delicious. it is served with butterscotch ice cream, bittersweet and crunchy almond praline, vanilla custard and caramel.

the meal didn't come cheap, at r400 for the three courses and a glass of house wine. it's worth every penny though.

friendly staff and well timed meal, with enough time given between each course. although the food was spectacularly presented, it lacked in flavour. i had the fish as amain- although soft, it was very bland. even the vegetables tasted like nothing. i left feeling disappointed - i was expecting much more!

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). good starters and boring and drymaincourse (tuna). nice setting under the tree in the courtyard. friendly staff. good wine list. still a good place to eat but a lot of competition in that neighbourhood and not as good as it could be...

impromptu lunch stop at reuben's in franschhoek, it was a mixed bag. my boyfriend and i have both had excellent meals here in the past. today though some dishes were standout, others not. the starter of peri peri livers with beetroot and walnuts was okay. it was an interesting flavour combination but just lacked that little bit extra to take it to another level. i scoffed down mymainwhich consisted of braised oxtail, mash and an avo salsa. it was delicious! my partner had the yellow fin tuna and anchovy butter, it too was okay. dessert was the restaurant's redeemer. i had salted caramel tart with a white chocolate ice cream, yum,yum. my partner's dessert was equally amazing! service was great, so too was the atmosphere.