the foodbarn

the foodbarn
noordhoek

yesterday we drove out to noordhoek. we have been looking forward to thefoodbarnfor a long while after reading a lot of good reviews. well we weren't disappointed at all. the main restaurant is in one of the old barns and the decor is perfect for this charming place.

our waitress, kirsten, was friendly,helpful and efficient. she explained the layout of the menu well and told us about the different fish that was available. even had a joke about a whale.

when our food arrived we were amazed. flavors were crisp and blended well together in all of our dishes. just the prawn fritters had an odd combination of red cabbage that didn't seem to gel.

no doubt will have to make plans to revisit this gem even though they are so far from us but worth the visit. thefoodbarngets an almost full set from me with 9.5 "teeth" out of 10

thefoodbarnis definitely one of the best places for fine dining in the south peninsula with such a stunning location! the restaurant has beautiful decor throughout and all of the staff are very welcoming.  the menu changes depending on the season which i really love because the food can never get boring. the presentation of each plate is absolutely exquisite. i couldn't find anything to fault with any of the incredible dishes. i had a three-course meal which consisted of a starter with glass noodles and rock lobster, a main of risotto with prawns and a hibiscus meringue with a lemon pannacotta topped with a raspberry compote. every mouthful of each dish was pure bliss. i will definitely go back for more and would love to do the full tasting menu. i highly recommend thefoodbarnif you are looking for incredible, high-quality food and an amazing fine dining experience which is not over priced at all.

t clo and waseem dawood treated me to dinner for my birthday. i was so excited to try thefoodbarnas their menu sounded exquisite and the reviews were excellent. i'm so glad we went, the food was delicious. i chose the ravioli for starters, every bite wall flavorful and unique. i have the risotto with prawns for mains, vest risotto i have ever had. i was lick to taste the sustainable fish which i absolutely loved and the lamb which lacked something but still tasty. i can't wait to go back!!!!!

thefoodbarnbreaks the mould on what a tasting and fine dining setting should be like. the classy with a tad rustic feel to the place makes you right at home the minute you walk in. the waiters are on the ball but remain balanced and are friendly and accommodating. i've been twice, once had the tasting menu and once the a la carte menu. the a la carte menu is fantastic and they make it so hard to choose as everything is absolutely delicious, i had the baby squid to start which was fresh and delicious and the karoo lamb for main- which was well rounded, wholesome and cooked to perfection. the tasting menu was also sensational with so many different flavours in such a friendly environment which really lets you enjoy your time there. would definitely recommend it and well worth the mission of getting there

hearty, unpretentious and utterly delicious - our lunch at thefoodbarnwas the best we've had in cape town. the seafood soup was simply out of this world - fresh fresh fresh clams and mussels and prawns and a creamy decadent broth. the mushroom ravioli, risotto with prawns and fish with porcini cream, wilted kale and onion rings were faultless as well. prices are incredibly good value-for-money (even without the 50% off on ala carte dishes on weekdays). service was warm and friendly.

from the moment we walked in the service was outstanding. the atmosphere is relaxed yet still has an air of sophistication. the menu is easy to read and you are not bombarded with too many choices, there is the option of a tasting menu or a la carte. we went for a la carte menu and were not disappointed. 3 courses later and we could not fault a thing, i would highly recommend the lamb. a special mention to the staff, attentive, friendly and very knowledgeable. compliments to thefoodbarnon a well delivered experience.

my girlfriend and i dined at thefoodbarnlast night and were extremely impressed with the experience. i worked with franck many years ago at la colombe so i knew what we were install for and it certainly didnt disappoint. the prawn starter and lamb cutlets were truly incredible and the portions were big enough to feel satisfied. our waitress was lovely and attended to us sufficiently. thanks for a magical night.

words elude me! the food at thefoodbarnis always sublime. perfectly balanced goats cheese beignets. melt in your mouth sirloin. a chocolate plate from my dreams. best restaurant in sa. no question

superb food and a well thought out menu, thefoodbarnis truly noordhoek's hidden jem!

you have the option of ordering from the a la carte menu or opting to do the tasting menu. we wanted to try dishes that weren't on the tasting menu, so we went a la carte with wine pairings.

for starters, we had the ravioli, the goats cheese beignets and the tartare. all three dishes were amazingly presented and tasted devine, each with their own unique taste. the wines matched perfectly with the dishes - my personal favorite was the newton johnson chardonnay that was paired with the ravioli - not your typical chardonnay, but worked so well with the food! my favorite starter was the goats cheese beignets - crispy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside... delicious!

mains included the linefish (sea bass), beef fillet and prawn risotto. once again, all three were superb taste sensations! the sea bass was soft and juicy with a crispy skin and a mouth watering sauce. i loved the sauce that came with the fillet - sort of a cinnamon taste to it. but the standout dish was definitely the risotto - absolutely delicious! i could not fault it!

for dessert, we had the belgian chocolate, which was just as delicious as the other two courses and not as sweet as chocolate desserts usually are. it was also quite light, despite looking like quite a generous helping of dessert.

the food was perfect, but unfortunately the service was very poor. out waitress seemed to completely forget about us after the first course. i felt like the foreign guests around us were being given priority over us. in fact, i bet we could've walked out of there without paying an no one would've noticed. when we complained, the manager was very apologetic, which was nice, but our waitress seemed to develop quite an attitude. it's a pity that this spoiled what would otherwise have been a top class meal!

being slightly outside of town and lacking any formal "top 10" ranking, you'd be forgiven for thinking thefoodbarnwas just a casual restaurant in noordhoek. you'd also be greatly mistaken, as the chef here also used to be the chef at la colombe when it was ranked in the top 50 restaurants in the world. the food here is absolutely ridiculously delicious, packed full of flavour and old school french technique. i had a really hard time choosing what to eat which is always a good sign. to start i had the ravioli with fresh peas and asparagus, served with a buttery truffle sauce, very elegant and light but every mouthful was a treat to be savoured. for mains i had the fresh tuna served on bean and porcini mushroom puree which was delicious. i also tried the risotto of celeriac with prawns which in my opinion was the dish of the day. for dessert we had the marshmallow and fruit, and the chocolate dessert which were excellent.
the friendly waitrons were all very clued up on every item on the menu and were happy to cater to particular dietary needs. excellent wine list with many options to go with the brilliant food. i can't recommend thefoodbarnhighly enough.

i fell in love with thefoodbarnmany years ago when my then boyfriend took me there to celebrate my birthday. i had their lamb cutlets and parmesan mashed potatoes for mains and was hooked. lol - i just say chops and mash and my now hubby just shakes his head. after all it is a fine dining experience 😉 the service is impeccable, the food is amazing and the winelist boasts a couple of really good local wines. they also have great winter specials which is fantastic and they have a wonderful deli too! this place is always worth the drive time and time again.

myself and my boyfriend went to thefoodbarnfor lunch the other day, and had a fantastic lunch. the service could have been slightly better, but the food made up for it.

starters: i had the ostrich tartare starter, which was absolutely flawless, and the presentation was magnificent, as always. my boyfriend had the goats cheese fritter, which was as delicious as it was beautiful!

mains: this was the only disappointing part of the meal. both myself and my boyfriend had the karoo roasted lamb rack, and we were both rather disappointed. the lamb itself was cooked well, but had none of its own flavor, and the garlic jus had barely a hint of garlic. the citrus crumbs were also unnoticeable, if at all present. not the highlight we were hoping for.

desserts: i ordered the strawberry and rhubarb dessert, and was exceptionally happy with it, that is, until i tasted my boyfriend's dessert. he had the pumpkin pie with granola, and it tasted even better than it looked! we landed up swapping puddings halfway through, so that i would stop staring at my boyfriend's bowl so longingly. absolutely divine!

all in all, an amazing lunch, but i definitely won't be ordering the lamb rack main again! here's to ostrich tartare and pumpkin pie!

had a stunning lunch at thefoodbarnyesterday, it's a long time favourite restaurant and didn't disappoint. we had the winter special of 50% off the a la carte menu, giving us superb dining at a very affordable price. we are very lucky to have this amazing venue close by, especially with such wonderful food and ambience.

i finally got tofoodbarnlast sunday. i had been meaning to go for ages because i'd heard such great things about it. well, it was good - but not exceptional. maybe my expectations were too high. i had the fresh yellowtail tartare with lime, basil & avo, aioli, soy and “petit” mussel fritters to start. my starter was lovely. fish was fresh and the “petit” mussel fritters were crispy - something different too. my starter was the best of the starters we ordered i think. my partner ordered the de-shelled prawns fritters, confied tomato, aubergine and avo tian, chili & red pepper syrup, basil salsa. this dish was a bit confused and had too much going on. some of the flavours on the plate did not go with one another. if some of the sauces, salsas and syrups had been omitted the dish could have been lovely. we prawn fritters were well cooked. for mains i had spring homegrown basil, chervil, parsley & chive risotto and add sautéed vannamei prawns. after all the meat over the festive season i opted for this dish. the risotto was exceptionally well cooked and the dish lovely - but i lacked any "wow". my partner had the karoo lamb: roasted rack with mustard & herb crumbs, tomato and basil & pecorino quiche, thyme scented jus. well this was a let down. it ended up being 4 small lamb chops on a plate with gravy. they were tender though. for dessert we shared the belgian chocolate and soft almond biscuit terrine, vanilla ice cream, toffee, chocolate and vanilla sauce. the ice-cream and biscuit basket it wax served in was delicious and the belgian chocolate and soft almond biscuit terrine was good. but once again, were were too many other sauces added to the plate.
in summary - it was good but it didn't quite meet my expectations.