Eleven — Restaurant in Stellenbosch Local Municipality

After being blown away by Oku, we were thrilled to discover it has two sister restaurants. We chose Eleven for its tasting menu, we love trying a bit of everything a chef has to offer.

The restaurant hugs the corner of the street with heritage charm and modern elegance. Minimal signage gives it that quiet confidence, they know they’re good. We were seated by a roaring fire with a view of the open kitchen. The space felt like a refined modern farmhouse: warm, natural toned, softly lit. Already happy, and then came a complimentary glass of bubbles and snacks. Yes, this is my idea of heaven.

Crisp cracker with tahini rich hummus, meaty green olives, spiced nuts, all delicious.

Then came the bread, thick, golden, with a glowing quenelle of butter. The smell was incredible. It was warm and airy yet dense, with caramelised onion, toasted sesame, and sweet umami butter. Pure indulgence.

The amuse bouche, a beef croquette (hot and juicy, bite carefully!) and a mushroom tart that looked like an edible flower. Deeply umami, buttery, earthy, balanced and fun.

The oyster was a standout, chilli, citrus, puffed sorghum. So fresh and meaty with a perfect crunch. A tiny oceanic artwork.

Then came the soup, Soupe de Pois, and I was floored. Creamy pea base, hidden crispy pork belly, golden kataifi. It was comforting and refined. I haven’t cried in a while, but this soup got me emotional.

Next, tuna carpaccio. Melt in your mouth, soft with tozazu dressing, ginger, chilli, orange. Delicate, fresh, and clever.

We took a break with mocktails (mine had spa day energy) and met Chef Ryan. He shared how the menu constantly evolves and the team is trained in sustainability and professional growth. So much respect for their ethos, true culinary care.

Back to food, springbok tartar with a parmesan crisp. I made a little boat, loaded it with meat and aioli, and sailed it into flavour heaven. Gamey, salty, sharp, smooth. Genius.

Then, the gemsbok tortellini. Moody plating. Sweet smokey miso glaze. Crunchy candied nuts. Chic Italian granny pasta, unexpected and spot on.

Main mains? Pan seared sea bass with prawn and clams. Beautifully done, but the real star was the sauce. It deepened and sweetened as it reduced. A dish with stages. My Prince Charming.

The palate cleanser, a mystery sorbet that tasted like sour worms. Strange, sour, addictive.

Dessert was Eton Mess. Whimsical, colourful, chaotic, full Alice in Wonderland vibes. Blueberry ice cream, meringue, biscuits. I played with it like a grown up making a (Eton) mess. No rules, just joy.

To close, three petit fours, jelly, rose marshmallow, and a “just like your gran used to make” crunchie. Sweet, simple, perfect.

I was completely blown away by Eleven. From the food to the fire to the philosophy, this place is something special. Highly recommend.

Thank you Eleven!...

It saddening to leave a bad review but... it is what it is.

First, good things. The service was consistently well intentioned and pretty good. They didn't know how to make some basic aperitifs (like negroni) but did their best to accommodate.

The presentation of plates - top notch, nothing to add - masterful and beautiful.

The price is more than reasonable at the moment.

The food. After all the good reviews I couldn't believe what was on my plate. Like everything was wrong 😞.

Salmon cevice - bland and pale, it simply had no taste to it. Salmon - i doubt it was cured, nothing cevice about it - had literally no taste, wasn't seasoned or anything. It was accompanied by very gentle cucumber sauce that didn't help with a bland dish.

Saffron risotto with mushrooms. There was no saffron (I'm ok with that), but it was generously covered in truffle oil. So the dish was tasty but so unbearably rich. Mascarpone cheese had no place on the plate. It was simply lost in intense taste and richness of truffle oil,just added unnecessary richness when melted - like it wasn't rich enough). Also mushrooms - felt like they were added into risotto after it was cooked, some felt pickled 😳.

Lamb ribs. Overall not a bad dish, however it was so fatty and rich and accompanied with a couple of sweet condiments. While sweet worked well there was no escape from richness and sweetness on that plate. I wish the taste pallette was more balanced and some zesty or sour refreshing condiments added.

The dessert - valrohna chocolate and sorbet - was a perfect dish, richness of chocolate was well balanced by it's darkness / not sweetness + refreshing sorbet.

I hope my comments would help you to improve and...

We feel so lucky to have found this incredible restaurant on day one of our 3 days in Franschhoek- hubby booked the sister restaurant oku for following night and we wanted to check it out - the two restaurants eleven and Oku are ‘sisters’ we looked at the menu and after talking to the waiters who helpfully chatted to us we decided to give it a go….. so glad we did!

Signs were good when walk ins were being turned away and the restaurant was almost full at 7.30.

The waiting staff were incredibly helpful and attentive - we shared a wine pairing given it was full tasting menu opted for (and we booked wine tram for next day!) and they split the wine across 2 glasses which I really appreciated - wine choices are fabulous btw absolutely divine!

The food ….. it’s just fabulous on every level What I couldn’t believe was, sitting in front of the open kitchen, how calm and precision organised the brigade were - orchestrated to within an inch - beautiful to witness

Every course was simply incredible- delicious, artistic and cleverly put together.

We loved the tasting menu and cannot wait to return as standard of dining experience was exceptional and great value for money compared to uk food/ wine pairing's.

You must go and try for yourself.

Nov 25 - enjoyed just as much 2nd time around on the 11 course tasting menu with welcome glass of MCC - we both had paired...