Reneessance restaurant is named after Renee but aptly also means a new beginning or new era as with the word Renaissance.  This is a dream come true and it all started with a dilapidated building in the main rd that was viewed with the estate agents just barely after the 100 year flood went through Napier.  But according to Renee half the fun was the planning and actual renovation.

After nearly four years Renee got itchy feet again and closed the front restaurant and turned a storeroom which was part of the barn that houses the Larder and the Jean Daneel Tasting room, into a casual eatery. The décor of the new restaurant make most people come to a standstill when they see the combination of exposed old brick, open rafters, chandeliers hanging from old ladders, an unashemdly silver wall and a huge mirror reflecting the whole length of the barn. The view from the restaurant is seen through the two old original unmatched windows and looks out onto the Napier countryside which often includes the neighbours horses busily grazing. In fact they sometimes fill the whole view of the window when they are cropping grass and swishing their tails right next to the fence. The barns décor is truly a mix of the Overberg vernacular and the aged French look that Renee adores.

The front building will now be once again renovated to suit Renee's new and often outrageous ideas. As the décor and asthetics of the old barn hugely appeals to all the guests, she has vowed to create just that look in the old house where the restaurant used to be. The use of stone walls, big unmatched windows, the removal of several inside walls to enhance the flow of the restaurant, a mix of old tables and new ones which her other half, Jean Daneel made from the original flooring, a variety of chairs as well as the two seater couches with their thick cushions where you can tuck your head back and gorge yourself on the ultra rich and smooth generous portion of crème brulee or the triple layer carrot cake will be the keystones of the new restaurant. But along the way during the renovation process a few more wild ideas will fill Renee's head waiting to be acted upon. The whole process from renovation to decoration will be an inspiring relevation to Renee herself as the new ideas take shape as well as to the guests when the doors will finally open again.

But for the moment one can find a slight different menu in the barn in comparison to the old restaurant. It is uncomplicated, rustic, bursting with flavour but still with the Mediterranean touch that Renee loves. Homemade yoghurts, their own feta cheese as well as their new repertoire of homemade sausages, which includes, Toulouse, Mexican chorizo, Hot Italian and Tuscan find their way on the blackboard menu with the fresh vegetables that are available in her own formal vegetable garden on the farm or from the vegetable patches in the village that are picked fresh every morning. Renee always tries to tickle the tastebuds of the guests by giving her dishes a twist. Her twist on a triple cheese quiche is to serve it not with a green salad but rather with a quenelle of pea puree and a grilled vegetable salad. Jean is busy making wooden platters that will be filled with either a variety of vegetarian options or French country terrines and homemade cured sausages with their by now famous bread for the summer months on the verandah of the barn.

Reneessance strives to keep Napier as the food capital of the Overberg.

Comments :

...If this restaurant was in Cape Town, the owner could have retired already! Fresh seasonal food made to perfection accompanied by the best Chenin Blanc in SA (Jean Daneel's Signature Chenin Blanc). Try the fish - I have no idea how they manage a crispy outside and a moist inside! Must be the best restaurant fish we've ever had. Chickpea rissoles and the Mediterranean-style pizzas are a must. Truly a feeling of Provence in the Overberg at SA platteland prices. Worth the drive out to Napier any day!...Maggie Mostert 18-Jun-2010