It is limited to 45 seats, open just five nights a week and it sees Peter Tempelhoff returning full-time to the kitchen.

Congratulations to Mrs. M and her team on this great addition to the South African culinary scene. We, like so many others, can’t wait to dine at The Greenhouse!

For more information, about The Greenhouse Restaurant, visit The Collection’s blog. To reserve your table call +2721 794 2137.

Imagine our delight when we discovered that we’d been shortlisted for a Best of SA, in association with VISA, Restaurant Award? Yes we were (and still are) super excited but, in order for us to win, we need your votes.

The other great news is that this is not all one sided because if you vote for us – in the House & Leisure Best of SA, in association with VISA, awards – you could win a five-star trip for two to one of the winning destinations. Brilliant!

To Vote – Option 1

Email – hlpromotions@assocmags.co.za

Subject – HL Restaurant 2, Your Name

To Vote – Option 2

Send an SMS to 35443 that reads: HL Restaurant 2, Your Name

*{SMS’s cost R3 per SMS}

If you’ve always wanted to attended but, for some reason, haven’t we suggest that you book now!

Our delectable breakfast (we’re you’ll have a chance to meet our world famous sticky bun)
R150 worth of Le Quartier Français money to spend on one of our experiences. It could be a massage, it could be a meal in iCi or it could be Margot’s new Surprise Menu in The Tasting Room.

CC attribution natalia & gabriel on Flickr

What are you waiting for? Phone us on 021 876 2151 to book right now!

The Chef and The General Manager having a fabulous time setting the Le Quartier Français and Bread & Wine stands.

Archie, ever the educator, taking some time out to explain to the Môreson team where Mademoiselle Lamb Burgers come from.

The Saturday crowd. It was like this from 12:00 – 18:00. Madness!

Judging by the crowds, and the reports we’ve already received, Bastille is a festival that is going from strength to strength. Well done to everyone who took part and big thank you to the FWVTA – and in particular Darielle – for your excellent organisation.

The most recent Le Quartier Français guest-experience improvement has been the renovation of our two Auberge Suites. These two suites now feature redesigned and refurbished bathrooms, lounges and solar heating throughout.

This means that when you check into a Le Quartier Français Auberge Suite you can enjoy all the luxuries and help the environment at the same time!

In addition to our new solar heated Auberge Suites the following areas of Le Quartier Français already showcase our greener approach:

1. The swimming pools – they are all solar heated
2. The restaurants – here our biggest geyser has been fitted with an inverter. This ensures that it uses four times less electricity to heat than a regular geyser
3. Local produce – a significant portion of the produce, used in the restaurants, is sourced locally.

At Le Quartier Français we are committed to offering our guests the most exceptional experience and, at the same time, consistently and sustainably reducing the impact that experience has on the environment.

If you’re looking for a dining experience that will captivate your imagination, and tastebuds, book a table in The Tasting Room and try the new Surprise Menu.

Le Quartier Français, Bread & Wine and Môreson will all be in attendance and they’ll have the following delicious dishes and wines on offer.

Le Quartier Français
Mademoiselle Lamb Burger Junior (she last made an appearance at the 2009 MCC Festival)
Brownies
Donuts.

Bread & Wine

Flatbread with a delicious topping (always excellent and a Franschhoek Festival favourite)
Gourmet Hotdog
Filled Focaccias
Tina’s Fudge.

Môreson

They will be showcasing their Miss Molly range of wines – including the new Miss Molly Bubbly – which means that a percentage of each bottle sold will be donated to the South African Guide Dog Association for the Blind.

In fact they’re not Le Quartier Français guests but we recommended the Johannesburg Guest House in question; and sometimes to be successful in our line of work you have to go above and beyond the call of duty.

To ensure that their stay, in Johannesburg, is nothing short of exceptional we have rented a beautiful house and we’ve flown up a fantastic mini Le Quartier Français team.

I’ve been included as an multi-functional member of this team and that means that I’ll definitely be involved in the housekeeping side of things.

I foresee lots of washing, ironing and bed-making in my near future.

This feature means that, for us in the industry, TripAdvisor is now even more important and more relevant.

Before this feature users (or TripAdvisor community members) were reading reviews by individuals who weren’t friends but who had personally experienced the destination, restaurant, hotel, wine farm and more that the user was looking to experience.

Now imagine how powerful it would be if these people reviewing their experiences weren’t strangers. Imagine if the people advising you were your trusted friends.

CC attribution soylentgreen23 on Flickr

That’s incredibly powerful and, as I mentioned before, it makes TripAdvisor reviews even more relevant to the individual.

What this means is that, as a brand affected by TripAdvisor, you can no longer afford to bury your head in the sand.

CC attribution Learning Futures Festival 2010 on Flickr

You need to recognize TripAdvisor and work out how you going to harness its phenomenal power and leverage your brand off its incredible reach.