This was my wife and I's 2nd time at Fermier. The 1st time was superb, so it was basically just up against itself and being the 2nd time around, expectations were high. There was an air of familiarity, and amazingly we were seated at the same table as the 1st time, but that's where the familiarity ends as the flavors and culinary experience were new. To nitpick the tuna was a tad under-seasoned and the quail breast needed a tad more rendering, but that is me nitpicking and basically having tremendously high expectations. The highlight of the night was the perfectly cooked duck egg in asparagus which looked like a simple but had so much depth of flavor... for me that dish was magical. Runner up was the melt in your mouth short rib. In short, it was once again a magical experience, starting with the 1st bite of the canapes which immediately set the stage and made us wonder why we even bother trying out other restaurants.

Hubby and I had an amazing experience at the Fermier. We were wowed with every dish that was served in front of us. Dishes were beautifully presented and the taste didn't disappoint. My favorite dish was the kingklip. It was so simple but packed with flavors that simply blew my mind. And the staff, they were so warm and welcoming. They made sure that we were well taken care of the whole night, to the point of walking us with the torch on our way to the parking lot. The only thing that I could ask for is a more comfortable chair. Can't wait for our next visit!

Let me start by saying that the wife and I do not dine out often, as we just often end up regretting dining out and wishing we'd just saved our R500+ and ate at home, as my wife's food would have been better. This was definitely not one of those times.

From the get-go, which was being met in the parking lot and escorted into the restaurant to being guided out with a torch after the meal, the service was excellent. Never even had to ask once for water to be topped up.

The ambiance was classy and homey at the same time, it sort of made you feel that you're a judge or a guest diner at one of those reality food competitions on tv. Would be nice though if they could put a couple of video cameras focusing on the kitchen area and the video feed displayed in a couple of big screen tvs strategically located, so that everyone gets a good view and angle of what's happening. My only complaint though are the chairs as halfway thru the meal my back and bum were already killing me. The chairs are definitely not for sitting for 3 hours.

The food was very well thought of. Simple dishes were enhanced but not made unnecessarily complex and complex dishes were purposeful and worked. 2 dishes basically summed up my dining experience at Fermier, the Kingklip and the pork dish. The kingklip was just that with a few garnishes, but being paired w/gooseberries just elevated it to something else, it was simplicity (or at least the appearance of it) at its best. And the pork dish with varying sauces on the left side and right side of the plate but bridged together by that heavenly bone marrow broth (which I would have loved to chug), resulted in a very complex dish with depths of flavor and its as if you were having a progression of flavors going from 1 side of the plate to the other, truly a well orchestrated complex dish.

Of course there were some minor misses, such as the not so crispy crackling, but easily overlooked with the overall food experience.

Would definitely go back!!!