restaurant – Notes from the Cape

Published November 18, 2023

Bokkomlaan

I am not quite sure what I would do with powdered fish?

A visit to Velddrift would not be complete without a visit to Bokkomlaan. Bokkom’s are small fish that are sundried and eaten as a local delicacy. Personally they are just a little too (umm) fishy for me. But it is an eclectic road to wonder on, there are few restaurants, some interest art and pottery studios, and of course lots of fish drying in the sun.

Bokkumlaan shops

There are a few art studios that you can visit

Bokkom’s drying in the sun

House-boat on the Berg River

One off the many small restaurants on Bokkom Laan

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Published February 25, 2020

Wroclaw food part 1

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The town of Wroclaw is wonderful in the evening. There are loads of restaurants where you get brilliant Polish food, and in old-town there is also a bustling market area with the most excellent food stalls, and tables all over where you can sit and eat. In my nest post I’ll share some of the food (hint – I had food from the steam train on the left).

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Published March 27, 2016

Heuriger 10er Marie

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A heuriger is a wine-bar/restaurant on a wine farm which has a special licence to sell the recent harvest for onsite consumption. In short, you get great food and wine cheaply.

We were recommended Heuriger 10er Marie, and it was so good that we went there twice. The outside is deceptively quiet, but it is busy inside, mostly with locals.

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Some of the tables

Both times we went we had a fantastic time. The food is great, the crowds are boisterous, the wine flows freely, and you have a great time.

If you are in Vienna, a visit to a heuriger is a must!

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Another round of wine, please

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The best schnitzel I have ever eaten (chicken – I don’t eat veal)

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Published October 27, 2013

The streets of Prague

Walking through prague is like walking through any European city. They are loads of small sidewalk restaurants and cafe’s where you can pause, read the news and just watch the world go by.

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Published December 12, 2011

The Stone Kitchen

Last Sunday, we decided to drive to Wellington for lunch and some wine tasting. What we had completely forgotten is that small towns like Wellington close on a Sunday. Absolutely nothing was open. Well almost nothing…

Dunstone wines

But, it was still wonderful weather, so we were not going to let that stop us. So with the help of some friends who live in the area (thanks Doug from PT Productions and Dawn from Jorgensen Distillery), we managed to find what was probably the only open place in Wellington, but also one of the nicest restaurants I have ever been to. It is called The Stone Kitchen, and it is found on the Dunstone wine estate. At about 2 hectors of vines, it is a tiny little estate but with some fabulous wine. But the restaurant was great, the food was simple, fresh and tasty.

When we arrived they were full, but after a quick wine tasting at the bar counter (we finally got our wine tasting), they found us a table. The chef came out to introduce the menu, and we made our choices.

Warthog Burger

I had a grated warthog burger, with onion marmalade and cheese, and Lois had the goat’s cheese salad. Now for Lois to eat goat anything is pretty amazing! But at the chef’s instance she tried some of the goat cheese, and she loved it. She actually asked where they got such good goat’s cheese (that does not taste like, well…goat). I could tell you the answer but I will save that for a future post.

The chef

So two suggestions. Firstly if you want to go wine tasting on a Sunday, stick to the well-known areas like Stellenbosch or Paarl, and if you want a fantastic meal, goto the Stone Kitchen (but best to book – they were very full). And their sauvignon blanc and merlot are both brillant wines. We took a few bottle of each home with us.

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Published December 19, 2010

I’d like to be under the sea…

…in an Octopus’ garden in the shade. Or at St James Station. This eccentric little restaurant has been running since 2005. They have a small and simple menu, but the food is always good and always freshly made!

The restaurant is in part of the old station building. Although it is not a Beatles Tribute restaurant, or anything so cheesy, they unashamedly take a lot of their inspiration from the Beatles, with pictures of the Beatles making appearances all over the place, including on the wall and in the menu.

Pop in if you are in the area; you will have a wonderful experience. By the way if you are feeling poetically inspired while eating, just ask for a black marker and find a space of wall. The walls are covered with quotes and comments from the various patrons over the years.

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Published December 2, 2010

Teppanyaki at Cape Town Fish Market

For a team end of year function, a few us went to the Cape Town Fish Market in Canal Walk for lunch. Because it was a fairly small group, we managed to arrange to have Teppanyaki, and to sit around the table while the chef cooked our food on the griddle in front of us.

Calamari tubes

If you can arrange a group of about 5-8 people, you can have a really great (and reasonably priced meal). The entire meal was about R110 per person (excluding drinks), and we had six courses:

California rolls (very good)
crab salad (excellent!)
seaweed soup (this did not work for me, far too fishy)
calamari (very good)
chicken, steak or fish (I had chicken – excellent)
a choice of dessert (like I had much space by then – ok so maybe a little)

Calamari tubes; ready to eat

The teppanyaki at the Fish Market is a little cheesy, in that the experience was more like somebody cooking a stir fry in front of me than a chef performing wizardry with his deft knife-work, however it is a very social experience. The food was great and very nicely-sized portions (except for the soup, but that was just a personal preference).

Steak, sliced into strips

This my second meal at the CTMF in a week, and it was really great! Get a group together and go out for Teppanyaki.

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Published August 30, 2010

Ugly woman smoking a cigar

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A painting of a really ugly woman smoking a huge cigar, seen at the Buena Vista Social Club

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Published July 26, 2010

Green Bird at the Barnyard

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Today, we had breakfast at the Barnyard in Steenberg. They have a small selection of animals and birds for the children to look at and feed; including ducks, geese, chickens, a few pigs and even a couple of goats. This bright yellow bird was living in the avery.

By the way, the food is good, but the service is about the worst you can get.

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Published December 8, 2008

Ducks on Vergenoegd Wine Estate

Yesterday we celebrated Lois’ dad’s 70th birthday party at the Pomegranate restaurant at Vergenoegd wine estate. They have turned the old manor house into the restaurant.

While having lunch, I saw the most strange thing – a duck parade! The farm has about 300 Indian runner ducks living on the farm. These ducks run through the vinyards, looking for snails and small insects to eat. This novel solution to pest control keeps the vineyards pest-free in an environmentally friendly manner.

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So, in the middle of lunch, about 100 ducks came marching through the outside of the restaurnant, much like a class of school children out on a school outing.

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They marched onto the lawns, ate everything in site (at least all the snails), and left. Thinking about it, it sounds more like varsity students than school kids.

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Although they are both noisy and smelly, it is kind-of cute to watch. And I was really glad that I had decided to order the fish and not the duck that was on the lunch menu!

If you get the opportunity to go to the farm, do so. It is not something that you will see everyday!

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