GUSTATORY DELIGHTS ALONG THE COAST
N THE one hand, there’s the N2 highway from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and beyond, on the other there’s the Garden Route. Technically they’re just about the same thing but, hell, who but a geek wants to be technical?
The distance between the two cities is 750km and you can cover it in nine hours. Sadly, you’d be missing out on a gustatory extravaganza. Road trips, for me, are all about shucking your routine and doing different things. A road trip has to start in the morning; not too early because I want to stop somewhere decent for my first bite to eat and these places keep civilised business hours.
I drive the Garden Route at least twice a year – sometimes to Port Elizabeth, and other times to Grahamstown and surrounds – and have favoured padkos stops as well as sit-down-and-eat-in joints. Blessedly, the list continues to grow.
The amount of time I’m going to spend on the road depends on my endpoint. Most often, if I’m heading to Port Elizabeth, I plan to get there on the second day at about 4.30pm, when my mates in the Friendly City are getting off work and heading for The Duck in Lovemore Heights. I’ll probably overnight in Wilderness or Sedgefield and I know my choice of restaurant for dinner will be influenced by what I have for breakfast. Tough life, isn’t it? Some people swear by pies for road trips. A good friend and I indulged a few years ago on a great pie hunt from Cape Town to Port Alfred, and we found some damn fine bakers on the way. The best, however, was at the Peregrine Farm stall beside the N2, outside Grabouw. The pastry was fluffy, the springbok filling flavoursome and the price was just R23. The problem with a pie, though, is that one isn’t enough and it’s not too long before you’re tempted to stop at a Wimpy. That’s okay for coffee but, seriously, life’s too short gastronomically.
The alternative is to push on to Swellendam, where a Tuscan-style building is visible from the road. It’s a bakery/deli/patisserie called Tredici – Italian for 13 or (in this case) the traditional baker’s dozen – and a wonderful spot for a more filling breakfast. Try the savoury mince on toasted artisanal bread with fried eggs and cheese.
My choice of dinner venue is based on whether I overnight at Wilderness or Sedgefield. If it’s Wilderness, nine times out of 10 I’ll head to Pomodoro. It’s the one place where I fall off my low-carb wagon because the spaghetti bolognese is worth the guilt trip. If, however, I’m feeling virtuous, Pomodoro has a full-on Banting menu with such delightful items as slowcooked lamb shank. Flava and The Girls are just across the road and both are well worth popping into: Flava has a rooftop garden that’s perfect for brunch, while The Girls is an eclectic restaurant-cum-art gallery that inclines to the formal.
Another alternative is to drive back 15km to George, to La Locanda, which is one of the finest traditional Italian restaurants in the country. This is one spot where it’s worth booking in advance.
Actually, apart from being one of the loveliest tourist spots in South Africa, the area that encompasses Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay (as well as their inland environs) hosts a myriad fine eating spots and is worthy as a culinary destination of its own.
Got kids? Try the pizzas and toasties at PiliPili on the beach at Sedgefield. There’s clean sand underfoot and there’s always a crackling fire to prevent the outdoor dining area from getting chilly. Up for a great pub lunch? The Bell in Belvidere Manor, just outside Knysna on the way to Brenton-on-Sea, is a must. Île de Païn in Knysna is also big on artisanal bread and delicious toppings, but you’ll have to wait for December to get in. It’s being rebuilt after being gutted by fire.
One of the best-kept secrets is Tottie’s Farm Kitchen on the Rheenendal Ramble about 8km off the N2. A friend and I stopped in and had a pot of tea, a cappuccino and a slice of light, moist chocolate cake for less than R70. Tottie’s is family-friendly and does a wonderful hot and cold weekend buffet lunch. The foodie scene in the area is constantly evolving and there are some hidden gems. Check out the Facebook page Travel Bug Rose: Rose Bilbrough is former manager at Sedgefield Tourism and handles social media for a wide range of restaurants (https://gotravelbugsa.wordpress.com).
Rose’s Plettenberg Bay counterpart – in the sense he knows just about everything that’s going on – is another mate of mine, Ian McKechnie. He tells me there are about 600 millionaires living between Knysna and Plett and, from the abundance of good restaurants, they don’t eat at home.
“Mac” and I meet at Old Nick, which is closer to Plettenberg Bay. He starts jotting down his thoughts: Enrico in Keurboomstrand, Emily Moon on the Bitou River and Lemon Grass at Milkwood Manor on the Plett beachfront are “all top drawer” and require booking. Fat Fish, Lookout Deck and Off the Hook are all “Plett classics”. Local wineries include Bramon, Newstead Lund Family Vineyards, Redford Lane and Lodestone Wines. All are close to the N2.
Eventually, we arrive in Port Elizabeth. My mates and I head to the Barn & Barrel in the Kings Court shopping centre on Buffelsfontein Road. Why? The best spareribs anywhere! If you’re into finedining, make a booking at Ginger on the beachfront or Hacklewood Hill Country House in Walmer Gardens. If you have the time and inclination to get off the N2, go to the Nanaga Farmstall near Paterson, between PE and Grahamstown, for a warthog pie, or cut through Caledon and into the Hemel en Aarde Valley for the tasting platter at Creation wine estate.
Chances are you won’t get to do all of these in one trip unless you’re a gourmand rather than gourmet but, hey, there’s next time.