Uncategorized – Outdoor South Africa

Jan 05

by Outdoor SA in Uncategorized 0 comments tags: coffee, Food, south africa, Stellenbosch

Basic Bistro Stellenbosch

We were craving something scrumptious for breakfast and not being too familiar with the breakfast joints in Stellenbosch, we googled some options. One of the places that caught our eye was Basic Bistro in Church Road. We downloaded the menu to see what delicious options where on offer and our mouths watered as we read. We found the little Bistro quite easily and it looked warm and cozy with tables outside on a little verandah or the option to sit inside. It was quite full outside so we elected to sit inside. We again looked over the menu and elected to have apple juice and iced coffee (with a splash of milo) both were delicious. The iced coffee was not bitter – a lot of places get this wrong we feel but this one was well-balanced and you could still taste the coffee. The Monkey’s Uncle and Ernie Guy breakfasts arrived to the table – both decorated with grated cheese (one of the best things in the world). The Monkey’s Uncle is French toast with bacon, syrup, banana and cheese – sounds like quite an interesting combination but it works together and was absolutely outstanding! The Ernie Guy breakfast is […]

Jan 04

by Outdoor SA in Uncategorized 0 comments tags: Cappucino, Chardonnay Deli, Constantia

Chardonnay Deli Farm Stall Constantia

Whilst the exterior of the building does not boast much, as you enter the deli, you are overwhelmed by the delicious homemade treats and homegrown fruit and veggies that are on display. A part of you becomes inspired to make your own jam, delicious crispy salads and juicy veggies with every meal and the other part of you wants to learn how to bake different types of breads and cakes. For a moment, you think to yourself – I’m going to grow my own vegetable garden and live off the land, as they say. This deli definitely did this to me – for a moment I was wondering how to convert a balcony of a flat into a lush veggie garden and how I was going to have to buy multiple bread-making recipe books to create crispy and light breads and pastries – then reality set in as I realized how much patience it would require and had second thoughts. If I did make my own produce, I would take away from the magic of this deli and others just like it – it wouldn’t be fair (wink wink nudge nudge). The right thing to do would be to just […]

Jan 03

by Outdoor SA in Uncategorized 0 comments tags: Burger, Food, Hudsons, Stellenbosch

Hudsons – The Burger joint

I have often heard about Hudsons from my Western Cape friends, how delicious the burgers were and how sad it was that there wasn’t one in Durban (where we were staying at the time). Luckily for the Durbanites, one has now opened in Umhlanga but was fully booked during the festive season (alas) which meant that my chance to experience the legendary burgers for the first time would be here in Stellenbosch. The menu caters for a wide variety of burgers, all with interesting names, to choose one would be too difficult as they all sounded so good so I opted to have the sliders which would allow me to have three varieties but in a smaller portion. If you are like me, you simply cannot have a hamburger without chips, so obviously I had to order fries as well. To my dismay they were out of the little buns used to make the sliders and they were also out of fries at 12:30 during the peak lunch time traffic. My heart broke a little at hearing about the fries, but I decided to be calm about it and order a cheese burger instead. The burger bun was slightly toasted; […]

Jan 02

by Outdoor SA in Uncategorized 0 comments

Brenaissance

As we arrived at Brenaissance in Stellenbosch, the atmosphere was bustling, children were running around happily whilst their parents watched from the nearby restaurant. The foods offered on the menu are pizza and salad which makes for an easy choice – the pizza selection offers various flavours which compliment each other: biltong and fig, parma ham and rocket, caramelized onion and olives, chicken and chorizo and of course, the classic margherita. The full house pizza comprises the first four options which makes up a great combination so that you can try a piece of everything. The menu also caters for a variety of wines from the vineyards of Brenaissance and wine and pizza pairing at a reasonable cost. Something else to quench your thirst is the passion fruit and soda with a twist which is like a fruit crusher – perfect on a hot day! Our overall experience was awesome, despite it being rather busy, there were plenty staff, the drinks flowed and the pizza was hot and crispy.

Jan 01

by Outdoor SA in Uncategorized 0 comments

Dutch East Restaurant Franschhoek

As we drove through the town of Franschhoek on New Year’s Day at around 6pm – many of the restaurants and shops were closed. We were looking to enjoy a nice dinner on this very hot, sunny day in a cool relaxed setting. We spotted the Dutch East Restaurant which had seating outside in the cool breeze or had seating inside which was air-conditioned. We elected to sit inside and enjoyed the interior décor of the restaurant which was a combination of raw brick work and wooded paneling. With their kitchen opening for dinner at 6:30pm we enjoyed a drink and browsed through the menu which catered for everyone’s tastes. As we browsed, we were brought a warm piece of homemade bread which was served with a delicious hummus pate. Deciding that we would have all three courses, we started with beef springrolls which were served with a sweet chilli dip. The phyllo pastry was delicate which complimented the soft pulled beef inside and the chilli dipping sauce was light and gave the meal a little kick. Other starters included soup of the day, calamari salad, springbok/beef tartar and risotto. For the main course, we decided on two options – […]

Oct 10

by Outdoor SA in Food, Hearty Meals, Uncategorized 0 comments tags: Durban, Family restaurant, Food, Good Value, great food, Olive & Oil, Umhlanga

Olive and Oil Umhlanga

We have eaten here a few times and also visited the Glenwood and Pietermaritzburg outlet. There are four outlets in total, with the forth being in Hillcrest. They really seem to have got the recipe right and you can be assured of a similar standard of food and service no matter which outlet you visit. Good value for money and quality is available with a wide range on the menu to suit all tastes. Popular with families we have yet to experience a bad meal. Whilst the restaurants have a Mediterranean flair and leaning it’s clear that the menu suits the South African palette. The group was started by Jacqui and Nickos Itopoulos, and later joined by Craig Storkey, being very much a family run and owned operation. The range on the menu offers from poultry, fish, to meat, pastas, pizzas and a full kiddies menu. They also offer daily specials and set menus with a starter, main and dessert which offer good value for money. Vegetarian offerings are also available. Whatever the occasion we would firmly recommend that you pop in and try them. Contact details are – Glenwood 031 201 6146 Email glenwood@oliveandoil.co.za Umhlanga 031 561 2618 Email […]

Aug 17

by Outdoor SA in Uncategorized 0 comments

Reef and Dune

Recently during our stay in St Lucia we decided to have dinner at a restaurant called Reef & Dune. We had explored the various avenues of the town earlier on in the day and this nice looking restaurant happened to attract our attention. We phoned the restaurant and spoke to Brandon about making a reservation for 6pm. On arrival we were greeted by friendly staff members and ushered to our reserved table inside the restaurant. The venue is family friendly and caters for seating inside or outside the restaurant. With bright and uplifting décor the ambience created in the restaurant is both friendly and homely. The menu caters for a wide variety of dietary needs – from seafood to grills, pizza and pasta. Our chosen order for the evening was a cheesy beef burger with chips and deep fried calamari tubes served with chips tartar sauce and creamed spinach and pumpkin. The spinach and pumpkin were an unexpected surprise but complimented the meal entirely. Definite value for money as the portions sizes were not stingy at all. After we enjoyed our delicious meals we were so full but eager to hear about the dessert specials from Brandon, our waiter. Various cakes […]

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Aug 10

by Outdoor South Africa in Uncategorized 0 comments

Just talk to each other

I saw this sign in a coffee shop in Clarens recently and thought it was quite funny, however it is quite a serious issue… How many times do we see whole families sitting quietly around a table in a restaurant or coffee shop all staring into the depths of their phones? This issue started an in depth conversation amongst the team after a recent overnight trip. I was traveling with my fiancé conducting a hotel review and due to the really bad weather, the satellite TV signal was lost for the whole duration of our short stay. At first this was a frightening prospect – what are we going to do? I thought. It was late afternoon and without the TV, how were we possibly going to occupy the rest of our evening? The end result was actually so refreshing – with no TV, weak cellphone signal and no data available, we ended up just talking to each other. I know it sounds so crazy, we just spent the whole evening talking but this is the crazy amazing part, we ended up having such fun – laughing and chatting and watching the roaring log fire all evening. So I pose […]

Aug 03

by admin in Uncategorized 0 comments

The Cavern

The Cavern situated in the Northern Drakensberg in the foothills of the Amphitheatre. Family orientated the resort has a number of different accommodation offerings, standard rooms, standard suites and superior suites. We stayed there for a weekend in one of the family rooms. The hotel has a variety of different room accommodation from standard rooms, to superior suites. The tariff includes all three meals including teas in the mid-morning and afternoon. The hotel is beautifully situated in the mountains and provides both easy and strenuous walks for the more adventurous. We walked through to the Grotto and Waterfall while we were there. There are more strenuous walks and hikes available. The walk to the Grotto and Waterfall was easy and pleasant and we spent a pleasant afternoon relaxing and soaking up the serene environment. We also spent some time at the Forest retreat Spa which overlooks the dense bush in the valley. The full body massage left us feeling relaxed in tune with nature. The Hotel has been owned by the same family, the Carte family for over 60 years, and remains a family focused offering.

Mar 09

by Outdoor SA in Adventurous Road Trips, Great Driving Roads, Off Road Destinations, Off the Beaten Track, Uncategorized, Vehicles 0 comments tags: beautiful setting, expolre, outdoors, road trip

En Route Windhoek to Sossusvlei

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the Olive Exclusive comprising a full continental and hot offering before checking out and saying adieu for the moment. We piled our luggage, camera equipment into the Toyota Hilux rental, and then ensuring that we had purchased sufficient water from the hotel we set off on our journey. Leaving central Windhoek we set off in a South West direction with lots of anticipation and excitement. The lush green vegetation surrounding the greater Windhoek area started to thin as the spectacular scenery flashed by. The obligatory stop at the permanent road block at the outskirts of the town did not deter our enthusiasm as the local policemen welcomed us to their beautiful country and bade us well on our way. The landscapes continued to change and become more arid, with the vegetation becoming scarcer. The external heat continued to rise and we were much relived for the aircon and water that we had brought with on the trip. The vastness of the landscapes stretched out all around us and we took in the natural beauty of our surroundings. The local towns became fewer and fewer and soon we left the comfort of the tar roads […]

Basic Bistro Stellenbosch

Chardonnay Deli Farm Stall Constantia

Hudsons – The Burger joint

Brenaissance

Dutch East Restaurant Franschhoek

Olive and Oil Umhlanga

Reef and Dune

Just talk to each other

The Cavern

En Route Windhoek to Sossusvlei

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