A Fish Braai Or Seafood Restaurant?

South Africa really is full of wonders. While negative press does well to emphasize what is wrong with the country, not enough gets said about the good side of life when you travel and live in South Africa. I do not want to live anywhere else. It is a country where we are so in love with the braai, that we even have a public holiday, which has been dubbed National Braai Day. You can even Google Shisa Nyama to get a sense of how serious we are about this pass time of cooking on open flames.

Well today I experienced Shisa Nyama on a whole new level. Seafood is never a primary feature when we braai and Die Strandloper have turned that tradition on its head. About a one and a half hour drive from Cape Town, this really is an experience for the lover of all things good about life in South Africa. Good food, good people, good wine, good beer. I should just say "a lekker kuier".

You know you are off to a good start, when you get to a place, and someone is politely ushering you in as you turn off from the main road (he was not staff, just a polite guy from around town or the township nearby). As we parked, and I got out the car, the sound of the water and the gentle breeze just added to the excitement for all of us as we realised we had found a gem. We had booked as there is a website, but it did not even bring us close to what we were about to experience.

The people were friendly, and they have a system which runs you through the self service 10 course meal that would have any military mind impressed. You can bring your own drinks (alcohol included) and there is no corkage. They did have a quaint bar as well, which was well stocked, including some well known craft beer. The bar sign that reads WYSIWIG tells you quite simply what to expect. I did not sit by the bar, and it did have an awesome view of the Langebaan Lagoon, but that was not our mission.

The seafood braai was something out of this world and would knock many seafood platters I have tasted off the podium. I am not kidding when I say it was a ten course meal, and you know that you have to save yourself for the grand finale which is the crayfish at the tail end of this fiesta without siesta. I dare say we were eating for a good three hours, with the odd walk along the beach, taking in the air, between courses.


An experience I will certainly be making a habit going forward, and I would recommend the outing so make it a destination, even if it is a day trip from Cape Town, as we did. They have truly captured the less is more concept resulting in a gastronomic experience that you won't forget.