With the President’s announcement Wednesday that we are now returning to Level 1 and the curfew lifted to 12:00, it seems things are finally getting back to normal. A weekend in Hermanus left me pleased with the increased activity in restaurants and I was unable to get a table for two at two restaurants on Friday night as they were fully booked. Certainly, social distancing rules limit the number of tables but restaurants seemed busy nevertheless. With Spring already here, we are starting to get sunny spells which are also bringing people out for Al Fresco dining.

Please note that this image was taken pre-lockdown

At our sister Website, Sleeping-OUT, bookings have surged in the last few weeks after being at a standstill for months. Bookings are still local rather than international but anyone away from home needs to find restaurants for their meals each day, so this is starting to contribute to increased bookings.

Remember, when making bookings at Guest Houses, B&Bs, Apartments and other accommodation on Sleeping-OUT, you are directed to nearby restaurants listed with Dining-OUT, showing you the distance from the restaurant to your accommodation, menus with prices, photos, trading hours and everything else you need to make your restaurant choice. Where breakfast is not included in your accommodation, you can simply select “breakfast” as a food type on the Dining-OUT search and see your nearest options.

Ric Hutton

Stories from Lockdown

Henri’s Restaurant and Wine Bar is a familiar site in a heritage house in Somerset West . Welcoming first-time visitors and familiar faces from the Helderberg basin and abroad, little did we know how much we would come to rely on our community during the trying times that so many have faced.

Over 150 days ago, we were unsure of the challenges that would lie ahead but it soon became clear that we would have to rethink, adapt and expand our offering. Our decision making was at times governed by strict lock-down regulations but also offered opportunity. We endeavoured to deliver delicious familiar favourites and new dishes to our customers, offering our full menu for take-away, delivered by our own team, as well as ready-made individual & family meals. This included chicken pie, lasagne & cottage pie prepared in trays to pop in the oven or the freezer. We also prepared chicken curry, oxtail and lamb shanks in easy to reheat bags for convenient dinners.

During this time we established a Back-a-Buddy fundraising campaign to support our waiters and waitresses who could not qualify for other benefits and we are humbled by the generous contributions received. We also expanded our menu by becoming a supplier of BRM pork loin ribs & marinated chicken and when regulations allowed we supported local wineries by selling their wine at cellar door prices. As we are slowly moving toward a new normal we will continue with these offerings and look forward to seeing familiar and new faces in our restaurant, without whom our doors could not have remained open.

Pierre Vosloo

Featured Restaurant

Before Cassia & Tables at Nitida could open their doors, they started a new venture called Dine Nitida , a home food delivery service where they offered their most loved dishes to clients which were ready to heat and eat!

Now, with their doors open, Cassia & Tables at Nitida do weekly competitions and specials to entice their guests to come to the farm.

Eating at Cassia is a stylish but friendly experience with menus that highlight local and seasonal ingredients and suit diverse appetites, whims and pockets.