Paternoster restaurants worth visiting – Roxanne Reid

It’s best to book ahead, especially for dinner. Also remember that some restaurants take their annual break in June/July so they may be closed in winter. Note that I haven’t ranked the restaurants I’ve mentioned, but presented them in random order.

Leeto

As so often the case here in Paternoster, the menu is replete with seafood choices. I had seafood linguini that was richly delicious, while my carnivorous lunch partner chose Chalmar beef. Both desserts – Amarula crème brûlée and a lemon posset with berries – were a wonderful way to end the meal.

Other choices include prawn and calamari risotto, tiger prawns, kudu fillet, and honey panna cotta. There’s also a vegan menu.

I’d definitely go back for more fine dining next time I’m in Paternoster.

Open daily.

The Noisy Oyster

There used to be orange, yellow and blue umbrellas to give shade in the courtyard like those in Agueda, Portugal, but they’re sadly gone – sacrificed to the practicalities of providing deeper shade on hot summer days. Nowadays, multi-coloured bunting adds a festive touch. On cooler evenings, fires burn for warmth and ambience. At night it’s so romantic that it’s small wonder the starters, mains and desserts of normal menus have been ditched for the more titillating ‘foreplay’, ‘intercourse’ and ‘afterglow’.

We’ve been here numerous times and always enjoyed friendly and efficient service as well as great food, from melt-in the-mouth fish to mussels and oysters, which are referred to as West Coast Viagra. If fish isn’t your thing, a regular on the menu is Chalmar sirloin, perhaps with brandy pepper sauce and mustard butter. If you have space for starters, don’t miss the loaded hummus on crisp flatbread with shaved zucchini, toasted almonds, pickled sultanas and feta. It’s sublime.

I love the blackboard that says: ‘Seize the moment! Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved away the dessert cart.’ Indeed. Catalan flan, flourless chocolate torte or cheesecake are some ways to round off your meal, but our fave was blueberries and apple-filled phyllo with toasted nut cream.

It’s all about good food in a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere at the Noisy Oyster.

Closed Monday and Tuesday.

De See Kat

We began our meal with a sushi starter that was excellent. For mains, we had linefish (my favourite kabeljou on that day) with lemon-garlic butter and chips, all tasty and served with efficient friendliness. Other menu items included calamari, seafood platters, oysters, chicken skewers with peanut and sweet chilli sauce, and Mexican style chicken breast. There’s vegan curry and vegan stirfry too. We were too full for dessert, but choices included chocolate bomb, cheesecake, and sticky toffee pud with ice cream.

In busy February, we were lucky to get a lunch table without a reservation, but they were already fully booked for dinner the whole week, so booking ahead is obviously a smart idea.

Closed Monday.

Gaaitjie

On our first visit when Jaco Kruger was chef, my Asian chicken salad was delicious, the Norwegian salmon served with a delicate orange and fennel sauce that was so good I asked for a spoon so I didn’t waste a drop. And the chocolate crème brûlée was a triumph.

Now the kitchen is in the hands of Maryka Williams and Luvalain Losper, who present tasty items like goats cheese salad with baby beets, spring rolls, calamari, West Coast mussels and oysters, seared tuna, masala prawns, almond and pear torte, and coconut panna cotta.

Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

Voorstrandt

I had a calamari starter which was generous enough to serve as my main course. My husband had the calamari/hake combo, which he enjoyed – tender crumbed calamari strips with a portion of succulent hake that was beautifully cooked and came with chips.

Sit under the shade awning and feast your eyes on the beach just a step away and the sweep of sea all around. We enjoyed our food but it was the view and ambience that were spectacular. We were early enough to watch the sunset over the bay while three young children played on rowing boats pulled up on the sand, just an arm’s reach away from mom and dad.

Open daily.

Paternoster Lodge

Breakfast is my favourite meal here, either for the fresh fruit, granola and yoghurt or for the yummy vegetarian omelette with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and peppadews for piquancy and deliciousness. Bacon addicts like my husband prefer the full English breakfast.

Lunch and dinner menus include choices like curry, fish, calamari, prawns, pizza, burger, and Cajun chicken salad. You don’t have to be staying there to enjoy a meal in the restaurant. Try to get a table on the balcony to watch the sea; it’s worth booking ahead to get a spot there.

Open daily.

Blues Restaurant at Abalone Hotel 

The menu includes tapas like calamari, prawns and mussels, light dishes like Vietnamese salad, chicken or salmon wraps, and fish n chips. Mains include beef fillet, butter chicken and prawn curry, grilled linefish, and a seafood platter of mussels, calamari, prawns and linefish. They also have a sushi menu. For dessert, there’s crème brûlée, malva pudding and cheesecake.

Open daily.

Cathy’s Kitchen

As for the food at the restaurant, the menu is small but with something for everyone. We enjoyed a bobotie pancake and a coronation chicken wrap. Both were huge and really tasty. You could also choose a croissant with ham/cheese or chicken mayo fillings, omelette filled with bobotie, spinach/feta, or ham/cheese. A daily specials blackboard might include mussels and oysters. If you’re looking for something sweet, try the baked cheesecake, milk tart, or flapjack stack.

Portions are generous and prices reasonable. Note that Cathy’s Kitchen is open in the mornings only. The kitchen closes at 12.30 (for orders) and the restaurant at 13:00, so it’s a good place for breakfast, brunch or an early lunch.

Closed Wednesday.

Wolfgat