The Pilgrims Pantry (The house of Mama van Wyk) - Pilgrims Rest

Established in 1873 with the discovery of gold in the then known Peachtree river (now Pilgrims spruit) Pilgrims Rest has been a prime destination for all those interested in all things historical.

Buried in this rich town's downtown area is a quaint little coffee shop known as The Pilgrims Pantry.
Run by "mama van Wyk" it's the perfect stopover to fill that little gap in your tummy, and of course as most PR shops its filled with all sorts of interesting goodies to take home with you.

I haven't been to Pilgrims Rest for some time now, and the last time i was there i was extremely disappointed. The vendors on the street had taken to selling "traffic light trash" (all you need is a drive through Johannesburg to know what I mean). But it would appear that someone has decided to take thisnhistorical little town seriously and it would appear that they are on the road to restoring its former charm and street appeal.

For more info on this little town head on over to: http://www.pilgrimsrest.org.za/

Pilgrim's Rest
013 768 1060
Mpumalanga
http://goo.gl/maps/EcSyE

Harry's Pancakes - Graskop

They make great pancakes.... what else needs to be said?

:-)

contact them on +27 013 767 1273

S24*55.914' 
E30*50.496'

...and yes, theyre in Pretoria too 
012 342 3613

STOEP CAFE - Komatiepoort

(Ok here goes.... am entering the "blog-on-the-go" world :-))

Set neatly in the corner to the borders of both Mozambique as well as the #KrugerNationalPark Komatiepoort remains a sensible place to spend an overnighter before heading in whichever wild destination you choose.

After spending the night at one of the many B&Bs in and around the Town we would recommend not stopping at one of the commercial joints, but rather stop in at the very South African, very local,  Stoep Cafe.

This quaint little place's menu sports everything from light health breakfasts to a fully fledged Portuguese steak or prego roll.

I chose the Onderberg Breakfast with an extra cheese sausage and was pleasantly surprised by the size and quality....

All in all a pleasant stop over and worth the visit :-)

You can contact them on 013 793 7850 or 083 457 3909
or email Elmarie
elmarie.stoep
@
gmail.com

Dixies Restaurant - Simon's Town

 

Argaubly one of the Deep South's stalwarts in the restaurant arena, Dixies Restaurant, just outside of Simaon's Town in the suburb of Glencairn is definately worth the visit when in the area.
I don't think I've ever been there on a quiet night. What I'm saying is, it's popular... Why?
Simple.
They make great food. ;-)

While my kids, Heidi and I go there for their very well known (and well made) Pizzas, the rest of their menu is just as great. All the way from their breakfasts to their seafood selection I have yet to hear of someone leaving there dissapointed.

Although not the cheapest in the area, they do offer a view of the bay to die for and their waitrons are especially friendly and efficient.

Did we enjoy the experience?
Yes!
Did we get what we came for?
Yes!
Would I recommend it to my friends?
Yes!

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For bookings, please call them on: (021) 786-2105 or (021) 786-3309

or you can find them here:

134 Main Road, Glencairn, 7975

http://www.dixiesrestaurant.co.za

Remember to mention that you read about them here @sareviews ;-) 

Albizia - A true sparkle in the Gem of Cullinan

If ever you want to spoil yourself one Saturday or Sunday and are feeling at a loss of what to do, do yourself the favour of heading down to a little town called Cullinan just North East of Pretoria.
This charming village has managed to hold on to much of its mine village character - its historic stone and corrugated iron mine workers’ houses, offices and churches a throwback to the mining times of the early 1900s. Cullinan is famous for the discovery of what became known as the Cullinan Diamond - the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found.
But if I had any say in why this town is famous, I would attribute it's fame to Oak Avenue, and especially Albizia Restaurant.

If you follow Oak Avenue, lined with both Oak and Jacaranda trees, down to the end you'll discover the Gem of Cullinan - no, not the diamond, the restaurant... Albizia. An eclectic yet amazingly comfortable restaurant hailed by House and Leisure as "South Africa's best kept food secret".

The menu changes constantly and you are are ALWAYS treated something outstanding.
Our party of 4 each ordered a different dish and were so enamoured with our choices that we didn't even think of sharing :-)

Apart from the food and the atmosphere, you might also be privileged enough to bump into a local celeb or two. While there I had the privilege of chatting to Laurika Rauch  who strongly suggested I tried the "skaapsterjies" a suggestion which with I wholeheartedly concurred as they were absolutely amazing.

Knowing that a picture says more than a 1000 words here's what we had:

Albizia flat-bread pizza

Goat's Cheese Salad

Halloumi Salad

"skaapsterjies"

Here's the menu for THAT day ;-)

And some other rather happy clients had the following to say:

So how do you get there?
Their address is 47 Oak Avenue, Cullinan.

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4 Friends Country Estate

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Exhausted, and I might add a little stressed, Heidi and I climbed into the car with a huge sigh of relief. We were heading off to another beautiful part of the country... The area around Dullstroom.
Our Destination? A luxury self-catering estate called 4 Friends Country Estate.

The Area is known for it's idyllic scenery and world renowned trout fishing destinations and may I add right up front, 4 Friends Country Estate does not disappoint.

We arrived 3 hours later, in the early evening to a stunning sunset while being greeted by the resident Zebra, Eland, Springbok, Gemsbok, Black Wildebeest and a couple of fine looking Simmentaler bulls.
The farm is spectacular with views of the valley and dams that take your breath away.

The lodges themselves are pure luxury. No expense has been spared to make sure you have all the creature comforts you need as you break away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Fully furnished and stocked with everything from percale linen, wine glasses to teaspoons, the only thing you need to bring with you is your food. Although amply stocked with wood for both the indoor and patio fire places, you can order more if you so need.

This place is ideally suited for the avid fly fisherman, or great for a family break away.
If you love birding or wildlife you too will be spoiled here. (Although it was never mentioned, this farm would be idea for mountain bike trips as well - in fact next time we go we're definitely taking our bikes with)

The kids had a ball as there's plenty of space to run around and explore and when they've had enough of the "great outdoors" there's always DSTV to keep them out of your hair while you curl up on a couch overlooking the majestic valley and read your favorite novel. (Hell, this place is perfect for even writing your own novel)

As a photographer I had a field day, evidenced by the pictures in this review. They also cater for hunting parties and tailor make packages to suit you. (Although don't think that you can just pop in for a few days and expect trophies.. no if you want perfection, you need patience in Africa)

After an amazingly relaxing weekend of fresh air and "vegging", we headed back to the Jacaranda City refueled to take on the world again.

Would I recommend this to families? Absolutely!
Where can you find them? S25 35' 12.1" E30 08' 28.1"

For more information head on to http://www.4friendscottages.co.za
(I have it under good authority that they'll be upgrading the site soon.)

Have a look at their video. Nicely done.



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Rietondale Lodge

There's nothing nicer than finding a place that not only caters to one's culinary needs but takes the whole family into consideration, from kids to sport loving partners.

Well it took me some time in the jacarander city but I believe, apart from the Spur, I eventually found just the place.

Arriving early Sunday for a bite to eat we found the waiters and manager friendly and very helpful, although we did have a bit of a toss-up regarding whether to watch the F1 or SA vs England cricket match... so we ended up doing both ;-) The lodge and the resturant, "La Cantina" both have their won channel and we could then settle for both.

There is an outside smoking section for those who would like to relax with a good ol' cigar and bourbin after a very hearty meal ;-)

We had creamy garlic snails and their mussles as starters...
The snails I was told was above average, and not having actually tasted them myself I'll have to believe Jade and Celest.

We on the other hand had the Mussles and they were absolutely superb... the closest I can come to describing them is to say they tasted like they came straight out of the sea.

I then had the Half Flat Chicken... After making doubly sure it was soft and juicy!
Well it wasn't as juicy as I'd have liked it but it did hit the spot and wasn't so dry to ruin it. I would recomend it to someone who enjoys home cooked chicken.

The Pizza's were outstanding and my compliments have to go to the chef for actually cooking them the way they were asked for. (This doesn't happen very often)

The meal was finished off with Dom Perdo's and Irish Coffee's which, with all said and done, was the perfect way to end a very pleasant Sunday afternoon lunch with friends.

Would I recomend this restaurant to my friends?
Definately. Especially if they have kids.
(For thos of you who don't have kids, there's a bar section you can sit in which is really pleasant).

Where will you find them? GPS: S 25 44' 2 " E 28 13' 27"
How can you contact them? Tel: +27 (0) 12 329-2910
Fax: +27 (0) 12 329-4609 /+27 (0) 86 299-1640
E-mail: info@rietondalelodge.co.za

TIP: You should book if you want to be outside near the kids play area.

Have a look here for more info:
http://www.lacantina.co.za/index.htm
http://www.rietondalelodge.co.za/index.htm