.: Portuguese-themed meals at Lulas, Yzerfontein

Lulas Portuguese Restaurant may be Yzerfontein’s best restaurant; it certainly is ours
We had two meals there and were tempted to go again
It is easy to find, being located at the end of the northern beach, and you can see it from the beach
You do need to book, especially at weekends, because it is extremely popular

The menu is large and prices are very reasonable. It is unpretentious and people flock there
They do not have a licence, so you may take your own wine
You can buy drinks from the social club behind the restaurant, however, which is licensed,
but you have to be a member to enjoy their facilities

We were having dinner with Charles and Janet Withington and each pair brought three good wines from our collections
Not to drink them all, but to taste them with the food
Charles owns the Darling Wine Shop and sells a comprehensive range of Darling and other wines

L to R. Perdeberg Courageous 2016 Barrel fermented Chenin Blanc. Just the best Chenin in a long time, rich and layered with wood support; we need some more
De Grendel Koetshuis 2020 Sauvignon Blanc, a classic herbal and green style that we love
Axe Hill Distinta 2016 from port grapes, made in Calitzdorp, superb with the spicy red meat dishes
Neil Ellis 2013 Rodanos, a blend of Shiraz, Cinsault and Grenache, another which is excellent with red meat
Drie Paapen 2017 Bloemcool. Classic Cabernet and Lynne’s favourite red of the evening with layers of fruit and elegance, so well made by Fairview cellarmaster Anthony de Jager (but who calls a wine after a cauliflower?)
and Groote Post 2017 Kapokberg Sauvignon Blanc, another outstanding example of Sauvignon Blanc
All were so special; we had a draw at the end to see who would keep which of the remains
Our Zimbabwean waiter was fascinated at what we were tasting, so Lynne gave him a taste of them all and he was in raptures. Another good palate

Lulas is humble and unpretentious and we sat on the terrace which is covered and wind shielded

Janet and Charles had starters of deep fried calamari tentacles
We had lots of wine chat while we waited for food and sampled the wines

The Trinchado starter - beef in red wine and paprika. It comes with very good chips

Good Hake and chips with a Portuguese cream sauce

Lynne's portion of Lulas, the Portuguese name for baby squid, (and the restaurant) which are grilled

and served in a light, lemony garlic sauce, with lemon and sour cream and chips. Fresh, tender and scrumptious

Beef in red wine, chilli, garlic for John, with more crisp chips
You can order salads but vegetables are not served in profusion in Yzerfontein

The next time we went to Lulas, it was for lunch with a friend from Cape Town who loves Rosé wine;
this is one of our all time favourites, from Quando in Bonnievale
Summery and crunchy with fruit, almost a light red wine on the palate, and made from Mourvedre
The perfect wine to have if one person is having red meat and the other fish or seafood

We ordered a plate of chips to share and they came covered in a spicy cheese sauce!
We loved this interesting variation

The grilled calamari rings starter

This huge portion was a starter of two seafood kebabs on Bubble bread (a sort of pita bread/pizza base)
Too large for our guest, who took the remains home for supper