Our Dutch friends Péter and Yvonne have returned for their annual stay at the Cape
so we decided, as the weather is so perfect, to have a jaunt to the other side of the Peninsula
and headed to Kalk Bay for some lunch at one of our favourite restaurants, Kalky's on the quayside
so we decided, as the weather is so perfect, to have a jaunt to the other side of the Peninsula
and headed to Kalk Bay for some lunch at one of our favourite restaurants, Kalky's on the quayside
A view over False Bay from the Muizenberg end, taken from Boyes Drive
and so, on to Kalk Bay
Some of the boats were loading up to go fishing, others were arriving with their catch
and you can buy superb fresh fish on the quayside, which they will fillet for you if you wish
We saw fresh and smoked Snoek, Silvers, and pink fish, which we think were Carpenter, on sale
There were lots of flecked fish hanging in rows on the quayside
They had been deboned and soaked in salt water and then hung out to dry briefly, then frozen. These were snoek
It's done to preserve them and they are a real Cape favourite to cook on the Braai (barbeque)
The outside tables are mostly in the shade and we were lucky to get one reasonably quickly
Kalky's on the pier is a famous institution serving the best Fish and Chips and other sea food
It's not smart; because it is so popular, it takes time to get an outside table and your food, which comes freshly cooked
You decide what you want, queue, place your order and receive a receipt with your number
It is delivered to your table when ready. Keep your ears open for the waitress calling out the numbers
They have rules! They don't sell alcohol but are happy for you to bring your own with no corkage
We take our wine in a cold box and our own wine glasses as the alternative is styrofoam cups
And, yes, the fish and the seafood are that good, so worth the effort
And in a world that is fast becoming cashless, that is all they take. But they do have an ATM inside the restaurant!
And, thankfully, NO smoking
If you can't get an outside table, there are plenty inside
Crayfish and chips on special at R150. Not very much meat on the crayfish, but enough to enjoy this superb crustacean
When we were kids growing up, it was so plentiful and cheap
Sadly, now almost poached out around our coast even though the waters are a protected no catch zone
Calamari, hake and chips - an enormous special at R125
Groote Post SeaSalter
a perfect companion to seafood
Kalk Bay pier
Then replete with food, we ventured to Buitenverwachting in Constantia, so busy with this year's fantastic harvest
We had a lovely relaxed tasting in the cool tasting room. Some glorious wines and the purchase of a bottle or two
Elated to get the award winning 1769 Muscat de Frontignan, it sells out fast
It won the Best Dessert Wine Trophy at the 2024 Investec Trophy Wine Show,
and we agree that it is the best Constantia wine of its kind and it is also the least expensive
Their Sauvignon Blanc is very special this year, full and layered, a classic expression of the grape and delicious, so some was purchased
The blend of Sauvignon Blanc and 11% of Chardonnay also really impressed
The Christine 2017 is a really high end Bordeaux blend which really sang to us
Expensive French oak shows as incense on the nose, smooth layers of a beautifully made wine filled with dark berries,
some umami and a little spice, impressive
As always we and all the other visitors were superbly looked after by Shantall Ball,
who runs the Buitenverwachting tasting facility, and her staff
A surpise was to catch up with Danie Keulder, Groot Constantia cellarmaster
He had come to swap bottles of Sauvignon blanc, needed for a tasting
The back of Danie's 2025 harvest T shirt
The gable of the Buitenverwachting manor house peeking through the trees
A striped brown hawk moth (theretra cajus) on a camellia plant at our home
We see the huge green caterpillars with painted on eyes each year in our garden and then, later in summer, the moth
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