I am happy to report that my weekend away to Greyton was a success! This is not a story of fancy fine dining (you won’t find that in Greyton); it’s a story of locally sourced wholesome food and home-made delights.
What’s a road trip without the ubiquitous farm stalls? Peregrine is the first one we popped into to. It is huge and has everything you could ever want food-wise (even designer coffee) but it is definitely sanitised and modern, and lacks that homely tannie-in-die-kombuis feeling that I so love at farm stalls. Their koeksisters are divine, and I found beautiful fresh figs at a bargain price of R50 per kilo!
Next stop, was Dassiesfontein, also a mega farm stall, but one which has managed to maintain that authentic farm feeling. It is basically a treasure trove of homemade treats, bric-a-brac home décor specialising in boere baroque, locally sourced wines and even a haberdashery – this place has everything! Even a fabulous restaurant. By fabulous I mean boerekos fabulous – large portions, dirt-cheap prices and the best homemade bread ever (made from flour they have ground themselves!). Our lunch favourites were the snoek pate with apricot jam (R65) and the venison pie (R35), washed back with a bottle of surprisingly smooth Dassiesfontein Red – a steal at R65 per bottle.
We rolled into Greyton, sated and already looking forward to our feast that night. We chose Abbey Rose, as it was currently rated number one on Tripadvisor and the outdoor seating looked charming under the twinkling fairy-lights. The dinner started with a bit of a hiccough, as we were seated in the garden right by the toilet (this after I asked for the “best seat” in the restaurant when booking via email) but was quickly moved after I complained to the manager. Starters (R55 each) were springbok carpaccio with blue cheese, it was pleasant although I thought the blue cheese overpowered the delicate flavour of the springbok. We also had the deep-fried camembert with green fig preserve, the cheese could have been cooked longer as it didn’t ooze out when I broke the shell. Mains were much nicer, the lamb shank (R175) was a real winner with perfectly balanced flavours and meat falling off the bone. The fillet steak (R195) was cooked to perfection (i.e. as we requested) and felt very indulgent with not only brie and bacon, but a mushroom sauce too! We just managed to squeeze a crème brûlée in for dessert, the sugar crust was thin and the custard was silky smooth and not too sweet; a perfect way to end the meal. We took our own wine (corkage R40), as their wine list is not too exciting and the wines from the area are very pricey. Overall, we enjoyed our dinner and would recommend it for its romantic ambience and comforting South African dishes. Just a disappointing note about Abbey Rose, we tried to pop in for a quick cup of coffee at noon on a Sunday, and they would not let us stay because we were not lunching!
On the subject of coffee, we visited Via’s during the Saturday morning rush to get our caffeine fix. The place was packed and unfortunately it seemed like the staff were not coping! I had to ask three times to get the wifi code, and eventually I walked to the till to get it myself from a very apologetic manager. However, the cappuccino was delicious and worth the long wait, although we decided not to brave staying for brunch.
Greyton Saturday morning market
An absolute foodie highlight was visiting the Greyton Saturday morning market opposite the NG Kerk that runs from 10-12am. My lemon and cinnamon pancake (R12) reminded me of the ones I used to eat at school fetes – delicious in its simplicity. Kingwill’s Concordia Dairy Farm preservative free cheddar cheese matured for one year (R195 per kilo) was absolutely incredible – as good as if not better than any mature Irish cheddar I have tasted! Jon Manson’s home-made lemon and pepper labneh (R30 a tub) was so divine, especially lavished on the John Bailey’s ciabatta (R35), the best ciabatta I have eaten in ages. If you like your biltong moist and your dry wors fatty and full of flavour then you will love Ilse van Lingen’s biltong store.
The Old Potter’s Inn and Brewhouse
You also cannot miss visiting Greyton’s first craft brewery The Old Potter’s Inn and Brewhouse. There is a selection of four craft beers: SAISON “Plaas Japie” , PALE ALE “City Slicker”, IPA “Flower Child” and AMBER ALE “Rooinek” and if you cannot decide which one you want, they do offer tastings (R35).
Even though we were sad to leave the green lushness and deliciousness of Greyton, we had the Hickory Shack to look forward to for Sunday lunch on our way home on the N2 near Elgin. Our lunch started with the warmest and sincerest welcome from the owner, and the service continued to be friendly, and most importantly efficient. Their slogan, “slow-cooked, served fast” is completely true and I think they should add, “sensational tastes” to it! The Hickory Shack honours the Texas tradition of dry rub meat over smoke and then sauce after hours of slow cooking. And their home-made sauces – BBQ, chipotle and chilli – are seriously good enough to steal the show. Our favourite dishes were the tender 500g belly ribs (R115) and the spicy Appleby’s BBQ chicken wings (R85) served with the best coleslaw we have ever tasted! They also smoke their own cheese, making their nachos (R75) something special. Try save space for their home-made ice-cream (R25) and double-thick malt milkshakes (R45)…yum after yum after yum.
Check these out on your next roadtrip through the Overberg.
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