Hidden Hermanus
Sive Mbizo has the best job in the world. So he says, anyway. Standing on the edge of Hermanus, looking at the pretty coastal path that wanders seemingly all the way to Gansbaai in the distance, and the cliffs that drop off to the wide blue belly of Walker Bay inbetween, it’s hard to quibble. For six months of the year, this is his office. His role? To scan the sea for the whales that migrate here from Antarctica to breed, get their babies “up and swimming” and play in the shallow waters. Should he spot one, his duty is to announce the news come one, come all! on his special kelp horn. As the official Whale Crier of Hermanus,Mbizo is a sort of summertime Santa, a man everyone is happy to see. No wonder he loves his job. We meet in early June at the start of whale season.…
A Creative Revolution
I last spent meaningful time in Hermanus almost 11 years ago. At the time, it was a quaint little town South Africans ventured to for brief breakaways, and the rest of the world flocked to off the back of decent tourism marketing. It offered good food, sea and some of the best whale watching on the planet around this time of year. This Hermanus is different. It is a worldclass destination populated by impossibly gifted creatives and entrepreneurs who’ve created a broad swathe of dope stuff. I’d imagine the Mona Lisa would look like this Hermanus if Andy Warhol had trained his lens on it. Familiar in ways that retain its historic charm but completely unrecognisable in others. It has a magnetic appeal for travellers whom this type of juxtaposition excites. It was so magnetic that I returned a week after an initial media trip to take in this emerging…
Masters in the kitchen show skills
Third place went to Abbi Romburgh from Curro Hermanus. She received her prizes from Kevin Warwick and Carina van der Merwe. Photos: Taylum Meyer of Titanium Creative
Get your Ficks of flavour: Dive into Hermanus’s seaside restaurantvsdvzv
Perched on the rugged cliffs overlooking a historic tidal pool, Hermanus’s seaside restaurant, Ficks, beckons as a rare culinary gem, where each visit promises to win over diners with the charm of its small coastal town. Ficks is just a quick two-minute drive from the Hermanus Waterfront. The restaurant is tucked away, with its entrance subtly peeking out from the roadside. Descend a broad stone staircase to discover a tidal pool embraced by wooden decks tracing the curves of the cliffs. For accessibility, a ramp connects the car park to the decks, accommodating wheelchair users with ease. The tidal pool, constructed in the 1920s, remains a beloved destination in the Overberg, drawing countless visitors. It has evolved into an idyllic retreat, particularly perfect for a sun-drenched day at the whale coast.Ficks restaurant offers a social dining experience centred around tapas-style dishes meant for sharing. Drawing inspiration from the Basque region…
TWO South African markets ranked among Top 20 in the world
Just as food seems to taste better when being consumed outdoors, shopping feels more real when wandering around a market. South African markets – be they farmers, flea or street – are not only among the best on the African continent, but among the finest in the world. Two Gauteng-based markets have been ranked in the world’s Top 20, according to a recently released ranking by Merchant Machine. In addition, no fewer than 12 South African markets haven been ranked in Africa’s Top 20. The Victoria Yards market in Johannesburg and the Market @ The Sheds in Pretoria have been ranked as the seventh and 15th best tourist markets in the world, respectively. To rank the best markets for tourists, Merchant Machine analysed publicly available review data from Tripadvisor and ranked listings tagged “farmers market” or “street and flea market” by their percentage of five-star reviews. Only markets with at least 25 reviews…
Vegan Cheese made in Stanford
Fauxmage is a small boutique factory in Stanford producing vegan cheese – a contradiction in terms you may think, but that certainly does not detract from this animal-friendly product’s flavour. Fauxmage owner Daniel Boshoff arrived to open up with a bunch of fresh rosemary in hand, plucked from his home garden and apologised for his assistants who would be a little late as they had been held up by a dairy herd crossing the road. You get the feeling that the people involved in making Fauxmage care about animals and the planet, producing a product which is meticulously hand-crafted at every stage of its production.
Visit Perlemoen: Hermanus’ award winning restaurant
A trip to Hermanus wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Perlemoen, an award-winning restaurant situated in the first abalone hatchery in Hermanus’ Old Harbour, offering the most spectacular views and the freshest abalone. Perlemoen Restaurant earned its stripes in the culinary world when it won the prestigious La Liste ‘World Hidden Gem’ award in December 2022 and gives true meaning to the saying ‘Come for the food, stay for the view.’ La Liste is an international online restaurant guide and app that aggregates recommendations and reviews to put together a list of the best of the best. The restaurant prides itself on only using the freshest seafood in its mouthwatering dishes, from risottos and chowders to its signature abalone dishes, but do try to keep space for dessert or a cocktail! Location: Old Harbour, 64 Marine Dr, Hermanus Contact: +27 079 314 8658 Article originally written and published by Adrienne Bredeveldt…
Lina by Farro: A Tiny Boutique Pizza Place in Hermanus
Puffy Neapolitan pizzas from the Farro team that pack a flavour punch. The culinary whizzes behind Farro at Gabriëlskloof Wine Estate in the Overberg, Alex and Eloise Windebank, have brought some of their flavour-packed magic to Hermanus. Their new little pizza place is inspired by their lifelong love for coastal Italy, for Neapolitan pizza and tiny restaurants, Eloise says. “It’s a tiny little shoebox of a restaurant with pretty much everything on display. The vibe is light and bright, with pops of colourful art and botanicals against a pretty industrial setting.” Pizza party Just as Farro celebrates contemporary European cooking, Lina showcases uncomplicated but delicious dishes using the best local produce. Look forward to authentic Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas using Caputo flour, Puglia fior di latte and Richard Bosman charcuterie fired in super sexy Ooni ovens. A handful of salads, some small plates, and a few desserts round up the offering.…
Ashbourne Pinotage: ‘the path of most resistance’
Best-known for making cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Anthony Hamilton Russell is also an evangelist for Pinotage – or rather Pinotage of a certain kind. But transforming the reputation of South Africa’s emblematic grape variety is no easy task, as Richard Woodard discovers. “It’s unusually open-minded people who make a conscious decision to come to an event that’s centred on Pinotage…” There’s a wry smile on Anthony Hamilton Russell’s face, but he’s only half-joking. More than 25 years after embarking on a mission to elevate perceptions of South Africa’s emblematic grape variety, he knows there’s plenty of work still to do. You may wonder why Hamilton Russell decided to bother with Pinotage in the first place. With a main property – Hamilton Russell Vineyards – lauded for its cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, there was no apparent need to start working with a grape variety that, to put it mildly,…
South Africa finds Pinot’s sweet spot.
Pinot Noir has been fashionable for two, possibly three, decades, but South Africa has taken its time to identify where this delicate grape has the best chance of prospering. The country now seems to have found its sweet spot: on the south coast west of Cape Agulhas, Elgin and particularly in an underpopulated valley that is known as “heaven on earth” — Hemel-en-Aarde in Afrikaans — in the hinterland of the whale-watching resort of Hermanus. At the turn of the century there were just six wine producers in the valley. By 2004, the year the Pinot-promoting road-trip comedy Sideways was released, there were eight more. Today there are about 20. Such is the region’s reputation that quite a few of the younger, smaller producers who have revitalised the Cape wine scene are buying fruit in Hemel-en-Aarde and trucking it out to vinify elsewhere. Reino Thiart is winemaker at the Whalehaven…