Rafters Restaurant
Many of our guests have, quite understandably, assumed that traditional South African cuisine consists of steak, chips, hamburgers or Chateaubriand with a cranberry jus wrapped in phyllo pastry and served with a flambé crepe drenched in cognac.....
Truth of the matter is that none of the above (and much else besides) has anything to do with local cooking. True South African cuisine is all about unpretentiousness, tradition and the serving of wholesome, honest fare prepared with the freshest, local produce by South Africans skilled in the art of creating dishes with which they grew up.
At Rafters we follow this maxim as closely as we can, occasionally fusing African with an element of international cuisine. We take great pride in the fact that our vegetables arc grown locally in the Village using organic techniques and delivered daily. Our seafood is sourced in Plettenberg Bay, whilst all meats come from Kareedouw over the mountain; most preserves being made locally by Ouma (Johan's mum).
Many South African dishes have an element of Europe in them, which reflects the historical ties with Britain, Holland and Germany. High in the Cape you will encounter strong Malaysian flavours whilst Kwazulu Natal has a very definite Indian slant to its dishes. This is part of what makes South African food so exciting.. the blending of cultures, tastes and history to form a unique Rainbow Cuisine' (with apologies to Des Tutu).
We have stocked our cellar with wines we have personally purchased at the wine estates of the Robertson region. Each one has been carefully chosen (after much tasting) to complement the different dishes on our menu. If you need any advice on choosing a suitable match for any particular dish or palate, we will be only too happy to assist in your selection.
We look forward to seeing you in Rafters to experience all of
this. We will endeavour to make your evening as relaxing as possible
with friendly service, a cosy atmosphere, soothing music and above
all, good food.
Enquire also about our speciality evenings... barbeques, traditional
buffets and seafood evenings.
Click here to view our recipe book..
Entrées
Soups of the day…ask your waiter …made from the freshest local produce, always vegetarian friendly and presented with our home-made bread.
Bread and paté…a basket of our daily-baked bread served with home made paté
Forest green salad…greens organically grown in our village, with olives, feta, tomatoes and seasonal produce.
Thai chicken salad…strips of chicken breast lightly pan-fried in a sweet chilli sauce. Served on a bed of salad greens.
Prawn cocktail…Succulent locally sourced prawns on a bed of salad greens served with a piquant seafood sauce.
Spicy Cape Malay fish cakes…fresh white fish and shrimps, blended with peppadews, coriander and green curry.
Traditional Cape Curried Fish… Locally caught hake, in a piquant curry and herb sauce served with a garnish of fresh green salad.
Venison carpaccio…finely carved slices of delicious smoked venison served on a bed of fresh lettuce with grated parmesan cheese.
Main courses
Malay shrimp and fish cakes…white fish and local shrimps, blended with peppadews, coriander and green curry. Served with salad, seasonal vegetables and Ouma’s preserves.
Wine suggestion: Unwooded Chardonnay, sparkling wine, Sauvignon Blanc
Traditional Cape Curried Fish… Locally caught hake, in a piquant curry and herb sauce served with seasonal vegetables, Ouma’s preserves and fresh green salad.
Wine suggestion: Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, dry Rosé
Calamari hot pot…calamari from Cape St Francis, gently stewed in a piquant sauce and served on a bed of fragrant rice. Presented with veggies of the day.
Wine suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc
Cape Malay chicken pie…herbs, spices and the most succulent flaked chicken, gently baked to perfection. Served with seasonal vegetables and sweet chilli sauce.
Wine suggestion: Pinotage or Chenin Blanc
Chicken curry a la District Six…juicy portions of chicken, slowly simmered in a mildish curry sauce with herbs and spices. Served with rice, seasonal vegetables, Ouma’s preserves, chutney and coconut.
Wine suggestion: Wooded Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer or dry Rosé
Ostrich bobotie…a traditional Cape Malay dish prepared with prime, minced ostrich. Blended with spices (masala, turmeric), a hint of garlic and dried apricot and then baked with a cream and egg topping…spicy but not too hot. Served with seasonal vegetables and rice. NB…this is not a steak.
Wine suggestion: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Chenin Blanc.
Lamb Shank Pie…prime cuts of Karoo lamb, gently simmered to perfection, seasoned and baked under an old fashioned pastry topping. Served with rice, fresh vegetables of the day and a selection of Ouma’s preserves.
Wine suggestion: Shiraz, Pinotage.
Karoo lamb tomato bredie…a traditional South African stew…Karoo lamb, slow cooked with fresh tomatoes, garlic and marjoram until tender. Served with rice and seasonal vegetables. This dish is traditionally prepared with the lamb on the bone for extra flavour…the bone is not a kitchen malfunction!
Wine suggestion: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz or a Bordeaux blend.
Beef “Boer”- guinon (with apologies to the French)…a variation on the French classic…prime cubed South African beef, simmered very slowly in a South African Shiraz with garlic, chopped apricots and tomato. Served with mashed sweet potato seasonal vegetables and Ouma’s preserves.
Wine suggestion: Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux blend, Shiraz.
Vegetarian
Soup of the day…ask your waiter about the soup of the day…made from the freshest local produce, always vegetarian friendly and presented with our home-made bread.
Forest Green Salad…salad greens organically grown in our village, prepared with olives, feta, tomatoes and seasonal produce.
Vegetarian platter…a selection of the day’s seasonal vegetables, a slice of vegetarian quiche and a plump baked potato with grated cheese and a side salad.
Wine suggestion: Sauvignon Blanc, unwooded Chardonnay
Vegetarian quiche…our homemade quiche with asparagus, spinach, mushrooms and cheese. Presented with sweet chilli sauce and vegetables of the day.
Wine suggestion: Chenin Blanc, dry Rosé
Desserts
Chocolate brownies...Decadent chocolate pecan nut brownies, drenched in a hot chocolate sauce. Served with a scoop of ice cream.
Traditional Cape brandy tart…A delicious dark-baked pudding made with dates and nuts and premier South African brandy. Served with home made custard.
Preserved fruit…Ouma’s speciality…seasonal fruit from her own garden, preserved in her secret syrup. Served with vanilla custard or a scoop of ice cream.
Apple muffin…a light and fluffy baked pudding made with fresh Granny Smith apples and served with custard.
Ice cream…The good old favourite served with our home-made chocolate sauce.
Dom Pedro…A South African “staatmaker”..made with ice cream and whisky or Kahlua. Somewhere between a drink and a dessert!
Irish Coffee…need we say more!!
And to end the evening…
Cheese board…a selection of local cheeses by award winning Fynboshoek cheese maker Alje van Deemter, served with preserves, home-made paté, olives, and crackers.
Rounded off with a wee dram of Muscadel.
Tea Ceylon or Earl Grey
Herbal tea Rooibos, Chamomile
Espresso with a shot of Pot Still Brandy on the side
Ask your waiter about Amarula Cream Liqueur or perhaps a South African Reserve Pot Still Brandy or a chilled Jägermeister to round off your evening.
We hope you have enjoyed your evening with us and that we may serve you again in the future.
Veronica, Marie, Beverley
