Weekend in Paternoster

We celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary last week and decided to head to Paternoster on the West Coast for a weekend of sun, sea and romance. I can't compare it with other towns on the West Coast (as I've never been), but Paternoster is truly breathtaking. Tranquil and picturesque, it was the perfect setting for a relaxing few days. 

I loved the whitewashed houses and the colourful fisherman's boats anchored in front of many a house. Naturally we spent some time at the beach as well, but our attempt at swimming in the freezing cold ocean was a short-lived one... In fact we didn't get further than knee-deep, before giving up, even though it was a blistering 36C outside. Tail between our legs, we headed back to our little self catering cottage and took a dip in the pool instead. The beach is perfect for late afternoon and early morning walks (fully clothed!) though - a fact we took full advantage of.

Of course we had to pop in at Die Winkel Op Paternoster (Oep ve Koep), made famous in blogland by Kobus of Sardines on Toast. The shop is a foodie's paradise jampacked with preserves, wines, freshly baked bread and other culinary delights. I even managed to find some fleur de sel there - score!

In the courtyard at the back you will find Oep ve Eet, which offers delicious freshly made meals prepared by Kobus himself. The food is prepared with only the best quality ingredients (trust me, you'll taste it!) and features innovative twists on traditional meals and ingredients. Just take a look at the menu for Saturday (menu changes daily) and you'll see why I had a hard time choosing what to have!

In the end though, TheHusband settled on the bobotie with poppadums & sambals (the hanepoot confit was superb), while I took the plunge and had my first taste of bokkoms in the pasta fresca with chilli and toasted breadcrumbs. The verdict? I was pleasantly surprised! The application reminded me a lot of anchovies (which I love) and I walked out with some vacuum packed bokkoms to experiment with at home.

For dessert we had sorbets - I opted for the very refreshing lemon & rosemary one (a winning combo!), while TheHusband had the milder, but equally delicious rose geranium. We were also lucky enough to get a taste of our friendly chef's Rooibos Tea Ice-Cream with Moskonfyt - and I can honestly say it was one of the best ice creams we've had in a long time. (Ice-cream machine promptly added to my "To Buy"-list!)

We ended the day with sparkling wine at sunset on our deck overlooking the ocean, accompanied by freshly baked bread (honestly, I had to stop myself from polishing off the whole loaf) and preserves.

Bliss, thy name is Paternoster...