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The Eating Traveller, Mogadishu (2026)

17/06/2024

Look, I always try to say something positive. But this wine... stay as far away as you humanly can. Without getting personal, it's just more proof that the Italians have no idea of what red wine is supposed to be.
Or if this is their idea of a good red...
Tastes like mushroom mould dusted on old blue cheese.
And don't get me wrong.
I love mushrooms.
I eat blue cheese like some people eat candy, but this...
Never again. Not for that price either.

24/12/2023

No time like the December holidays in SA. Being home for a few days, we ( i.e. the Queen and me) decided to break-away to Plettenberg Bay. Its been years and a lot has changed, but Moby's, still the place to be.
Relaxing yet energetic holiday mood complimented by top food and brilliant service. All rounded off with a view over Central Beach and the iconic Beacon Isle Hotel.
The place was pumping but somehow the staff managed to turn around on orders in what I would define, as really good time.
And food quality didn't suffer.
I am sure I am not the only person who has ever visited a very busy restaurant and ended up paying in terms of time and/or quality. Moby's clearly knows how to negate this.

We spent most of the afternoon enjoying a cool breeze, drinks and really good quality food. To our surprise (the good kind), we discovered that the upper deck was an allowed va**ng zone. So you can v**e away while having your drinks, if that is your thing.

My queen had the Steak and prawns. She cleaned the plate. Steak perfectly medium and prawns not rubbery.
Myself, living the carnivore lifestyle managed to get 300gr of medium rare steak complemented with 6 sunny-side up eggs. I was assured this is not the weirdest order they've ever received. Way to go holiday-makers.The eggs were still hot when the dish was placed. Again proving the capability of the kitchen and serving staff. Server Duan was a fresh breeze with humor, attentive service and remembering order details to the T... without taking a single written note. Steak perfectly medium-rare. I could have done a second plate just because of taste and quality.

The toilets, clean. Extremely clean and the metal, military standard shined. I have a habit of looking at the ablution standards because you can tell a lot of management by the ablution standards.

In short.
Service 9/10
Food 9/10
Price 8/10. They are not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Average 27/30.
Will they see me again. Let's just say that when the mobile signal caused worries that my payment might double deduct, i told them to hold onto the double because i will use it tomorrow.

28/03/2023

It has been a while since I've been to Guido's, so when the weather played with last week, we decided it was time.
And what a pleasant surprise. The new management has really succeeded in turning a new page.
The new paint colors truly brightens up the inside and suits a coastal institution.
The missus and I opted for the house wines. And no, its not top shelve, but its not horrible either.
For starters my lady did the cheesy prawns and I must say, those 3 mini pitas were truly tempting. I did the chicken wings. It could have had a tad more salt but other than that, they were on point.
Mains were thw biltong pizza for my missus and I opted for a surf and turf of steak and deep fried calamari. The steak was cooked exactly as asked and the calamari was not chewy either, but soft and tasty.
The avo on the pizza was still slightly unripened but that did not deter, nor prevent a doggy bag for the rest to be polished off at home.
Among the changes I truly enjoyed were the new menu with some mouth watering options, the new daily specials ( there is litterally a special offering for every day of the week) and the manager checking in and even bringing drinks to the table.
Massive improvement and awesome atmosphere. Can't wait to get home again.
Service: 7,5 / 10
Food Quality: 8 / 10
Value for money: 7,5 / 10
A definite average of 7 out of 10.
Well done. We will be back!

09/12/2022

So we decided to give Eighteen26 a try for Friends Night. Situated in Wharf Street overlooking the Kowie River.
Upon arrival around 19h00 it was fairly quiet and we easily managed to get a table for the four of us.
The menu is impressive and pricing is very reasonable. Especially if you consider that they are better priced than some franchise restaurants which have the benefit of bulk buying power.
So we did drinks and starters. Starters were Peri-Peri Chicken livers (for me without the bread obviously) and the ladies took the calamari starter.
The livers were well prepared, soft and had a unique sauce. I was told by my friend that the bread was light and not clumpy or chewy. The ladies were happy with the calamari as well. Not chewy and my wife liked the tartare sauce. (Trust me, if she says its good, its good).

For mains the order was pizza. Pizzas are made in view since the kitchen is open. We all agreed to like this, as you can see what conspires and the cleanliness impressed us all. Pizza One was the Stallion which is a very filling and meaty deal. My friend commented that the crust was perfect and not flour dusted at the bottom. His wife ordered the Boytjie, which is a biltong, camembert and fig pizza.
This is where the fun started. They were out of biltong so it was turned into an Oitjie (little pig) with the biltong replaced with ham. So the real experience could not be had.
My wife did the Chicken broccoli stack. Which did not go down well with her.
I ordered the rib-eye with vegetables. Then the news. No rib-eye, no T-bone. So I settled for rump. The meat was cooked to my request of medium rare and was soft. However, I am not sure if they used butter and lemon in their sauce but I made the comment that a piece of that steak tasted like butter-lemon prawns. Literally. No beef taste.
The veggies were good and the unsweetened pumpkin was a perfect match to my keto lifestyle.
Was I overly impressed? Not really. Service took really long and since there was a video blogging foodie (calls himself FBI) in house busy doing his reviews, it was like other customers were left in the shadows while trying to make sure everything was perfect for the FBI. (which is exactly why I do quiet, unannounced and do not order signature dishes).
Look, to be honest, the signature dishes like the eisbein, lambshank and the signature burger are impressive from what I've seen.
Our starters were good, the pizza as well. The other mains, reasonable.
With a wife like mine, who is an expert at customer service, the issue came with items, not being in stock on a Monday evening, and that just at the start of the holiday season. Order slip? Late delivery?
However, in summary.
Cleanliness and hygiene: 10/10. (Very neat and clean ablutions as well).
Quantity vs price: 8/10
Quality vs price: 7/10 (the starters and pizza saved this score).
Service: 6.5/10
Total average: 7/10

Will they see me again? Well if the kids want to try pizza, I will take them as they are value for money, its clean, the atmosphere is relaxing and they have a good winelist. Perfect holiday hangout next to the river during the day. For steak? I don't think so.

08/12/2022

Motto Café and Restaurant. What a pleasant surprise and a face lift to the Postmaster Village in Port Alfred.
And the mere fact that we've been there twice in one week, should say plenty. A stylish establishment with a realxed and real kick-back atmosphere.
On the first visit I ordered the Motto Salad and my wife the Sundried Tomato Chicken wrap.
That salad was in one word: Awesome-liscious. The wrap - magnificent. And huge. Everything is prepared fresh - big plus in my eyes. The combination of ingredients pair perfectly i.e. the crunchy roasted chickpeas in that chicken and avo salad. And when it comes to quality and quantity vs price, Motto is absolutely the place to go.
On our second visit we both took the salmon salad. Once again a winner since you did not have to compete in a "find the salmon and win a car" competition. I also opted for the Frozen Bianca, which is an iced coffee "shake" if you wish. As I am on a very strict, self-imposed keto life-style, this was the perfect full-cream, zero sugar drink for the day. Obviously you can request it to be made with sugar if you wish. I like that the waiter gave us the sugar vs no-sugar choice upon taking the order.
Motto is not a place where you pop in if you only have 5 minutes to grab something to eat. Unless you want cake, coffee and muffins. You also don't come here looking for the standard steak or meat menu. This is a place where you come to sit and relax and enjoy something different.
They don't serve alcohol neither have a wine list, but you are welcome to bring your own. I like this approach because I've been to a few local restaurants which serve horrid house-wines at insane prices.
The loadshedding also does not impact their operations and during our second visit, they switched over seamlessly from Rhama-powerless to generator back up.

In summary.
Atmosphere: 8/10
Service: 8/10 (very friendly and the waitrons know their menu)
Value for money vs. quality and quantity. 10/10. (I mean, even the serviettes are of such quality that you would be tempted to pocket it for a hankey...)
Ablutions: 10/10 Clean, stylish and spot-less.
Over-all experience: 8/10.

Will they see us again. You can bet on it.
Open Monday to Sunday from 8am and in the coming week they will also have a menu change. Pop in. You won't regret it. Neither would your wallet.

11/03/2022

I have a rule. Holiday in Port Alfred is not holiday without a visit to Guido's.
The last time I was there, it was quite a let down but this time round I was pleasantly surprised.
The new decor and paint work really brightens up the restaurant and creates a more beach front atmosphere with its whites and blues.

We opted for some cocktails to start with which were served in real cocktail glasses as opposed to beer glasses during the previous visit. Even the menus were brand new and well laid out. Well done right there to the owner.
Starters were Crumbed mushrooms and Escargot. Both dishes well prepared and tasty. The oven baked panini a delicious alternative to the normal bread triangles usually served with Escargot. The cheese and garlic butter a perfect combo and not to runny. I actually wiped the dish clean.

Mains were Eisbein for my son. It won him amd he had to doggy bag it. His wife took the biltong pizza which remains a family favorite.
My wife had the Something Different pizza (vegetarian) which was just as tasty. As is the custom, I took the Seafood Platter, everything grilled.
I can honestly say everything was well prepared and well worth its money.
The only oopses were the long waiting times and that the waitress forgot our drink order and had to send someone to confirm what we ordered. Also the lack of any beers on tap. So i have to deduct some scores.

Score: Atmosphere 7/10
Food Prep and Taste 8/10
Value for Money 8/10

Will they see me again. You bet they will

09/03/2022

We spent the past weekend at Amanzi Private Game Reserve for my son's wedding.
What an amazing please with the friendliest and most helpful staff, led by Leonora, who went over and beyond to make sure everything turned out perfect.
Staying for 2 nights we made use of the restaurant and what an experience. Not even touching on the amazing luxury chalets, waking up to the roar of a lion or monkeys playing outside on the veranda - which is a story for another day. We are talking food here after all.

Since everybody was on their own mission my wife, daughter, her friend and obviously yours truly decided to go for dinner. We managed to book just in time (15:58 ... bookings for dinner close at 16h00) for 18h30.

The missus and myself shared crumbed mushrooms served with sweet chilli and feta sauce, opposed to the usual tartare sauce. The kids opted for the snails in garlic sauce with cheese melted over the plate. The mushrooms were big and perfect, the sauce a refreshing alternate. The snails were a perfect hit seeing they used real cream and not a creamy white-sauce.

After a table visit by the executive chef, we opted for 2 orders not on the menu. My wife did the Prawn au Gratin which again was done with real cream. She munched away happily. My daughter did the rump steak which was cooked to perfection. We had to doggy bag as it was too much for her. Dad didnt mind obviously. Her friend took the off-menu Eisbein... to which he lost the fight. And believe me, he eats better than me.
I took the beef rib and veggies ( must fit in my suit remember). Once again perfect. The veggies cooked to the point where you get that pre-cooked taste without it being raw.
Having a former executive chef for the Ritz as friend, I've learnt some of the finer points of dining and food preparation, and trust me, the food measured up to the newly acquired standard.

Then came the time to pay the bill. No, we did not have space for dessert.
And I nearly fell from my seat. I expected quite a bill, especially with the off-menu orders but you cannot eat for 4, with a few rounds of drinks included, at this price at any restaurant I have been to date. Not for this quality. We walked away under R1000.

My score.
Affordability: 10/10
Taste and preparation: 10/10
Value for money: 10/10.

Definitely worth a visit... and a stay.
Just make sure you go with a 4x4, bakkie or proper SUV (even a Ford will make it 😜) as the road to the reserve can be a bit of a challenge, especially when wet like the past weekend.

And while you are there, pay a visit to the animal sanctuary or book a game drive. An experience which unlike the current petrol price, will not cost you an arm, leg and kidney.

23/09/2021

Lunch today was sushi and gin, at Niche in Port Alfred. Beautifull sunny day and the atmosphere was brilliant. Cool, relaxing and great service.
Upon walking in I noticed that they did a revamp and it looks absolutely great. Feel clean, inviting and calm.
The gin was served in proper gin glasses. For us, that is always a plus one in score.
We opted for the Niche platter which is a 12 piece sushi combo with interesting tastes.
The sushi was fresh with proper sticky rice, so nothing coming apart in the chop-stick death grip. Elements were combined well and you could taste the various fillings.
Wasabi was fresh and strong. And plentiful. Another plus one.
Cheap? Not if you want to compare it with franchises but considered that its a small business and its all freshly hand-made, yes, I would say its value for money.
All in all, a great place to go sit and forget the world outside.
Definitely an 8 out of 10.

07/09/2021

The Queen was feeling like fish and chips for lunch today. A friend recommended we stop by Fish Tails Shack as they really enjoyed it.
How to find them?
Easy, the 2nd blue building on your right in Warf Street, Port Alfred.
A really nondescript little shop. Not impressive to the look or even upon entry. You are greeted by some fresh fish on ice and a friendly lady behind the counter.
We ordered the Combo i.e. fish, calamari strips, chips. Two combos got to R190 which could be paid cash or by card.
Took about 10 minutes of waiting which is good, meaning its fresh.
We had a peek at the back and saw a nice little pub corner. Precisely the place I would go to to be missed by the world if I am in one of those "leave me alone" moods.
Food was good but not overly impressive. Reminds me in a sense of the fish and chips we used to buy from the Greek corner cafe once a month when dad and mom paid.
If basic fish and chips is what you want, this is where you will go. The calamari is soft so another bonus point. Portion size is perfect unless you suffer from one of those 7 sins which is named gluttony.
Taste wise...
Let me see...🤔
Since I've been around the block a few times I would compare this to driving a VW Golf 3 when you are used to a VW Tuareg. Its still the same thing, but not.
Value for money? Yes, considering what the economy has come to with the missing 500 billion.
All in all, a 5.5 out of 10.

23/04/2021

I remember the first time I stopped at Nanaga Farm Stall . They were still a small farm stall of the N10 and were asked to pick up a lemon meringue. I remember being impressed as I could tell by weight, it was a lot better than those from a popular chain where all food must have obtained university degrees, if you consider W..hat they are worth...

Today, many years later, Nanaga has become a tradition stop on the way to or way back from Port Elizabeth. (Tsek with the new name).
In all the years (12 plus I must add), we've ever only had one bad experience with some prepacked droeëwors, but that is through us and behind us now.

During our latest stop I bought two pies. And no, I didn't buy milk or needed Rennies afterwards.
The pies here are proper food. Good pastry, plenty filling and great taste. Are they cheap? No. Because it's not your typical post night-on-the-town garage pie. Not mass produced and kept warm in a countertop pie warmer. No, freshly baked daily. I had to give up my steak-and-kidney desire for pepper steak, but still well worth it. And you don't have to enter the "find the steak and win a car" competition either. Plenty steak strips in a yummy pepper sauce.

As a 2nd (yes, I like food), I took a sausage roll, or as some would say, a meat pie ( aren't they all?🤔🤷🏼‍♂️)
After all, the make or break of your pies, is the sausage roll. Test passed and Eating Traveler approved. No soy here. Only minced meat in a proper pastry sleeping bag.

And the best of all, you can eat these in your car without having to clean yourself and your car interior with a vacuum cleaner afterwards.

So filling, I even declined ice-cream later in the day. Which might explain the odd weather lately.

With a range which also includes pies like lamb & mint or wild boar, this is worth it and will remain a favorite stop.

06/04/2021

On the wat home and enjoying some local beers at the coffee shop at the C gates, Addis Ababa Bole International Airport .

The blue with goats on the label won this tasting hands down.

Since the pizza kitchen was already closed at 22h00 I opted for some Meat Sambuza... or as we would call it, chicken samoosa...
Nice and spicy though and complemented all beers very well.

Next time round I will stick with the beer. But I still want to taste that chicken and pesto pizza. Just saying it sounds... well, right.

26/12/2020

Well what can I say about Copper Clover?
In one word: Fantastic.
On suggestion of my son we did a Sunday lunch.
On approaching the entrance I was wondering what I let myself in for but once inside I knew I was at the right place. Jovial atmosphere, plenty customers, open space, a long bar counter and a massive TV screen with an open view on a piece of Free State veld plus a play area for kids - just some of the joy. Don't forget about the ample, safe parking.

For starters we ordered the Jalapéno poppers. Man what a treat. 3 Cheeses mixed with chopped peppers, perfectly fried in crumbs. I still regret ordering to share.

Then came the mains.
My son built his own platter from the available options. The wifey went with a sandwich and I went with their signature steak with sweet potato fries on the side. I can't talk for them but that steak was grilled perfectly medium rare. It was soft and tasty, like only South African beef can be.
The only problem I had, as a matter of fact we all had, was that we could not finish it. But taking it home as a doggy bag solved dinner.

For dessert we decided to share a waffle. So what you see in the pictures, is HALF a portion.

Will I go again? Definitely!
What will I change? Arrive starving.
Food is prepared with attention to taste and to request. Service was maybe a bit slow considering it was not crazy busy but it being a Sunday and we wanted to relax, I don't really care.
Are they cheap? Nope.
Are they overly expensive? Neither.
For the first time in a long time (that sounds funny), I actually got what I paid for and paid it gladly.

Next time I am in the City of Roses, this will be a must stop.
Total experience: 9/10.

The Eating Traveller

17/06/2024

24/12/2023

28/03/2023

09/12/2022

08/12/2022

11/03/2022

09/03/2022

23/09/2021

07/09/2021

23/04/2021

06/04/2021

26/12/2020

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