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.