Eating Southern Cape, part 1: Butterfly Blu

31 May 2022

 

Butterfly Blu

198 C R Swart Drive, Brenton-on-Sea, Knysna

 

The wife’s one brother, wife and kid, who live in the UK, were in South Africa for the first time in five years and the whole family (11 people including me) were together in the Hartenbos area for a week. For three consecutive days the group (though not always in full) drove considerable distances to lunch.

 

The first event, for only 7 of the 11, was at Butterfly Blu at Brenton-on-Sea, close to Knysna. The sleek, modern restaurant has the most marvellous scenic 180-degree sea view and I’d imagine this is exactly why one would come here, if crashing waves and a vast expanse of ocean is your thing.

 

It was a cold day, and we sat on the wide and broad covered front section of the restaurant with floor to ceiling windows to maximise that view. Presumably, the windows can be opened on hot, wind free days. There are also a few bench tables outside at the edge of a luxuriously green lawn, with the same inspiring view, but today was not that day.

 

The dining area is split into a standard, quite elegant and more formal space at the back, with no view, and the more desirable space with the view. 

 

The menu is extensive with starters, seafood, pizzas, grills and a sizable vegan section. Something for everyone.

 

For a change, the other people at the table made their choices early. Normally, I’m the first one to decide what I want to eat because I need only a quick squizz at the menu before the obvious choice lights up (metaphorically speaking) while the others ponder and dither. Today,  no-one had any difficulty selecting their meal but, as it happened, it wasn’t an unmitigated success for everyone.

 

I was torn between a vegan butternut and chickpea curry and the seafood curry. The latter (R175) won, seeing as how we were at the seaside. I did briefly also consider the pork belly, but decided against it, based on recent unfortunate experiences that made me realise pork belly has become a hit and miss affair at restaurants, and that it was better for my soul to miss it.

 

The curry was served with what I’d call a poppadum but the menu described as chapattis (there was only one), basmati rice and an alleged pineapple chutney. I can’t fault the quantity of food and I enjoyed it, though I’d wager that the seafood came from a plastic bag in the freezer and not so much fresh off a boat of the early morning fishing fleet. Pity about the dearth of chapattis and to my mind the tiny blocks of pineapple were more like a sambal than a chutney.

 

In conclusion, a worthwhile but not mind-blowing curry.

 

The father-in-law had the tempura hake fillet and fries (R132), with crisp onion rings, tomato chutney and tartare sauce. He quite enjoyed the generously portioned, well-cooked fish with the lightest of batter.

 

The youngster with us had a margherita pizza and she was well satisfied with it. One can order two different sizes and I don’t know whether hers was 28 cm or 35 cm, but it filled a plate.

 

Four adults shared two seafood platters at R380,00 each and were a taken aback by how little there was on the plate. It was a breach of trade description to dignify it with the appellation "platter." 

 

In the light of recent experiences with similar dishes elsewhere, the expectation was that the platter would be an elegant sufficiency for two people. Visually, though, the food seemed enough for only one person and the general feeling was, though the quality of the seafood and fries was high, that the platter was by far not value for money, given that “platter” suggests a good quantity, suitable for sharing.

 

Over the last few days, the UK fam of 3 shared seafood platters at Willoughby & Co in the V & A Waterfront (R560) and at the Ocean Basket at the Hartenbos Seafront (R400) and both these platters were far more generous and more than enough for the three of them. 

 

The desserts comprised of one crème brûlée (R55) and three loaded waffles (R65). The crème brûlée is not my favourite but it seemed to be proper and went down a treat. The waffle was a thing of abundant beauty and almost as good as the one I ate at Labotessa last Friday. It was a tad doughy in the centre but the crust was crisp, there was a lake of Bar One sauce, and plenty fresh fruit, exemplary caramelised banana and lovely ice cream. A real treat and almost a meal on its own. The wife absolutely loved it and it was a brilliant beam of sunlight in her day after the miserly seafood platter she shared with her mother.

 

Most of the people at the table drank wine, and apparently the Raka sparkling wine at only R55 a glass is particularly good. My tipple was 330 ml of Red Bridge lager, which went well with the curry but was a tad sweet for my taste in beer. Craft beer ain’t my thing, mostly because I don’t like ale but often craft beer brewers can’t even get a lager right.

 

The UK fam paid the bill so I don’t know what the meal cost but it seemed very reasonable to them.

 

In style and design, Butterfly Blu is not the typical seafood restaurant you’d find at, say, the Kleinmond waterfront and the standard of cooking is excellent, though, as in  Kleinmond, the probability is that it’s been a long time since the seafood elements were alive and kicking in the brine.

 

If one is enjoying some R & R in the environs of Knysna and had a yen for some good grub in a spectacular setting; Butterfly Blu is a good option but I doubt that I’d want to drive all the way from Hartenbos again.