South Coast surprises to savour, a day trip from Durban

It was a message about free-range chickens and a man who had travelled to the US to work on a chicken farm that got me writing about The Waffle House, something of an iconic spot, as eateries go, in Ramsgate on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast.

And The Packshed, about 10 minutes away by car. An invitation to a memorial took me there for the first time. To be surprised by this unexpected “find” in the middle of nowhere, as it seemed to a townie bused in with a small group of the widower’s friends from Durban.

A most memorable memorial it was, put together by the husband when, as he put it, fond memories were increasingly filtering through his grief, so he knew it was time.

Time to raise many glasses of Bollinger Special Cuvée in absentia to his wife of 50 years, as it had been her favourite.

Similarly, time for him to curate a five-course lunch, each dish chosen to celebrate his late wife by way of the geographic trajectory of her life. Which had started in the Philippines, along the way included Germany, and ended in South Africa, fittingly recognised with a dessert she loved: a simply delicious Jackie Cameron apple crumble. All recipes agreed upon in collaboration with Packshed executive chef Brandon Bisset, who prepared them.

Apropos The Waffle House. We’ll get back to the broilers in a bit and to Nemvelo, the organic farm the chickeroos free-range on.

For now, see my “salted caramel avalanche”. The wondrous vision of temptation and delight, pictured above. The mint on the top is from the farm. The vanilla ice cream was made in nearby Shelly Beach. The macadamia nuts in the praline “bed” are locally sourced. And the waffles are made without sugar. It’s your choice to drench them in the maple-flavoured syrup offered and available on every table. Or not. And yes, this voluptuary avalanche is what I ordered.

And yes, drench the remaining bits of the waffle after relishing the ice cream, the casing of salted caramel and the crunchy “bed” is what I did.

It is an understatement to say the eatery is a long-time landmark. Also to say I had a few preconceptions that were misconceptions. Sugary waffles, for example, was my expectation. But no sugar is used in the waffle mix, sweetness being restricted to where one hopes it will be: the toppings. And wow, waffles made from stone-ground flour. And served with organic veggies grown on their own organic farm.

The chicken in the popular chicken curry waffle, served with a papadum, sambals and fresh banana slices (on the South Coast, expect a cool bounty of bananas), is free-range, from their farm. As is the chicken in the chicken à la king (now there’s a blast from the past) and the chicken mayo waffles. These being among the savoury selection, which of course has some vegetarian options (there are vegan too) including a roasted butternut and beetroot waffle with feta, lentils and pecan nuts.

Meat? There’s a bobotie waffle. And I shared a beef burger waffle with Pauline Lee, a partner in The Waffle House, initially from Ireland but so long here that there is barely a hint of the brogue.

Oh yes, another surprise. Salad or basmati or brown rice are offered as alternatives to waffles. All eggs, as you might by now have guessed, are free-range. 

The place opened in 1957, not as the Waffle House but as the Tea House of the Blue Lagoon. I learn from Lee that Doreen Gaze, the founder with her late husband, John, turns 98 this year and lives in Ramsgate, directly across the winding, narrow and what was once-upon-a-pre-freeway-time, the main South Coast road.

John and Doreen, says Lee – and I find versions of the story in old newspaper articles posted on a Margate nostalgia Facebook group – ran the place for 19 years. Then they went to the UK for 15 years and rented it out.

In 1991 they returned, refurbished and reopened as The Waffle House, modelled on two eateries of this name, also featuring Belgian waffles, that their son had recently opened in the UK. All three remain in the family and now that I am following the Norwich and St Albans branches on Instagram, I can report that, same as their KZN South Coast counterpart, they are waffling along swimmingly. All three serve “delicious sweet and savoury waffles using locally sourced, free range and organic ingredients”.

So now, meet Mhlekhona “Mhle” Hlongwa, supervisor at Nemvelo (which translates from isiZulu as “with nature”) Farm, which came into being seven years ago when The Waffle House couldn’t find a suitable local supplier of free-range chickens. 

“We found this 6.5-hectare farm,” says manager Clinten Peters, as we stand in the car park at the top of a hill, sun filtering through trees, looking down over a greenhouse and terraced veggie beds to a lake.

He gives me the rundown while we wait for Hlongwa, who is busy making sure things are running smoothly at the farm’s small on-site abattoir where, outside in a pen, chickens are clucking, seemingly happily oblivious to their pending farm-to-plate fate. This “of age” group (43 days) has been moved from one of three large chicken houses, each of which opens into a substantial outdoor plot with shrubs, trees, sand and shade where they have “enjoyed a short and healthy life in a pleasant environment”, as Peters puts it. 

Walking the hilly paths of Nemvelo Farm with Hlongwa, who Peters has already told me is “amazing with chickens but his passion is vegetables and he’s always trying new and innovative ways of producing seedlings”. I get to experience his know-how first-hand. He shows me the macadamia nut trees, which are producing their first real crop. And the bananas, ready to be covered so they can ripen safely.

He shows me the microgreens and seedlings in the expansive greenhouse that’s his passion; demonstrates how to thin them out to ensure a sturdy crop. Then we wander the organic produce fields. Talk about the worm farm and hand-weeding. And about interns who arrive from colleges with no knowledge of regenerative farming, as in building soil health, eschewing pesticides and herbicides, and earth-to-earth composting.

Hlongwa, who was born and raised in nearby Gamalakhe, studied agricultural management through Unisa after he left school. He ran a seedling nursery at the Ramsgate-based food security nonprofit, Siyavuna, before joining the Nemvelo team as the farm was setting up. This led to a poultry internship by way of a US-based World Poultry Foundation grant, arranged by the Future Farmers Foundation in Howick, a nonprofit supporting young people from rural communities with a passion for farming.

The internship took him to the US for a year, to Rose Acre Farms, one of America’s largest egg producers, in North Vernon, Indiana. “There I worked with layers,” learning a lot about hi-tech egg production – and getting extremely chilly in winter.

While he appreciated the experience acquired, he was happy to return to subtropical climes, family, broilers and veggie crops back at Nemvelo, which supplies a number of restaurants in the area with organic produce and partners with community groups around seeds and training internships. Two years ago they opened a deli at The Waffle House as an outlet for the general public.

The Packshed. Sophisticated, unpretentious fine dining rooted in Swiss discernment and standards. Hands-on co-founder Daniel Kern is a graduate of the acclaimed Swiss Hotel Management School in Zurich.

The seductive à la carte menu – which has starters like wild mushroom potato dumplings, gin and beetroot gravlax, and “springbok carpaccio and blue cheese (mousse) feast” – changes quarterly. It is complemented by harvest specials and reflects executive chef Brandon Bisset’s penchant for Asian and European cuisine, his KZN origins and experience, and his passion for seasonally inspired produce and ingredients.

The eatery’s name tells the story of the venue’s origins. It is a banana packing shed, transformed. Small wonder that with such down-home origins the vibe is fun and friendly.

I find it curious that the word “intimate” speaks to my experience, sitting at a table, at times on my own, at times with Kern or Bisset, when I am aware that the place is cavernous. Perfect for the weddings and big events they regularly host. I put it down to someone’s ingenious design creativity with the wood and metal tables (made by interns learning useful trades at an on-site skills centre that sadly languished during Covid), the velvet couches, the fireplace, the strings of lights, the many candles and cool monochromatic palette.

Then there’s the open-plan kitchen. In one corner a refrigerator for the pancetta and prosciutto, made in-house. An indoor, sectioned-off “farm stall”, called Sweet Gang & Friends, run by Julie van Lille, renowned in the area for her chocolate brownies. It is a collaboration, which offers small producers and vendors an upscale outlet for gifts and produce. Also, for Packshed breads, including Swiss butterzopf, a knotted bread, chef Brandon’s sourdoughs, including one with salted caramel and chocolate, and daily special quiches.

A second community collaboration involving food, local craftspeople and producers, and also live music, is the Sweetdale Night Market, from 6pm to 10pm, held on the former banana farm alongside the eatery on the last Friday of every month. It is hugely popular with locals as a community gathering spot and fun social happening. If you haven’t tried Mpenjati Coffee, grown and roasted inland from nearby Munster close to Port Edward, it’s worth making a detour if you’re down that way. They have a great little coffee shop and will give you a tour. The Packshed brews Mpenjati Coffee, sells it in the “farm stall” and it is available at the night market.

When I go to meet Kern to chat, the weather, summery on my previous day’s visit, has turned overcast and chilly. I think this is why a fire has been lit next to where logs are artistically columned.

But no. A menu favourite, one of several they can’t take off when they make changes, is the “wood board” Norwegian salmon, which is cooked on the open fire, lit specifically for this purpose and giving a comforting and exotic vibe, not to forget the enticing aroma. The dish is served with fondant potatoes, house-made pancetta, wild mushrooms, lemon and potato creams and a couple of other subtle side-tastes.

“We try to do local as much as possible. But guests want this, love it. Cooking it over the open fire, besides giving the smoky taste, makes for an experience for the guests. They like to watch it. That’s also the idea behind the open kitchen.”

Kern’s in-laws, Roland (who before retirement was an airline pilot in Switzerland) and Sibylle Wenger, bought what was a 120ha banana farm 20 years ago. “They wanted to do something different and meaningful,” says Kern.

To this end they set up a leadership and team-building camp. This followed by a skills centre, with a view creating employment options for young people, including in the hospitality field. They also import quality used bicycles from Europe, teach bike repair skills and donate the bicycles.

Early on they also opened up hiking and biking trails on the sprawling farm for the community at large.

Daniel Kern and his wife, Connie Wenger, who have two young children, were both involved in hospitality in Switzerland. “Our dream was to open our own restaurant. We came regularly to the South Coast to visit the in-laws and saw the potential for a good restaurant and also to do something for the community.”

They moved to the area seven years ago, as did Sam Wenger, Kern’s brother-in-law, currently involved in the creation of Serenity Hills, an eco-focused estate they’re developing on the property conceptualised during Covid when everything involving people and community shut down.

“I love Switzerland,” says Kern, when I ask about the family’s decision to settle here. “But, you know, the people are reserved. And everything is small. One is often shut inside. Here, on the other hand, the people are so welcoming and friendly. There is so much space. The outdoors. The wildlife. The culture. The diversity. The food and wine.”

A classic perfectly seasoned steak tartare, hand-cut raw fillet, with onions, mustard, cognac, cayenne, Worcestershire, caper berries, mustard and turmeric emulsion, the egg yolk arriving discretely nestled into half a shell, ready to drop on top and mix in to savour with the melba toast. “We were told we dare not have steak tartare on the menu down the South Coast,” says Kern.

But they went ahead. And unsurprisingly, given the quality and presentation (and yes, I got to eat the one I photographed), it is a favourite.

An option is the Norwegian salmon tartare, which comes richly blended with smoked salmon, feta, avo, crème fraiche, caviar, the same mustard and turmeric emulsion that comes with the steak tartare and that melba toast.

The ostrich fillet, unusually, comes with Yorkshire pudding and spicy red cabbage kimchi. The beef trio, another favourite, features grilled fillet, pulled oxtail and crusted marrow bone. Bourbon and mustard jus feature.

There is a wood-fired pizza corner, wo-manned by Doreen Cele, who started at the leadership camp 15 years ago, moved to the kitchen, and now runs the pizza bar. She tells me about the 24-hour fermentation, rolling of the dough and pre-baking.

I try a slice of the springbok carpaccio pizza – their game is provided courtesy the skills of a nearby hunter – which comes, of course, with good mozzarella, has slivers of Parmesan, and is finished with a hint of truffle oil. I can’t resist a second slice, encouraged by Kern, topped with the salsa verde, a tasty medley of capers, anchovies, parsley, onion and garlic, coriander, mint and salt; one of three condiments served.

I was taken by the idea, for when the days are chillier, of trying the oxtail ragu pizza. Never come across that before. Chef Brandon creates the wood-fired menu. Fermented dough. Inspired toppings. You know they will be good pizzas.

Sitting at a table next to a dancing (inebriated?) EAT sign, imbibing the atmosphere, aromas and stories, watched solicitously by front-of-house manager Lincoln Majeke, I get to thinking how this TGIFood article evolved. The Packshed. The Waffle House. Two eateries which at face value are apples vs oranges, but with similarities to chew on. An email from my friend in the US about a man who, like her, has an affinity for chickens. An invite from the widower to come celebrate the life of a remarkable woman. So much of what happens in life, seemingly randomly, evolves into story after the fact. 

Both these stories became my story. And now they have become yours, too. The story of two eateries, so different, but both of them unique South Coast gems. DM

Follow The Packshed on Instagram, Facebook and their website. Follow Sweet Gang & Friends and Sweetdale Night Market on Instagram. Follow The Waffle House on Instagram, Facebook and their website. Follow Nemvelo Farm on Instagram and Facebook. Follow Chef Brandon Bisset on Instagram.

Follow Wanda on Instagram @wanda_hennig_new