3 Delightfully different eating experiences in East London

Eating out in East London is generally dominated by the more popular restaurants, and why wouldn’t it be.  The most supported local restaurants are clearly serving great food and beverages and their service is tops.  As a result, many don’t venture out to try all the ‘newies’ in town.

ShowMe visited 3 local eateries in East London – one new… one revamped… and one that has added to their repertoire… and delightfully so.

Jemima’s Hospitality Bed & Breakfast & Restaurant in Gonubie

Yes, you are reading correctly.  Jemima’s Hospitality has opened a second Bed & Breakfast, this time in Gonubie.  In addition to their lovely conference facilities, they have also added a lovely Restaurant!  This is not merely a ‘Bed & Breakfast’ dining room that is open to the public… but rather a fully fledged restaurant with jaw dropping views of the Gonubie River.

Jemima’s Restaurant offers patrons the choice of sitting inside (nice & cool in the hot summer months) or sitting outside under umbrellas on the poolside deck which is perched on the top of a cliff overlooking the river.

Run by Cindy Heathcote (of Cindy’s & Footprints), the menu has something for everyone and is reasonably priced.  The Restaurant also offers a full bar.  Our food was delicious, the view was spectacular and the restaurant was bustling.  I can honestly say that Jemima’s Restaurant has lifted the ‘culinary offering’ in Gonubie, up a big notch!  If you have not been yet… lucky you… you are in for a great experience.

The Highlander Restaurant @ The Blue Lagoon Hotel in Blue Bend

When I dreamed of returning to East London, one of the images I kept seeing in my mind was the view overlooking the Nahoon River from the Sunset Deck & Highlander Restaurant at the Blue Lagoon Hotel.  It is truly spectacular and I rate it amongst the top restaurant views in East London, and South Africa as a matter of fact.

The new renovations have made a vast improvement to the facilities both indoors and outdoors and while I have always enjoyed this venue, it is now really something special.  It offers the feeling of being on some far away tropical island… which for us hard working Joe’s, is really hard to beat.

Their menu’s offer light meals that fit perfectly with the setting.  The bar serves a wide range of beverages ranging from the average brewski to the finest wines, gins & malts.  This is the perfect place to enjoy a light meal and a glass (or two) of wine while you watch the sun set over the beautiful lagoon.  Cheers!

sMugg

No, I have not made a mistake!  We all know that sMugg makes coffee… but did you know that they have now added a great little menu as well?  This week I went to get a coffee and ended up staying for lunch.

Known for their innovative sMugg App and their delicious coffee (my poison is their yummy cappuccino), sMugg has now added a great little menu to their offering and a couple of tables (clearly due to demand) to their little street side urban coffee stand.

Situated close to the corner of Vincent & Frere Road on a trendy little intersection in Vincent, sMugg has now become an urban cafe destination as opposed to just a drive-through (or would drive-past describe it better?).

And the food?  Well, it is very reasonably priced (everything below R35.00) and surprisingly good.  I had their Thai Chicken Wrap and my guest had a toasted sandwich which came with coleslaw.  Both of our meals were great and as (I am very embarrassed to say) I had not yet downloaded the sMugg App, I got R25 off for downloading the app and we walked away with a bill of R95.00 for two meals + two coffee’s (including a tip), which made me feel like I had stepped back in time.  If you are a fan of cafe culture, head to sMugg and give their new menu a try… their coffee of course… speaks for itself.

Article & Photographs:  Sandy Loppnow