Coffeeberry Café in Pietermaritzburg – A Review

Coffeeberry Cafe

Situated in the heart of the Cascades shop­ping centre in Pietermaritzburg, Coffeeberry Café is an upmar­ket cof­fee shop and pan­cake bar that has enjoyed much suc­cess since its incep­tion a num­ber of years ago. The café pays trib­ute to the humble cof­fee berry by serving world-class cof­fee and award-winning cap­pucci­nos to its pat­rons. In addi­tion, the eat­ery offers an extens­ive break­fast, lunch time and snack-time menu.

The Coffeeberry concept revolves around the nat­ural, healthy side of cof­fee; the actual ori­gin of this much loved com­mod­ity. It is widely accep­ted that a young goat her­der named Kaldi dis­covered the little red berry more than a 1,000 years ago – a dis­cov­ery that lit­er­ally changed the world we live in today with cof­fee, after pet­ro­leum, being the most heav­ily traded com­mod­ity on the planet. Continued

Circus Café in Pietermaritzburg – A Review

Circus Café

Circus Café is a rel­at­ively new addi­tion to the Pietermaritzburgres­taur­ant scene, hav­ing recently taken over premises pre­vi­ously occu­pied by a Piatto fran­chise at the Liberty Midlands Mall. Being rather eager to find out what they had to offer, I booked a table for din­ner and soon dis­covered this res­taur­ant could well be here to stay.

Situated adja­cent to the recently opened fun fare, Circus Café attracts a high degree of passing foot traffic with its col­our­ful black and green logo and ‘chess board’ themed tiled floor. The décor is dis­tinct­ively retro, depict­ing a vari­ety of cir­cus themes from a bygone area and com­bined with the upbeat vibe, cre­ates a unique and uplift­ing ambience.

Upon enter­ing I was pleas­antly greeted by res­taur­ant man­ager Andre who promptly showed me to my seat where the rest of my din­ner party were patiently wait­ing. Without fur­ther ado we ordered our drinks and a gar­lic roll to share while we per­used through the rather extens­ive menu. From starters and soups like the Belgium Mussel Hot Pot (fresh Saldanha mus­sels steamed with a creamy gar­lic and dill sauce) to char-grilled steaks and oxtail, Circus Café sports a var­ied menu that will cater for most tastes and pref­er­ences. Continued

I ♥ Pinetown Because ...

I ♥ Pinetown

Hi, I’m Eddie Bond from Villa LiaMyra in Pinetown.

Pinetown IS BEST KNOWN FOR com­munity based living.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Paradise Valley Nature Reserve, the most relax­ing place to picnic.

THE BEST fam­ily and friends PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT the old archi­tec­tural build­ing of Marianhill Monastery.

OTHER HAPPY SNAPS AT Giba Gorge. Continued

I ♥ Eshowe Because ...

I ♥ Eshowe

Hi, I’m Ann Davenport from Eshowe Hills Eco and Golf Estate in Eshowe.

Eshowe IS BEST KNOWN FOR its beau­ti­ful forest and bird­life and is cent­rally situ­ated for trips to the game reserves and Battlefields.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT the Dlinza Forest and Aerial Boardwalk.

THE BEST scenic PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT Eshowe Hills.

OTHER HAPPY SNAPS AT Pobanke Lake and Shakaland.

WHEN THE WEATHER'S GOOD, I LIKE TO go for walks in the forest.

I THINK THE BEST TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT IS all year around, BECAUSE Eshowes cli­mate is cooler in sum­mer than down at the coast and from March to July we have 'cham­pagne weather'; cool and sunny. The win­ters are mod­er­ate. Continued

I ♥ La Lucia Because ...

I ♥ La Lucia

Hi, I’m Priscilla Rodrigues from Kites View Bed & Breakfast in La Lucia.

La Lucia IS BEST KNOWN FOR its beau­ti­ful, tran­quil, lush green sur­round­ings.  It is the place to come to unwind, put your feet up and de-stress … It is quiet, peace­ful and calm­ing – the per­fect place to escape the hustle and bustle of the busy hol­i­day towns; and relax and reflect; and yet it is still really close to all the excit­ing attrac­tions and activ­it­ies both Umhlanga and Durban has to offer! You get the best of both worlds! (Could it get any better?)

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT the Durban Beachfront while tak­ing a ride on a rick­shaw.

THE BEST scenic PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT night at the new Umhlanga pier, from a cable car ride over the top of the new Moses Mabhida Stadium or at the tran­quil Botanical Gardens.

OTHER HAPPY SNAPS AT The Golden Mile – Durban Beachfront dur­ing the flea mar­ket, Sibaya Casino, Victoria Street Market or at one of the many shows at the Barnyard Theatre in Gateway Mall and obvi­ously any of our beau­ti­ful beaches and Ushaka Marine World! Continued

I ♥ Ballito Because ...

I ♥ Ballito

Hi, I’m Jaimé Ernst from Villa Jaimé in Ballito.

Ballito IS BEST KNOWN FOR its end­less sum­mers, golden beaches, breath­tak­ing sun­rises and reg­u­lar sight­ings of the bot­tlen­ose dol­phins that use our coast­line as their play­ground. Fabulous golf courses, moun­tain bik­ing trails, quad bik­ing adven­tures make sure that there is some­thing to keep every­one busy.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT the Mr Price Pro Surfing Competition that takes place yearly on our beaches.

THE BEST fam­ily PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT Willard Beach while you enjoy frol­ick­ing in the waves or build­ing sand­castles on the beach.

OTHER HAPPY SNAPS can be taken while hav­ing fun on the zip line or high above the skies as you enjoy a micro­light flight and take in all that Ballito has to offer from the air. Continued

I ♥ Pongola Because ...

I ♥ Pongola

Hi, I’m Lindy Blevin from Shayamoya Tiger Fishing & Game Lodge in Pongola in the Zululand Region of KwaZulu Natal.

Pongola IS BEST KNOWN FOR tiger fish­ing, its oasis feel, awe­some views of the Lebombo Mountains and Rooirand Ridge, game view­ing and bird­ing, deli­cious man­goes, cit­rus and litchis, pretty rolling hills covered in sugar cane, and friendly com­munity who are caring and help­ful, and of course the warm weather.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT the Pongola Game Reserve.

THE BEST view PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN AT Shayamoya’s deck as it has an elev­ated pos­i­tion­ing; also at the top of the Lebombo Mountains on the way to Jozini. Continued

Butcher Boys restaurant in Pietermaritzburg – A superb culinary experience in the capital of KZN

Butcher Boys

There are quite a num­ber of upmar­ket eat­er­ies in Pietermaritzburg these days and as far as steak­houses go you aren’t likely to find any­thing more upmar­ket than Butcher Boys. Located in Armitage Road just oppos­ite the Bird Sanctuary, Butcher Boys is situ­ated in close prox­im­ity to Pietermaritzburg’s afflu­ent north­ern sub­urbs, no doubt the inten­ded tar­get mar­ket of this fine restaurant.

Curious as to what culin­ary exper­i­ences I could savour at this highly recom­men­ded eat­ery I decided to have sup­per at Butcher Boys recently and was most impressed with my find­ings. Specializing in prime cuts of well-aged grain fed South African beef and offer­ing a selec­tion of over 50 vin­tage wines stored in tem­per­at­ure con­trolled cel­lars, Butcher Boys has the per­fect recipe for suc­cess. Continued

La Vita Restaurant in Pietermaritzburg – A Review

La Vita Restaurant

La Vita res­taur­ant has had a repu­ta­tion as being one of the most upmar­ket and expens­ive eat­er­ies in Pietermaritzburg for a while now. Situated in the pop­u­lar and well-known Invesco Centre just a few kilo­metres from the CBD, La Vita spe­cial­ises in Italian cuisine and has an extens­ive selec­tion of pizza, pasta, sea­food and meat dishes to cater for almost any pal­ate. Curious sound­ing offer­ings such as Drunk Duck and Raunchy Rabbit are guar­an­teed to arouse interest and even Guineafowl is avail­able for those want­ing to try some­thing new.

Italian cuisine has a rich her­it­age, hav­ing trace­able roots as far back as the fourth cen­tury BC. La Vita strives to main­tain this her­it­age by using only impor­ted ingredi­ents, giv­ing the food an authen­tic and unmis­tak­able Italian fla­vour. My mom and I exper­i­enced this authen­ti­city first hand when we had sup­per at La Vita recently, an exper­i­ence we’ll cer­tainly remem­ber for some time. Continued

Essence Café in Pietermaritzburg — A Review

Essence Cafe

Location plays a crit­ical role in the suc­cess of any res­taur­ant and Essence Café is most cer­tainly well situ­ated at Wetherlys Centre, prob­ably the most upmar­ket loc­a­tion in the Pietermaritzburg CBD. On the day of my visit there were a num­ber of lux­ury cars, includ­ing BMW’s, Mercedes Benz’s, Audi’s and even a Porsche gra­cing the centre’s park­ing bays – unmis­tak­able proof that this venue is quickly gain­ing a repu­ta­tion as one of the best meet­ing places for local busi­ness people.

Owner Martin Maltby named the res­taur­ant ‘Essence’ because he believes the word encom­passes the ‘soul’ of the busi­ness: “Good food, good friends and excel­lence,” and he cer­tainly has devised a com­pre­hens­ive menu that caters for just about every­one. From health break­fasts such as jungle oats to tasty offer­ings like crum­pet stacks, pan­cakes, French toast, freshly baked crois­sants, Welsh rarebit and omelettes to name but a few, the early morn­ing cuisine cer­tainly soun­ded won­der­ful but hav­ing arrived just after one in the after­noon, the lunch menu was what I was most inter­ested in. Continued

I ♥ Kamberg Because ...

I ♥ Kamberg

Hi, I’m Gerhard from Qambathi Mountain Lodge in Kamberg.

Kamberg IS BEST KNOWN FOR its Bushman Rock Art, fly-fishing and breath­tak­ing moun­tain scenery.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT Highmoor or on one of our game drives with Giant’s Castle in the back­ground. The views are really some­thing spe­cial with Mount Eskirne and Mount Cleopatra very dom­in­ant every­where you look.

THE BEST nature PICTURES CAN BE TAKEN by just driv­ing around Kamberg. There are so many treed lanes, wild flowers, cloud shapes and Berg views for that per­fect picture.

OTHER HAPPY SNAPS AT the trout dams or at the Bushman Rock art which is the best pre­served in the coun­try. Continued

I ♥ Mkuze Because ...

I ♥ Mkuze

Hi, I’m Nicky Kinnell from Leopard Mountain Game Lodge in Mkuze.

Mkuze IS BEST KNOWN FOR Game Reserves and Conservation. The vil­lage of Mkuze is a mere 18km’s from the entrance gate to the Mkuze Reserve, in the shadow of the Ubombo Mountains.

GET YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AT the reserve — the bird and animal life is spec­tac­u­lar. There are also over 700 plant spe­cies Continued

The Karkloof Canopy Tour – An adrenaline fuelled rush through the tree tops

Karkloof Canopy Tour

The Karkloof Canopy Tour is prob­ably the most well-known out­door activ­ity in the Natal Midlands, attract­ing people from all walks of life in search of the adven­ture of a life­time. Situated amidst the beauty and green­ery of the majestic Karkloof Valley, the tour involves tra­vers­ing from one wooden plat­form to another along a pair of steel cables (with a two ton break­ing strain) sus­pen­ded high above the forest floor.

Those in the industry refer to this tra­vers­ing as ‘zip lin­ing’ because this is exactly what takes place as par­ti­cipants ‘zip’ along the cables at speeds of up to 80km/h. The Karkloof Canopy Tour has its roots in the balmy rain­forests of Costa Rica where adven­tur­ous bio­lo­gists, eager to record the diversity of animal life found at the can­opy level of the forests, devised a sys­tem of cables and plat­forms that enabled them to explore this pre­vi­ously inac­cess­ible eco­sys­tem. Continued

Rawdon’s Restaurant – Good old fashioned service and hospitality in the Midlands

Rawdons Estate

Situated in the heart of the Midlands Meander and only a five minute drive from the N3 high­way is Rawdon’s Estate, prob­ably one of the old­est hos­pit­al­ity estab­lish­ments on the Midlands. The first thing that struck me about Rawdon’s was its unique, old world charm.

Closely resem­bling an English coun­try estate of a bygone era the estab­lish­ment is fur­nished with a vari­ety of prize antiques that cre­ate an atmo­sphere of class and soph­ist­ic­a­tion. Walking through its numer­ous hall­ways and invest­ig­at­ing its many nooks and cran­nies was an abso­lute delight and I espe­cially enjoyed the count­less, anim­ated framed sketches that adorned the walls. Continued

Gunther’s – A little piece of Switzerland in the Midlands

Gunther's

I’ve never been to Switzerland, but I got the chance to exper­i­ence just a taste of what that might be like when I vis­ited Gunther’s on the Midlands Meander recently. Gunther’s is not really a res­taur­ant in the tra­di­tional sense, serving only light meals of German / Swiss saus­ages washed down with your favour­ite draft or glass of wine, but even without a formal menu it cer­tainly is a venue that has a lot to offer.

The secret to its suc­cess is the hands on approach adop­ted by owner Gunther Janz, a man who clearly has a pas­sion for the hos­pit­al­ity industry and a love for tra­di­tional German / Swiss cuisine. Born in Switzerland, Gunther moved to South Africa at a young age and quickly fell in love with its stun­ning, nat­ural beauty. He decided to stay and, together with his wife Carmen, estab­lished Gunther’s some years ago.

Billed as ‘a little piece of Switzerland in the heart of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands’ Gunther could not have picked a more beau­ti­ful spot for his beloved cre­ation. Situated high on a hill over­look­ing the per­en­ni­ally majestic Caversham Valley, Gunther’s resembles a set­ting straight out of the pages of an inter­na­tional travel cata­logue and in the winter months, where snow­fall is com­mon in the Midlands, it cer­tainly must be an awe­some sight to behold. Continued