Escaping Gauteng on the N3 to KwaZulu-Natal can get pretty boring, so I veered onto the R26 to Frankfort and soon discovered where the farmers were racing to in their bakkies: K-ôpikôfi, a licensed restaurant, gallery and plant nursery in the town’s main street.
It’s a serene food lover’s oasis tucked behind bright, notice-me-now magenta walls. The big boykies carve into thick, man-sized steaks on a relaxing garden patio while kids work off pent-up energy in the play area.
The cuisine is creative and the dishes are made with care and flair, whether you’re ordering biltong and cheese quiche or savoury pancakes. The tuna and spinach roulade was delicious and the salad crisp and fresh. Decadent cakes on a tempting turntable display seemed to speak. ‘Eat me,’ whispered both the caramel meringue and fudge Picasso every time I looked their way.
Feed your senses guilt-free on the beautiful quilted wall hangings and paintings in the gallery by local teacher Pieter Meyer. The eye-catching dolls on display are sewn by owner Mara de Jager and an assistant, part of a fledgling job-creation project.
Farm-stall goodies on sale include treats such as fig jam, marula jelly, peach chutney, rose-scented Turkish delight, nougat made with farm eggs and tooth-achingly sweet fudge. They’ll keep you on a sugar high all the way to Durban.
Hot tip
It’s best to return to the N3 on the R34 rather than continuing your backroad detour to Reitz as the roads around that dorp are in poor condition, with more sharp-edged potholes than tar.
Contact K-ôpikôfi in Frankfort
71 Hadebe Street, tel 058- 813-4058, email [email protected], www.facebook.com/kopikofi.frankfort.9.
GPS: S27° 16’ 49.98”, E28° 29’ 37.88”
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