A quick lunch at Bientangs Cave

jaynie (75)Memberin WORLD OF XPILAR • 3 days ago

It was quite a lovely afternoon yesterday and seeing as we did not have much in the line of grocery shopping to do while Jude was at soccer practice, we decided to go and have some lunch in central Hermanus - specifically, Bientangs Cave.

It is a (literally) ocean side restaurant which is actually built in an old cave. There is a story attached to the cave, which is known as "The Legend of Bientang" - and to quote from the restaurant website:

this cave was named after Bientang, the last known Khoi Strandloper to have lived in the cave. Bientang lived here at the turn of the 19th Century and is said to have disappeared mysteriously, no one knows what happened to her. . . The cave proved to be a very suitable home for her as she could be totally self-sufficient. She dined on the rich supply of seafood which she gathered within meters of her home. Running water was plentiful, thanks to the ever-trickling stream, which still runs to this day under the staircase at the entrance to the cave.

Fruit and vegetables were grown in her garden, which is where our kitchen stands today. Bientang was very protective of her home and guarded it passionately. It was not uncommon for her to hurl profanities as well as the occasional rock at people who dared to trespass in her domain. The ageing Strandloper was however not all bite, and lived in total harmony with all of God's creatures, which were plentiful in those days. It has been said that a family of Spotted-Genet Cats were her constant companions, they still live in the cliffs and if you are lucky, you might just see them too.

Bientang was believed to have been a very spiritual being with supernatural powers and the ability to communicate with animals. Pods of whales would return year after year to this exact spot and remain here for months on end. We would like to believe that it is this same spirit of Bientang, which attracts the whales to Walker Bay each year. The spirit of Bientang remains with us. Perhaps you can feel it too!

It is always a lovely place to go when the weather is good - not that we frequent the place, but we do go every now and again and yesterday was the perfect weather for it. Actually, we went just at the right time - because by the time the tide rose, and was covering all the lower level tables in sea water - we were just finishing up our coffee and heading off!

In my opinion, it would be a sin to visit an establishment like this and NOT have at least one oyster :) so, I had two! I know some people refer to them as snot balls haha - but I absolutely love them!!!! Served the way I love best - salt, freshly ground pepper, a little tabasco pepper sauce, and red onion and red wine vinegar pulp - all on a bed of ice!

I normally fast until 4pm so just the thought of having food had me salivating in no time, lol. After the oysters, the food could not come fast enough!!! We don't eat fish at home much because Dave is allergic to it, so I often order it when we go out. It makes a great lunch time meal in my opinion, because it isn't too heavy... besides, its primarily a seafood restaurant so a no brainer really.

I ordered the battered hake - because, battered hake haha - served with a baked potato... because POTATO :D and a side salad! The fish was absolutely mouth-watering! It takes a lot to beat the combination of fish and potato! Truth be told, mashed potato with fish is always my first preference, but not that many restaurants actually serve mashed potato - but I am generally happy to settle for any form of potato (chips will always be my last choice).

I was too hungry and forgot to take a snap shot of Dave's ribs lol - but I did sample a couple and they were daaaamn good! No dessert yesterday, just a latté for me and a filter coffee for Dave. It was a lovely "quick getaway" from the usual routine and it made dinner planning a whole lot lighter haha! I will leave you with a few snap shots!