Island Diner - NEW Menu

“A change is as good as a holiday” … and that is what we are all about at the Island Diner, innovation, improvement and holidays!

NEW MENU will be launching on 10 August 2013

Island Diner is very pleased to introduce our new menu! The Menu at Island Diner, which has remained relatively constant since Jorge & Lloyd started up in 2007, has now received a complete makeover with tantalising new dishes, familiar favourites and some exciting new concepts for enjoying every meal at the Beacon Island.

Listening to our guests and clients, we have created “Signature Meals” – a selection of guest favourites which include such delights as Joe’s Samoosas, Clive’s butter curry chicken & Alisa’s butternut & beetroot salad to name a few. Our Signature Dishes also include new spuds with mouth-watering toppings and healthy roti wraps and salad. You will be spoiled for choice with our signature dishes!

A new item on the menu, of which we are most proud, is the “Mobelli Lotus Grill Fondue”! Social cooking at its best puts the fondue-grill fire on your own table and “ucook” a selection of kebabs, chicken, rump & veg for dipping in yummy sweet chilli, tahini and tzatziki sauces. The grill fondue allows you can relax with your mini-braai, taking in the sights while your food cooks gently on the table!

When on holiday, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Whether you want an early breakfast before heading out to the beach or a lazy, sunny brunch – Island Diner has extended our breakfast menu to include healthy options of freshly squeezed vegetable juice, “bowls of goodness” yoghurt, cereal or oats and scrumptious combinations served with fresh seasonal fruit. For those looking for a more decadent breakfast, Island Diner still offers our famous Breakfast Plates, freshly baked goodies, omelettes and the popular French Toast Stack. Variety is the spice of “holiday life” at the Beacon Isle!

Again, listening to our guests has prompted some exciting changes to the menu and that includes the introduction of “VVIP – Vegetarian Vegan Important People”!  Our menu now includes a variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes including vegetarian tapas, cinnamon, apple & seed munch, a raw vegan cake selection and “O My Goodness” Vegan Snacks. There is truly something for everyone at Island Diner!

In addition to our vegan and vegetarian options, our Pizzas and Pastas are now available in Gluten Free versions. Plus, we have added a “build your own pizza and pasta” option, as we know everyone has a favourite pizza combo!  

Our lunch and dinner menu has been revamped to offer so many more choices which include Signature Salads: build your own or choose one of our winning combinations and a range of heart-warming soups. But don’t worry, you will still find your favourite burgers, chicken and fish dishes on the new menu.

Our Friday Night Chop-Chop Sushi special has proved very popular and ensured that Island Diner is known for producing some of the best sushi in Plett. Get a 4pc plate of sushi from R30 on Friday Nights in the Sea Lounge, while enjoying the music of our resident band. Or you can enjoy your California rolls, Hand rolls or Sushi Platter at any time.

For smaller appetites, our Diner Deals are going to be a huge hit – smaller portions and great prices will ensure that kids and adults enjoy a “bite” with all the flare and flavour of Island Diner meals. Diner Deals include smaller portions of pizza or pasta, calamari strips, burgers and more for a light meal.

We hope that you will enjoy sampling the new dishes on our menu, as the staff of Island Diner have all put a lot of thought into what you would like to see on the menu, what you will most enjoy during your visit and how your specific diet could be catered for.

Do you remember these friendly faces?

Jorge and Lloyd are always happy to welcome you home to the Beacon Island. Our front of house managers, Michelle, Presta, Teresa and David, will ensure that you are happy with your meals and entertained throughout. While Kelly keeps the kitchen running like clockwork. If you have visited the Sea Lounge, you will know Ephram – serving up the best cocktails with the best views!    

Island Diner – great meals, great deals, what a view! 

Dinner Dance – Playa Sea Lounge

“We are fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.” – Japanese proverb

There is a very good reason why the Beacon Island Hotel is designed to resemble the helm of a ship – views from the rooms, restaurants and sea lounge create an atmosphere of being on a cruise ship, anchored in a bay along some far distant coastline. Waves roll towards the hotel, tumbling against the rocks and the sun shines diamonds and watercolours on the ocean.

It is here, in the legendary Beacon Isle Sea Lounge, that the Wednesday Night Dinner Dance takes place. Suspended over the rocks and ocean, enjoy a meal with family and friends including some mouth-watering dishes, then dance the night away with Peter, John and Tessa’s 3 piece band. There really could be no better place to enjoy a spot of Dinner & Dance than the Sea Lounge. Between bouts of twirling around the dance floor, the Island Diner is putting on a stellar 3 course meal to keep you going well into the night!

All for only R145 pp, dress is smart casual and the party starts at 19:00.

The menu includes glamorous new dishes and old favourites:

Starter choice and breads for the table

Greek Salad with wild rocket and herb dressing

Spanish Gazpacho Soup with an herb brushette

Grilled Calamari served with a Lemon Butter sauce

Chicken Livers LM served with a mild peri-peri sauce

Main Course Choice:

Rump Steak, seasoned and grilled, served with a mushroom sauce

Fresh Line fish, grilled, and served with a lemon butter sauce

Chicken Breast, pan fried with a Madeira port and kumquat sauce

Brinjal Melanzane with a béchamel and parmesan sauce

Dessert Choice:

Chocolate Nut Torte with a berry coulis and cream

Vanilla Pod Ice Cream with a caramel nut brittle

Dance the night away on the deck of the Playa Sea Lounge, float on a dream of music, good foods and great views. The Island Diner knows how to put together an excellent meal and you will love the musical offerings of Peter, John and Tessa. It’s as good as a holiday… in your own backyard!

 

 Don't forget the free "pick up and drop off" service available to add a bit more luxury and glamour to the evening. Simply call or email to book your table at the dinner dance and your transport for the evening!

Call (+27)44 533 3545 or Email  functions@islanddiner.co.za
www.islanddiner.co.za

Safe Home Drive - New Plett Service

Safe Home Drive – Free Taxi Service

Finally, a restaurant service aimed at the locals of Plettenberg Bay! Island Diner, at the Beacon Island Lifestyle Resort, has taken the long awaited initiative and launched Safe Home Drive, a special service that will make every restaurant guest feel like a VIP. The restaurants, in partnership with Jansen's Taxis, is now offering a free pick up and drop off service for diners at the Island Diner, Indigo Bay and Coral Reef restaurants. So treat yourself to a special evening any night of the week and take advantage of this wonderful new facility.

A good evening out often includes a couple of drinks and would it not be better and more fun to get dropped off right at your own front door? Fortunately, there is a solution: Safe Home Drive. Brand new to Plett and it couldn’t be simpler.

Planning an evening out? Just pick up the phone and dial the restaurant, booking your table and arranging transport in one phone call. This free service adds a special charm to dining out. What a wonderful addition to an excellent evening of good food and wine, a warm ambience and music than to be collected and dropped off at your front door and the Beacon Island lobby. One can really relax, enjoy the meal and let the good times roll without the anxiety of the drive home.

The restaurants are ideal venues for birthdays, celebrations and staff parties as the menu includes incredible specials on seafood, steak and more, including trendy platters and the pickup service can accommodate groups between 2 and 32.

There are, of course, some conditions to this incredible FREE taxi service:

1) It is only available to diners eating at the Island Diner restaurants of Indigo Bay, Coral Reef, Playa Sea Lounge and Café Estoril

2) Free transportation is dependent on a minimum of two people and a minimum spend of only R100pp

3) Service is available between 6pm and 10pm daily and transportation does need to be booked.

4) Service is available to residents in the Plett suburbs and CDB up to the N2

The Island Diner has a fantastic Meal Planner of specials to suit every taste bud, so check out those specials on www.islanddiner.co.za or http://fineislandining.blogspot.com/

To book: please call 044 533 3545 or mail functions@islanddiner.co.za

A South African Christmas

Christmas traditions and meals have long been a part of so many of the world’s cultures and can vary greatly from continent to country. Meals vary depending on local produce and local custom. However, Christmas celebrations and good food have always gone hand in hand and for many people the thought of preparing a Christmas meal is filled with stress, kitchen disasters and hour after exhausting hour in front of the stove. Not so for those who booked their Christmas lunch at the Beacon Isle’s Island Diner this year.

Both restaurants: warm Indigo Bay and intimate Coral Reef offered two seatings on the 25^th of December this year. The restaurant staff was busy from early morning, preparing food and decorating the tables for a festive feast. The theme was a traditional red and green; red being the colour of “festivity” and green signifying “life”. But you won’t find roaring fires and snowmen! There is no need as a truly summer South African Christmas is nothing short of paradise!

The restaurant started to fill up with families for the first sitting. They settled in with laughter and chatter amidst the sound of Christmas crackers and bottles being opened. Families snapped photos of each other and the beautiful view of the bay, while Christmas Carols floated through the restaurant along with the appetizing smell of Christmas lunch cooking.

An interesting fact to note is that in 1899, Queen Victoria of Great Britain had, amongst other dishes, the following on her Christmas Buffet: boar’s head, game pie, woodcock pie, roast fowl and tongue! Naturally, local produce for the region and familiar dishes for the era, but the Island Diner had something quite different in mind.

The restaurant offered what must be the quintessential South African coastal Christmas meal and the menu consisted of fresh bread basket for the table and crunchy Greek and Roast Butternut salads. A fantasy Christmas Platter to suit every taste bud was the central dish of the banquet. Faces lit up with anticipation as waiters, sporting Christmas hats, started to serve the platters. Laid out for all to share and enjoy were Christmas staples of roast turkey and glazed gammon, tender and juicy. Tender rump cubes and roasted lamb spelled out a truly South African celebration and the addition of fresh filleted line fish and crumbed calamari steaks were stars of a truly Beacon Island feast. The platters allowed families to share their food and time with each other on the special day of Christmas.

By the time dessert was served, steamy Christmas pudding on Amarula milkshake the good times were well under way. Those that would normally be rushing off to the kitchen to wash dishes and stow leftovers could lean back in the seats, watch the tables being cleared and relax. This is how Christmas should be… sharing a meal with loved ones, simply served, delicious and oh-so-easy!

Love is in the air

Plettenberg Bay, voted South Africa’s favourite friendliest holiday destination has also proven itself to be an ideal wedding destination. Wedding bells were ringing all day on Saturday, December 18th. In the parking lot outside the Beacon Island Lifestyle Resort, car horns were tooting excitedly as an entourage of vehicles decorated with ribbons of assorted colours drove by.

Sitting at the Café Estoril, all appears to be running smoothly and systematically; food and drinks appear on the tables promptly as new guests sit down for lunch after checking in. The staff members also have a moment to spare for a friendly chat between skirting tables on the run from the restaurants to the kitchen. A bride and groom walk through the lobby holding hands after celebrating a discrete matrimony in Coral Reef. As they leave, behind the kitchen doors, staff prepare for the next wedding where one hundred guests will be wined and dined proficiently.

“Beach weddings are becoming more and more popular” says Michelle, one of the staff members at the Island Diner. One can see why after seeing the magnificent white wedding of Zjardene Bester (daughter of South African triathlete and former Comrades Marathon winner, Nick Bester) and Stefan Kirsten, taking place right on the beach. Beach goers marvel at the decorations as the stroll by, taking pictures with their cell phones and digital cameras. “It’s so romantic” a girl of school-going age says to her friend amidst a crowd of on-lookers.

The podium upon which the loving couple share their vows over looks the Robberg Peninsula Nature Reserve in the distance as white horses on the sea crash on the shore before them. Mist rolls over the tops of Robberg contributing to the mystical atmosphere and behind the resort lightning adds to the natural beauty and wonder of the surroundings. The sky is a mixture of soft pale grey and blue hues, making the vivid whiteness more pronounced.

A string band plays as suave and sophisticated looking guests arrive. As they walk onto the beach, a beautiful flower girl hands them an umbrella as a few rain drops spout from the skies. Luckily the weather remains temperate as the wedding proceeds.

Back in the kitchen, starters and salads are prepared to feed the guests. The food is on the go for the restaurants and for the wedding which proves the Island Diner’s efficiency. In the interim, the crowd is offered cocktails and snacks while they wait to be seated, humbly chatting their way through congratulations and introductions. Finally, all the guests are seated and the bride and groom get a moment alone while they wait to be pronounced to the crowd as Mr and Mrs Kirsten They can’t take their hands off each other as they laugh and talk, drinking cocktails together with the ocean behind them.

Their first dance together raises hairs in admiration. The groom earnestly sings the lyrics to the Nickleback song they have chosen and the happy couple smile and dance superbly. A wedding notebook floats between the beautifully decorated tables and the sweet smell of lilies and roses fills the air. An unforgettable wedding for certain!

On the beach, another newly married couple are having their photographs taken. “There were 8 brides today,” says the woman packing up the furniture from the previous wedding. Plettenberg Bay is unquestionably a stunning place to get married and with the Beacon Island Lifestyle Resort and the Island Diner, perfection is guaranteed for your catering and location requirements.

Sunny Sunday afternoon

It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon in Plettenberg Bay; to not be outdoors on such a beautiful day would be sacrilege. Central Beach is jam packed with youngsters who have just finished school, making it difficult not to feel the holiday spirit in motion, even though the year hasn’t quite drawn to a close. It seems that summer has finally arrived and what better to do than spend some time soaking up some vitamin D, sipping on cocktails while marvelling at the spectacular views. The Island Diner has it all.

As I walked off the beach, leaving the rowdy beach vibe behind I sat down at a table at Café Estoril and looked out to the glistening ocean, feeling relaxed and at ease as the waves crashed on the shore. The restaurant is perfectly positioned for watching dolphins and provides a perfect complimentary backdrop for a fabulous meal. Café Estoril offers a diverse menu at affordable rates making it the place to frequent this holiday season.

Behind me a table of four are enjoying a fresh plate of oysters with a bottle of wine, laughing and chatting happily in the afternoon glow. In front of me, two mothers, still wet from a dip in the pool are drinking Cokes after playing with the kids. “It was the first time we’ve swam with the baby in the tube,” says the one mother to Dave, the manager. “It was so cute” she adds. Not only are the staff members friendly; they are efficient and the service is good making Café Estoril a perfect place to bring the family.

It’s also ideal for couples as the temperature and mood are set for romance. The lush grass provides the perfect spot to cuddle up to someone you love and enjoy the scenery together. A young couple is doing exactly that on this particular afternoon, lying comfortably with a bottle of wine chilling in an ice bucket, talking softly and laughing lightly while they watch a father and son play bat and ball. The Island Diner clearly makes Sunday afternoons all the more enjoyable.