Eating out the Kosher way

Tonight, the tables look different at Café Estoril. Places are set with plastic plates and utensils, reserved for special guests. It’s 19h00, the sky is still light and the tables are slowly becoming occupied. Guests greet each other across tables with smiles, winks and ‘hi, how are you’s. Hot on the menu this evening: kosher cuisine made easy in true South African style. Guests are able to select their choice of kosher meat, braaied to the crisp and accompanied with a fresh salad and/or baked potato.

Plettenberg Bay is an incredibly popular holiday destination, with a particularly high percentage of Jewish vacationers visiting the quaint sea-side town from December to January. Going to restaurants however, can often be a task for many Jews abiding by Jewish Halakhic dietary laws to which Kosher food pertains. The Island Diner has gone to great lengths to accommodate those who abide by Kosher rules by providing guests with a Kosher braai, which they can enjoy as a family.

The restaurant is vibrant and an energetic hum of conversation creates an electric atmosphere. The low lighting from the ceiling and the candles on the table provide a comfortable setting for an evening meal as a family. Across the floor, a father is trying to take food orders from his children who seem to look in every direction other than their father’s earnest gaze. Although kosher cuisine has been made easy, what may not be easy is getting your children to make up their minds. “So just normal steak then,” he calls out, “Ok, next, do you want a baked potato?...”

There is something informal about dining at Café Estoril that makes the restaurant feel something like eating at home or at a family member or friend’s house. The scenery is familiar, children running around, young adults gathering for a brief chat in the centre of the room and adults discussing the weather.

Slips with options of salad, baked potato, boerewors, chicken kebabs, lamb chops and rib eye circle around the tables as guests select a preference. The food is ordered from Maxi Discount Kosher Butchery in Johannesburg. As the food arrives on plastic serving tray’s and plates, guests unwrap their plastic utensils and enjoy their meals. “The kosher braai is incredible!” says a man sitting at the head of the table, “We had it here last year too.” The added effort provided by the Island Diner pays off as guests enjoy their meal together. Not feeling too far from home, the traditional South African braai is made more authentic with the use of plastic cutlery and crockery but, it retains the radiance of the stylish interior and friendly and proficient service.