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!

Eat your way through Island Diner's Deals

Wow! Talk about value for money! The Island Diner at the Beacon Isle Hotel has always been renowned for delicious food and great prices but the NEW Island Diner Deals just steal the show!

The restaurant is offering breakfast, lunch and dinner deals that will leave smiles on everyone's faces. The breakfast offerings include a traditional cooked breakfast, a healthy continental option, a sunrise omlette or a scrumptious benedict all served with your choice of tea, coffe or juice.

The lunch and dinner options are similarly valuable with a glass of house wine, 300ml draught or soft drink included in all Deals. Enjoy a famous Island Diner beef or chicken burger with all of the trimmings, a sirloin steak and egg or a fresh hake fillet all served with hot chips.
For those looking for an Italian meal, there is spaghetti bolognaise or pasta with a fresh pomodoro sauce. They even have a pizza meal deal for the young or young at heart!

And what could be better than high tea with the girls? Served overlooking the bay, happiness is a cup of tea or coffee, a good gossip and a slice of heavenly cake at the Island Diner.

With Deals like this, the whole family can afford to visit the beautiful Island Diner again and again... and again.

The gift of Christmas lunch

If you thought a white Christmas was the ideal, think again! As temperatures in many countries across the globe continued to drop, Christmas lunch in sunny South Africa was truly blissful. Hats off to the chefs and staff at the Island Diner, making the day a complete success for many families.

Christmas lunch can be very stressful, especially when you have a big family. There’s plenty to cook, to prepare and to clean. This year, the Island Diner simplified matters for many families, offering a Christmas lunch buffet inside Indigo Bay.

There were two sittings, the first from 12h00 to 14h00. One hundred and thirty people were wined and dined to the point of pleasurable satiety in the first seating. After their meal, some families happily moved outside to allow the restaurant to be prepared for the second sitting. “That was really nice,” said a man with a British accent, while he and another couple enjoyed a Patron Tequila in the afternoon sun. “When ever you order online you never know, but today was lovely” he continued.

Inside, the waitrons speedily rearranged the restaurant, reset tables and set the food out. With the garnishes and finishing touches in place the next group of over a hundred people arrived. Within minutes- crackers shot off across the restaurant and champagne bottles were opened to celebrate Christmas with loving family members. In the corner of the room, the music began to play as customers made their way to the buffet.

From the eldest to the youngest, there was a dish that pleased everyone. The Christmas buffet menu offered a variety of assorted salads, meats, bakes, vegetables and desserts. One boy was happy piling his plate with heaped spoons of rice. He then returned for another helping twice the size of the first. By the time he made his way to the dessert table, he glanced at the table with cautionary eyes. After eyeballing the ice cream- one eye open, the other closed- he dished heaps into a bowl and walked back to his family smiling as he sat down.

Overall people were very happy and were able to celebrate Christmas sticking to the tradition that Christmas time is a time to share with family, to enjoy each other’s company and count their blessings. Fussing about the cooking and cleaning was not an option for these folk.

A couple sharing Christmas together said they were happy spending Christmas alone together and that they would have Christmas lunch at Indigo Bay again in the future. “It was very nice, especially with the view. It’s very relaxing” said another woman sitting at a table next to the window.

Here’s to Christmas, celebrating the gift of life and gift of good food!