South African Break Aways

DECEMBER HOLIDAY (5): Muisbosskerm, Lamberts Bay

Our December holiday is long forgotten – so much has happened in the meantime – but it’s always nice to look back and remember the wonderful time we had on the West Coast of South Africa.

You will remember from our last post (you can read here), that we camped with Berto’s family in the small fishing village of Lamberts Bay.

On our last evening there we decided to go for a unique dining experience. Muisbosskerm is a very famous outdoor restaurant with a buffet menu as long as my arm!

So, this is going to be one of THOSE posts – pictures of delicious looking food!

Entrance to Muisbosskerm

If you are a seafood lover, this is THE place to visit on the West Coast. They offer lunch and dinner (and the duration of each meal is about 2-3 hours).

All the food is prepared on the fire

Wood burning to prepare all that wonderful food

The restaurant is literally on the beach – it’s always a good idea to take a walk on the beach between the different courses, just to make sure you still have room for the next treat!

Your view while eating at Muisbosskerm

For only R350 (€18) per adult, you can enjoy a feast of seafood and traditional dishes. For an additional R100 (€5) you can add half of a West Coast Rock Lobster (Crayfish) to your meal – if it’s available that day. There is also a bar at the restaurant where you can order all your favourite drinks.

We also suggest that, if you ever have the opportunity to eat at Muisbosskerm, starve yourself for the day!

Here are photos of some of the amazing food we tasted – remember small portions or you won’t make it to the end!

We started with Corn on the Cob with real butter. The other dish is something very unique to the West Coast, it’s called Dried mullet “Bokkoms” (or Bismarck herring). This is an usual taste, but we suggest you try a small piece.

Corn on the cob

“Bokkoms” – before and after cleaning

After you’ve eaten as much corn and “bokkoms” as you want (but remember, there’s a lot more on the menu), we move on to the Barbecued Fish. On the menu are Yellowtail, Snoek, Tuna, Mullet, Hottentot’s fish and Cob.

Preparing the Barbecued Fish

Barbecued Fish served with fresh lemon

Hot on the heels of the Barbecued fish, follows the Smoked Fish. You will once again have the opportunity to try a West Coast specialty, namely Snoek or you can have a few pieces of Angelfish and two types of Mackerel.

Preparing the Smoked Fish

Preparing the Smoked Fish

Smoked Fish

Now, you’ll be happy to hear there are side dishes too (I’m not kidding)! Colourful Vegetable Stir Fry, Green Salad, Sandveld Potato Chips and Caramelised Sweet Potatoes. In South Africa, you never eat fish without sticky caramelised sweet potatoes!

Vegetable Stir Fry

Sweet Potatoes & Potato Chips

Before we got to the meat dishes (can you believe it!), there were more yumminess on the way. Their Fried Hake, Fried Calamari and Seafood Paella are out of this world!

Preparing Fried Hake & Calamari

Delicious Seafood Paella

I am helping myself to my favourite – caramelised sweet potato

Ok, there is one treat you cannot pass up, and that is their Sourdough bread with homemade jams and butter! It’s available throughout the evening … I bet you’ll want to enjoy it between each course!

The bread table is a favourite spot

The fun element of this dining experience is that you can dish up as many times as you like. And your cutlery is a tin plate and a mussel shell that serves as knife and fork.

(One of) my courses enjoyed with a local white wine

(One of) Berto’s courses and we shared the thick slices of fresh bread

I can’t remember where we fitted this plate of absolute yumminess

Halfway through the menu, all the fish and side dishes that are left over are laid out on one table. So hey, let’s go for another round!

Left over fish and side dishes

However, you will remember that I mentioned earlier about meat dishes that were also prepared … exactly, now it was time for the meat eaters to come forward!

Meat ‘potjies’

The meat ‘potjies’ (stews) are varied between “Waterblommetjie” or Green Bean- or Tomato Stew and Curried Tripe. Tonight we also had Eisbein (perhaps as a substitute for the lobsters that were not available).

Tomato- and Green Bean Stew

Delicious Eisbein

And just when we were about to collapse after eating all these delicious dishes, sweet-sweet watermelon appeared on trays. I mean, really … of course we walked over to the tables to eat a very (small) piece!

Sweet watermelon

The kettles were also on the fire for everyone who wanted to end their evening with coffee and “koeksisters” (“koeksister” is a traditional Afrikaner confectionery made from fried dough in syrup). And no, we didn’t have coffee or “koeksisters” … but we did take home (to enjoy the next day)!

Coffee time

“Koeksisters” (Photo: Eat Out – MasterChef SA)

What an evening! I don’t think it’s necessary to convince you that we had a great time – for us it was as good as royal food (mind you, the royalty of this world might like to know about Muisbosskerm)!

After all this eating we just sat back for the last time and stared at the fires as the sun set over the ocean – unforgettable!

The last fire

Sunset at Muisbosskerm, Lamberts Bay

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55 thoughts on “DECEMBER HOLIDAY (5): Muisbosskerm, Lamberts Bay”

    1. Ek “proe” nou al daardie kos vir ‘n paar dae lank terwyl ek besig was om die storie voor te berei. Ek wens net ek het drie (of nee, liewer vier) mae gehad waarin ek al daardie heerlike kos kon bere 😄!

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  6. Oh my, that looks sooooooo good. What a wonderful place. I’d love to have some South African Hake again some time. Our church Men’s Group used to do fish fries, and we used South African Hake (can’t recall the brand name). Everyone LOVED it. We used to keep it secret, but one of the other churches Men’s Group went through our garbage and found out what we were getting and where we were getting it from.

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    1. Oh Carl, that’s such a funny story! I’m sure that Hake is from I&J (Deep Water Hake) – their hake is just the best! And wait until you’ve tasted the fish at Muisboskerm – you’ll want to stay there for days to make sure you eat something of everything!

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  7. What a feast and so reasonably priced too. I adore sweet potatoes but don’t think I’ve tried them caramelised which sound very yummy. I’d go for everything except the tripe. My parents used to eat it occasionally and I’m not a fussy eater but it’s one thing I can’t abide.

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    1. I agree, that’s a LOT of really great food for a good price! The only thing: You just need a lot of TIME too 😉. I’m with you about the tripe Marion – my mom loves it too (she grew up on a farm), but the rest of our family doesn’t eat it at all.

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  8. Good heavens! These days I couldn’t get through all that in a month! Before I turned “veg” I loved seafood more than anything. But I don’t remember ever having such a variety of choices, as well as all the other goodies. No wonder the meal takes 3 hours. I approve of long meals anyway, especially with a nice glass or three of wine and good company. Throw in a beach, fire pits and a sunset. Wonderful!

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    1. I have to agree, that’s a LOT of food! But then, there were also a lot of people. And from previous visits, we’ve learned to take small bites of the food we really like. The setting is just perfect – in December months visitors flock here from all over the country (and overseas) – this really is a true gem on the West Coast!

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    1. I am amazed every time to see how much food there is! They only work on a booking system and therefore never make more food than is necessary (and I assume since they opened Muisboskerm already in 1986, they know how much food is enough) 😉. I agree – fresh fish over the coals is the best!

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    1. A feast of feasts Tricia! Yes, no tripe for me either (my mother grew up on a farm and she claims it’s some of the best food). And you’re right, I think the relaxed atmosphere certainly contributes to an enjoyable evening!

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    1. Ag, ek’s bly jy het ook mooi herinneringe aan Muisbosskerm! Ek wens ‘n mens kon ‘n paar tupperware bakke saamneem … maar dit sal seker nie goed lyk nie, ne 😄. Dit is die Strandloper in Langebaan wat gedurende “lockdown” gedeeltelik afgebrand het. Dit klink egter of hulle nou weer besigheid begin doen. Ek sal daar moet gaan inloer wanneer ons weer in Langebaan is!

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    1. We have so many lovely places in South Africa – I will need a couple more years to explore them all! Muisbosskerm is such a unique place – we really enjoyed it there! The fish was delicious, so was the meat and yes definitely the watermelon! But my favourite – the caramelised sweet potato!

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  18. It looks and sounds delicious, and so reasonably priced too! I love the look of the setting but there’s no way I could eat a fraction of that even though I reckon I have a good appetite 😮 It seems a bit odd to eat bread and jam with savoury food – is that normal in South Africa?

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    1. You are right Sarah, there is indeed no way one can eat all that food! But you can taste a little here and a little there to make sure you cover the menu (I think next time I’ll take a small bowl with me in my handbag 😉). Yes, it is quite normal for South Africans to eat bread and jam with savoury dishes … and here I thought that’s how you do it!

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  19. Muisbosskerm, wow! I love the setting of the restaurant, the casual atmosphere and the abundance and variety of the food prepared. The barbecued fish, caramelised sweet potatoes and sourdough bread stand out for me among all the other delicacies, but it all looks and sounds great. Except for corn on the cob, which I cannot stomach. The price is very reasonable for what is a veritable feast.

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    1. I remember you don’t really fancy corn on the cob! But luckily there are so many other dishes to try, right? Oh, those sweet potatoes – it’s one of the first dishes I ate in my grandmother’s kitchen 40+ years ago … and it’s still a firm favourite on our dinner table. Muisboskerm is such a fun place to visit – there’s always a nice interaction with the staff preparing the food and you might just hear some really funny stories while enjoying all this great food 😁.

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    1. Haha Diane 😁! It’s not fine dining, of course, but it’s a whole lot of fun dining! It’s hard to drive past Muisbosskerm when we’re in that area and after a visit there I normally don’t eat for 2 days! A feast indeed!

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    1. Haha, lekker koeksisters indeed! It’s a job and a half to make them, but oh … those sweet sticky fingers while eating koeksisters – a whole lot of yumminess! But not to be eaten at all while preparing for a long walk in the near future with a backpack, hey!

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