Get to know East London better (9)

I’m not sure how our friends in the Northern Hemisphere feel about their winter, but for me, the summer this year is extra long (and hot) here in the Southern Hemisphere.

To cool off after a hot day, we drove to our favourite beach in Gonubie. The best thing about this beach is that there is never a crowd – even when it’s hot!

The ocean at Gonubie Beach

We stopped in the parking area and walked on the lovely boardwalk in the direction of the beach.

On the boardwalk at Gonubie

Beach at Gonubie

We strolled along the beach and then decided to also walk on the banks of the Gonubie (Gqunube) River as far as we could. It was lovely to walk with our feet in the cool water while enjoying the beautiful nature.

Forested banks of the Gonubie River

The Gonubie River flows into the Indian Ocean

Because it was low tide, we could walk a fair distance up the river. There were small groups of people who, like us, also came to seek out the coolness of the water. Some just relaxed near the water while others stood knee deep in the river trying to catch fish with their nets.

Walking upstream along the river

A small boat in the bend of the river made us realise that we could not walk further along the river.

Boat on the Gonubie River

Boat with fishing rods

We followed the bend of the river and walked in the direction of beautiful houses that are on the banks of the river. It can’t be too bad to live here.

Houses on the other side of the Gonubie River

This is where we saw the fisherman with his net. We watched him for quite some time and it was interesting to see how he cast his net perfectly over the water each time.

Fisherman with his net

Fisherman with his net

It was such a beautiful walk along the Gonubie River. The perfect way to end a hot day. But, as you know by now, Berto and I don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a good meal after a walk!

Brazas Portuguese Fusion Restaurant:

Earlier this week we read about a Portuguese restaurant that opened near us – in fact, it already opened in 2022. After enjoying the Portuguese food so much on our Camino in Portugal in 2018, we were eager to experience the taste of Portugal again.

Brazas Portuguese Fusion Restaurant

And great was our surprise to see that all our favourite Portuguese dishes were on the menu! But first I kicked off with a cocktail while Berto ordered a more modest glass of whiskey.

Cocktail and whiskey

The restaurant is not big and I’m glad we booked a table. Our table was next to a large window which gave us a glimpse of how the food is being prepared in the kitchen.

Peek through the kitchen window

We received fresh bread rolls with real butter before we ordered our starters. There were so many wonderful options, but in the end Berto ordered a flaming chorizo ​​and I was very satisfied with my chicken giblets.

Fresh bread rolls

Starters

Although our South African wines are of top quality, one cannot help but order a bottle of Portuguese wine when dining in a Portuguese restaurant. When we took our first sip, we looked at each other and said laughing: “Bom Caminho” – the traditional greeting between pilgrims on the Portuguese Camino.

Silk & Spice – a Portuguese Red Blend

With our main course, the chef came to our table to take our order himself. Berto ordered the peri-peri chicken and asked the chef to make the sauce extra hot, while my choice fell on the chicken and chorizo ​​​​espetada. And I can confirm: It was absolutely lip-smacking!

Chicken and Chorizo Espetada

Peri-peri Chicken

We rarely order both a starter and dessert when we eat out, but we just couldn’t resist the sweet treats. Berto ordered salted caramel cheesecake and since pastéis de nata was not on the menu, I ordered chocolate mousse. Both puddings were delicious!

Chocolate mousse and Salted caramel cheesecake

What a wonderful evening with superb food! If we had closed our eyes, we might as well have been in the middle of Portugal. I suspect that Brazas will probably see us again soon – there’s a lot more on the menu that we still want to try!