The Bistro, Meerendal Estate, Durbanville

September,

  As the Spring comes into bloom.
  Fear not frailty, wrinkles & impending doom,
  Hark! The choir of bunnies, birds and lambkins sings a happy tune.

Ordinarily we would have written the usual lame birthday wishes but today we were arriving at the birthday breakfast armed with our lovingly composed verse to complement our lavish R100 cash gift. If Wayne was overcome with the same blissful fervour that had overcome us when we penned the verse whilst bumping over a dirt road, then he hid it  valiantly and backed off to the other end of the table.

Meerendal is located on Vissershok Rd on the edge of Durbanville. It was purchased a couple of years ago and lots of money poured into turning the stale old wine estate into a landscaped setting for three new restaurants and a facelifted wine brand.

And here we are, a table of 10, at The Bistro. The seating is mostly outside on the wooden deck which is heated and enclosed on cooler days like this one. The breakfast menu consists of about 5 items: a few variations on the bacon, egg and sausage theme, an omelette and sitting at the end of the list the ever-dull Florentine/Benedictine of egg. O, and am I forgetting the muesli, fruit and yoghurt bowl- the universal healthy/vegetarian option that strikes little enthusiasm into the hearts of those cornered into ordering it.

As is usual on most Saturdays, The Bistro was comfortably busy with its clientele of prosperous looking Northern Suburbs residents. Even for large tables like ours the service was quite quick and the delivery of the orders was right first time. With the surroundings so pretty, and the atmosphere fresh and relaxing, the averageness of the food almost went unnoticed. Nothing that would make anyone kick up a fuss and call the chef terrible names, just gentle mediocrity.

Meerendal has come a long way from being the dank and musty cellar lurking on the outskirts of the Durbanville winelands, maybe a spring clean and a bit of a refurbishment and some sprucing up of the menu is due.

Epilogue:

A great way to burn off breakfast is to take a walk up Meerendal Hill and then jump off it. Me and Rosemary have both done it, strapped and harnessed in front of Wayne (the poem recipient) and rendered airborne by his big tandem paraglider. You can enjoy the view, scream like a girl (or just scream if you are a girl) and then promise yourself that you will be a better person and say your prayers every night once you’ve gently touched down in the grassy meadow at the foot of the hill.

Wayne is one of the most experienced paragliding pilots in the country and will fly you off Meerendal, Lion’s Head and other high places. Just go to our link to read more about what a tandem paraglider flight is all about. Contact us off the website if you want to book one of these flights and organize accommodation whilst you do it

Paraglide with us in Cape Town