During my stay in McGregor last month, I visited Flora’s Eating House and Gallery three times, for coffee and cake, for lunch, and for dinner. Seasonal fresh home-cooked produce is the focus, offered with friendly service and very reasonable prices.

I had heard that Flora’s had re-opened in McGregor, having been low key before. It was her move higher up on Voortrekker Road that attracted attention, in a new generous space, with seating inside and outside, and a small gift shop too. 

I arrived for a cappuccino, and explained how I wanted the dry cappuccino made, which was perfect. I also ordered a slice of poppy seed citrus cake (R40), an unusual cake to be offered, especially in such a small village. It was slightly dry, but the presentation of it with the friendly service from Melanie made up for it. 

I met owner Flora Barrow, and she told me about her Swedish background, which I picked up in the cushions on the outside seating, and on the little blue bench in the passage. I had been told, and she confirmed, that her son Felix worked at Ottolenghi in London, and assisted Flora in setting up the new restaurant. Yotam Ottolenghi is a well-known Israeli-born London chef who focuses on vegetable-based Middle Eastern meals, has written cook books, has been the subject of documentaries, and owns restaurants and delis in London. Felix works in film production in Cape Town now.

The shop sells home decor items, mainly ceramics which Flora sources from Portugal, and are incredibly inexpensive. Some of the ceramics are used in the restaurant too, and we found a beautiful match with the food and the colour of the plate.  Glassware is for sale too. A fridge sells paté, eggs, and other food items, serving as a mini Deli. Scarves and bags are also for sale. 

I returned after the coffee and cake for lunch on the Friday, meeting Margie Deegan, now a McGregorian, and whom I had met in Cape Town many moons ago when I ran a Single Parents Support Group. Unfortunately we only had one hour in which to catch up. We were given a menu to choose from, and a black board in the courtyard in which I sat for all three my meals specified all the ingredients of the mixed salad for lunch, including broccoli salad, golden red beetroot, flat green beans, Asian cabbage salad, and olives, tomato, and feta (at R90). There was also an offer for a juice of the day, with beetroot, cucumber, ginger, and lemon.  Both Margie and I ordered a Ploughman’s Lunch, with paté (which Margie declined), two cheeses, one of which I gave to Margie in return for her paté, tomatoes, beetroot varieties, cucumber, chutney, apple, with ciabatta bread. Melissa managed to find seeded bread for me (R110). 

On the Monday after the retreat weekend, my friend Graham Goble, his son Ben, and I had dinner at Flora’s. We brought along two bottles of wine which Jeanette Bruwer from Springfield in Robertson had kindly given us when we went to taste wines there earlier in the day. The courtyard is a good connecting point for the restaurant patrons, a mix of locals (some bringing dogs) and tourists. I had seen Flora on arrival, and while Graham and Ben were looking at the shop, I managed to quickly arrange with Flora that Graham receive a special serving of the grilled Gorgonzola mushroom vegetarian dish, linking to a special dinner we had enjoyed in Cape Town earlier this year. Tables have tablecloths in the evening, and napkins, with Fortis Hotelware cutlery. 

Our starter was an ice cold (perhaps too cold) Vietnamese spring roll with sweet Tamari sauce (R40), which we paired with the Miss Lucy 2016 wine from Springfield, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Pinot Noir.  For the main course (R120 each), Graham and I ordered slow-cooked pork belly topped with cumin seed, served on a bed of oranges, an unusual ingredient combination, served with butternut purée, broccoli, green beans, and roast potato. Ben ordered seared tuna served with an anchovy and garlic sauce, and his plate offered the same vegetables as our pork belly.  The Springfield Work of Time 2010 was excellent with the pork belly, being a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

I ordered the only dessert offering, a plum tart, with freshly whipped cream, and poached plums (R40), not as special in presentation compared to the other courses which we ate, which was served with another perfectly made dry cappuccino. At this stage the temperature had dropped vastly, and appears a characteristic of the region, Jeanette telling us that the temperature drops by 22º C in Robertson in the evening. All of a sudden we were really cold, but Flora’s offered a basket of blankets, which we wrapped around ourselves. We understood why so many patrons had chosen to sit inside the restaurant in the evening. The dining room walls are covered with botanical drawings of plants. 

Cellular communication is really poor in McGregor, so it is best to What’s App Flora for reservations.  When I called Flora today to double check some prices, she asked me to note that her breakfasts are her speciality, being unusual. I will try one when I return at the end of the month.

Flora’s Eating House and Gallery, 54 Voortrekker Road, McGregor. Cell 082 070 9004.  Facebook.  Dinner Monday, Breakfast and Lunch Thursday – Sunday from 9h00 – 16h00. 

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: click here  Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein