Welcome back to the Savvy Write Up fellow Hivers! Today we visit the quaint and quirky Camel Rock Restaurant in Scarborough in the deeeeeeep South of the Cape Peninsula.
Scarborough is a little seaside village (not big enough to be a town) populated (if you can call it that) with nature loving locals, surfers and kiting enthusiasts. If you don’t mind having to drive a fair distance along a skinny somewhat bumpy road to get to any grocery stores then this is the spot for you!
It’s got a beautiful white sand beach, crystal blue very cold ocean and a rocky shore on either side, while it backs onto mountainous nature reserve frequented by baboons. (Sometimes to the point of being a nuisance.)
We stopped by Camel Rock Restaurant while taking a slow family drive on a Sunday morning from our home in Kommetjie (slightly larger than Scarborough) just as lockdowns were lifting recently, hence the mostly empty tables. I can imagine this place could have quite a vibe when hosting live local musicians. It seems to have everything going for it.
The curb appeal does it no justice because as you make your way through the initial indoor dining area, you realise that there is a whole lot more to it!
The first thing you see as you leave the back folding door is the huge Camel shaped pizza oven - we are yet to taste their pizzas, but pizzas can’t really go wrong, especially in an authentic wood burning oven.
Then the courtyard comes into view with a veranda, outdoor seating and rustic play area for families with smaller kids.
They also serve a Sunday night Fish Braai (what we South Africans call a Barbecue), Friday evening Mexican night and a generally brilliant seafood menu.
This spot really encapsulates the Scarborough aesthetic. Down to earth, rustic, good at all the basics that you need on a weekend.
We also loved the good old English breakfast out on the front patio and it’s always important to have goooood coffee.
They ticked all our boxes and I’m keen to get back there on a weekend evening to try their pizzas!
But the best part of Scarborough is definitely the beach and it’s wilderness feel; rough, vacant and yet to be explored.
Why wouldn’t you want to check this out if you had the chance? It’s gorgeous. No frills or festivities, just raw nature on the tip of Africa.
You’ll have to pop us a message if you ever head through our hood!
All photos my own
