‘Suikerbossie, ek wil jou hê ...’

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A decision over a glass of wine four years ago to move from Gauteng and “retire” in Jeffreys Bay – on the beautiful property they eyed where Dio Dell’Amore Guest House once stood – now sees a pancake and curio shop bustling in its spot.

With many coffee shops in the area, entrepreneurial couple Ted and Louise Groenewald wanted something that stood out – and watching the stream of clients in and out of Suikerbossie they are on to something.

“I remembered from being a kid how my mother used to make the fluffiest pancakes and found her pancake recipe in her own handwriting,” Louise said.

Then and there the Groenewalds decided their niche would be pancakes. The extensive savoury and sweet pancake menu doesn’t disappoint.

“We had never been in Jeffreys but we knew we had to do something as we were still too young to retire,” said Louise.

Pancakes worked as J-Bay frequently had “pancake” weather.

“It will rain for one minute, the sun will be out for the next minute – just to see rain again.”

With more than 11 savoury pancakes to choose from, and nine sweet, patrons are spoilt for choice.

On our arrival on a cold, wintry day, we were welcomed into the cosy restaurant and decided we would have to try both savoury and sweet pancakes.

“A favourite on the menu is the chicken and peaches pancake that has a taste of sweet, salty and a little bite in it, but our most popular pancake is our biltong and avocado,” Louise added.

My husband and I opted for the chicken and avocado (R64) and biltong and avocado (R64) pancakes. Both arrived in good time with generous fillings and were fluffy and flavoursome.

Since portions are quite large, the waitress suggested cinnamon and sugar pancakes on kiddy plates for our two little ones. These were washed down with pink milkshakes in jam jars topped with a generous dollop of proper, fresh cream (R22). Adult milkshakes at R32 were streaming out of the kitchen in all flavours.

Not to be outdone, we tried the Nataniël Coffee (R24), a filter coffee with dark chocolate mixed with creamy steamed milk with froth and a cinnamon stick.

It’s these touches that make Suikerbossie special. When deciding on a name for the business, the couple looked back on fond memories of the Argus cycle tour in Cape Town.

“Ted and I were at the Argus and he always sings a song for me about the Suikerbossie route, which is a bit tough as all the cyclists fear the uphill.”

In actual fact, the suikerbossie is a type of protea originating from the Eastern Cape. “That all made the perfect picture for a name,” Louise said.

Keeping with the name, the couple make their own salad dressing for a pancake called “Suikerbossie ek wil jou hê”.

“We now send our salad dressing all over South Africa! This will become a business of its own in the near future,” Louise chuckled.

Not to miss out on the sweet temptations on the menu, we gave mains a while to settle before ordering sweet pancakes.

The Berry Delight (R48) was oozing with meringue, berries, cream and ice cream and the Bar One (R48) was filled with homemade Bar One sauce, cream and ice cream. Both went down a treat.

“We also make a unique milk tart pancake with cinnamon syrup,” Louise said, adding this was a “must-have” on the menu.

Other light options include butter scones (R26), muffins (R26) and cake of the day.

Perhaps with winter slowly edging its way out, it would be good to try the Thai Coffee (R26) which is described as a very sweet condensed milk drink layered with filter coffee.

With all these nods to Afrikaans culture and food, Louise says they strive to offer a place where one can have “me time” while the children enjoy the jungle gym and elusive rabbits outside.

Suikerbossie is licensed and serves house white and red wine, beers, ciders and cocktails.

Cocktails, aptly named “Wat gaan jou mamma hiervan sê”, include the jam jar (R48), mojito (R45) and Suikerbossie gin (R45).

Suikerbossie is on the corner of the R102 and Kabeljousriver in Jeffreys Bay. Hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4pm and weekends 8.30am to 2pm. Call 060-613-4786 or 082-825-6093.

This review visit was unannounced and paid for in full by Weekend Post.