Renewal, revival and positivity…that is what Oaks on Main in Knysna is all about right now. The building was erected in around 1877, changed owners a number of times and then, more recently, it sat, sadly waiting for someone to move in and brighten it up. Chris arrived and Just Property Group breathed new life into this special place and invited tenants to add their magic.

Café d’ Arté is a proud part of this magic, adding aromas of coffee and cinnamon pancakes to the whole picture. Well done to Erna and Malachi Smith for putting together a great meeting place and a cafe with an artistic difference. Munch on cheesecake and pancakes and enjoy the scenery, the abstracts and the portraits.

Change is good, let’s hope the positivity, renewal and the revival rubs off on all who visit the Oaks!

There was a time not to long ago when any conversation about Knysna and Leisure Isle would eventually turn to The Pink Umbrella. A place where one could eat amazing food, drink aromatic coffee, and indulge in delightful pastries. Unfortunately the premises were sold to a developer and the coffee shop, with it’s charm, and all the gastronomic delights, became part of the sad “Development” that has changed, and is still changing, the character and feel of Knysna.
It was therefore a real delight when the Leisure Isle Coffee Shop opened it’s doors for business. At first a tiny little place behind the Wiles Art Gallery, but still the site of a unique experience. Here one can sit under the giant wild fig trees while enjoying the company of a friend or friends, without the rumble of trucks and the unrelenting traffic noise that increasingly destroys the unique character that once prevailed in the main street of Knysna.
It is as if one has stepped back in time to the kind of lifestyle that our grandparents would have experienced. No rush, no noise, no hustle and bustle of frenetic shoppers or pedestrians. The flowers growing along the garden wall, the birds that land on the empty tables and cock their heads at the visitors, as if to urge the visitors to leave, so that the crumbs, from the delicious scones or other pastries, can be accessed and consumed.
Children are left to wander about without the parents being on high alert for the dangers that plague city malls and shopping centres, and If you didn’t walk from your place of residence on the Island, your unlocked car, in which you arrived, is parked on the lawn in full view of all the patrons. So there is no stress about safety and security while your attention is focussed on pastries, a meal, tea, or coffee.
As Nadine and her friendly friends attend to your orders you can wonder through the adjoining gallery or simply sit back and bask in the tranquillity. This is not your run of the mill experience, and you will certainly want to repeat, perhaps a few times, this balm of Gilliad to heal your jaded soul, before you return to the money mill.

Contributed by Peter Dijkstra who runs a Property concierge service and a web site Knysna Properties for Sale

A coffee at the Lagoon View nursery offers one something thats missing if you have got used to the shuffle and muddle in the all too many Malls. Knysna is no longer the quaint village it once was. But you get treated to old Knysna prices, a light lunch menu, a garden setting and a river view. There is a play area for kids that was made for kids and if you are having a bad day, try it. There is nothing quite like a bouncing trampoline to shake loose.

This morning I stopped off at the Cruise Cafe, as I often do and was greeted with not one but two shortbread squares with my cappuccino. After doing away with my favourite breakfast, they still owe me. So whilst this was a welcome surprise, it is one that is long overdue.

Next I would like to see a selection of biscuits added to their morning menu. Something one can nibble slowly at whilst reading the paper over coffee.

What makes a good coffee? Not a question I can answer.

I like the brew one gets at Mario’s. I will also make a point of doing a turn at Ile de pain just for their cafe au nong which is presented on a bed of condensed milk. I have also tried the Lunar Cafe. I know they have a roaster and the coffee is as good as Ryan says it is.

But more that I am at a loss. I suspect I have plebian tastes and can only raise eyebrows amongst those that really know one bean from another.

Roasteries & Distributors
Lunar Cafe
Fat Susi’s
Coffee Connection

Lavassa
Thai Kitchen

Illy
Harry B’s

Peacock

Where does one find Wi Fi connections and Hot Spots in Knysna? There are quite a few. But which ones are free and which are complementary? Its all a bit of a tangle and a question no one I have spoken to has been able to answer. Coffee Connection has one, so does Mugg & Bean. But who else?

Chaplins on Grey is a pleasant place to unwind over coffee and they offer a complimentary user account to clients. Then there is the Total Garage on the west side of town which offers free access.

Internet Cafe’s and Gaming shops are a dime a dozen in most places. But that is in most places except Knysna. And that speaks volumes. Despite appearances Knysna is still a sleepy, parochial little place with a mindset to match. Blame it on the government or blame it on attitude and the seasonal economy, the fact is that there is no Internet Cafe that opens after hours on a Monday. And Monday only because the only place that does offer internet after hours is Chatters (..they are not open on Mondays). And although they don’t operate strictly as an Internet Cafe they have four work stations tucked away in a corner which people are welcome to use. What is more this service is not reserved for “Customers Only”.

I like Chatters, they have the right sort of attitude, an attitude one can’t help liking.

Besides them the only true Internet Cafe I know about is the Tawakal Cafe which can be found just past and behind the Swing Cafe on Templeman Square. They work from 08h00 to 17h00 seven days a week with two hours off on Friday between twelve and two. They also do graphics and printing.

Next there is 3@1 in the Knysna Mall, Postnet and Canon. But they are only open during office hours and besides the Main St Bazaar on Templeman Square and Cyberperk on the corner of Grey and Fitchat St, that’s it, as far as I know.

[edit] 24/09/11 closed down and is now a fish and chip takeaway

Luigi’s il Gelato

This year I visited Knysna in South Africa and although it was late summer it was still very much summer and although the Knysna climate is generally moderate (not to mention beautiful) there are days hot enough to get you thinking about something to cool off with.

What a fantastic surprise then to discover REAL gelato ice cream at a cute little ice cream shop called Luigi’s. The real stuff. Not sorbet!

You taste this ice cream with your whole body. It’s an experience. The stuff is delicious. There is an amazing range of flavours and each one is worth trying. None are disappointing, but the texture of this ice cream is what really sets it apart. How do I describe for the reader what I mean. Smooth, well yes, ice cream usually is but this is smoother. It melts in your mouth in a far more satisfying way.

I had a cup on my way out to the beach, (remember how hot I said it was) and do you know, the entire time I spent on the beach I couldn’t think of much else but how I was going to get my hands on another one of Luigi’s il gelato cups.

Left the beach early just to get another, fancy that.

If you need to cool off on a hot day in Knysna, take a seat outside this ice cream shop, chat with a few of the regulars and enjoy a world class gelato.

Luigi’s is just next to Spar in Knysna, easy to find.

When Mike & Lisa took over Fat Susi’s their coffee came with one of those complimentary biscuits. Not your usual run of the mill biscotti. This was one of those home cooked ones and they were great while they lasted. But you learn fast in this town and there just isn’t the time thats needed to dawdle over the stove baking the little things that count.

So be it. But what I don’t understand is why none of the coffee shops offer a biscuit selection as a menu item. It would be something different. Very little wastage and great to nibble on when doing the morning paper.

And as for that complimentay biscuit there is still Mario’s and East Head Cafe that serve biscotti’s. Cruise Cafe stopped theirs sometime ago and I am not sure who else does.[edit 6/5/11] Cruise Cafe have reintroduced not one but two shortbread squares with their cappuccino’s

[edit 07/12/10] Chaplins on Grey offer you a ginger bread nibble and East Head Cafe have produced a new menu for season with the option of a bowl of biscotti for R10. So we are already half way there. Hopefully someone will come up with an assorted selection ranging from crunchy through to a melt in the mouth shortbread treat. And whilst we are about it why not a large tin mug and rusks you can dunk in the coffee?

I made an early start and found that I had half an hour to kill before the bank opened. This found me at eVida Cafe in the Mall. It’s not the sort of coffee shop I generally enjoy and I haven’t been back for awhile. But I thought I would give it another try anyway. I ordered a mug of Cappuccino and hung around at the counter as I was not sure what was expected of me. The guy who was serving suggested I take a seat as he would bring the coffee to me. I did as instructed and picked up yesterdays paper on the way. Once settled one of the other waitrons approached and whilst apologising, advised me that they would bring me the days paper if I wouldn’t mind waiting a couple of minutes. This they did . The coffee good, I also appreciated the complimentary slice of dark chocolate that comes with and although I am unlikely to become a regular, I couldn’t help thinking that it was a refreshing change to the sort of service one gets used to.

Thx!

It also got me to thinking about those little extra’s. Where else can one settle down to a hot cup of morning coffee and bury ones head into a newspaper someone else has had to buy?