If you were looking for a restaurant where parents can relax and leave their children to get involved in jungle gyming and having some good old fashioned fun last year you were looking for the Chillie Rose on the Old Cape road in Knysna. The garden setting was great for these special summer days and the kids were expected to run wild. If the weather was foul they had a the play area and a welcome fire waiting for winter. One didn’t have to worry about crusty couples mired in dirty looks. Noise, fun and little feet were the rule at this restaurant and its just a pity it was one of a kind and didn’t make it into the season.

Will miss you guys. It was a nice idea.

My Mom & her friend visited me in Knysna for their ladies weekend & on their Sunday insisted they take me out for a lunch. When I asked them what kind of a vibe they were in the mood for my Mom immediately said a Cafe Mario vibe, at the Waterfront, because, she said, their food is consistently delicious and fresh, plus we could sit outside basking in the sunshine while watching the passing yachts in the canal, with a kinda Venice-feel to the afternoon.

My Mom loves Marios thin-based crispy Pizzas and so does the rest of Knysna and so her choice was a given. Catching up over a lovely long lunch with Mom as good as comfortable just as if we were in our own home – Thanks Mario, see you soon!