During my recent visit to Knysna, I visited a quirky eatery located in the Knysna Waterfront, known as JJ’s Restaurant. The restaurant has a casual, family friendly atmosphere, yet they are still elegant enough to fit into the waterfront area. I stepped inside and was welcomed by bright blue lighting, happily chatting customers, and a colourful interior with rows and rows of wine bottles lining the ceiling. The name for the restaurant was created out of a merge of the first names of husband and wife owners, Justin and Jackie, and is a representation of the family environment they provide.
We took a seat in the corner next to the window overlooking the harbour where we were personally greeted by Justin, who told us we had “one of the best seats in the house”. A few moments later, a basket of warm homemade bread was presented to us. The bread was soft to the touch and melted away in our mouths – absolutely divine. We began to browse the menu and were inundated with choices: everything from seafood and salads, to pasta, vegetarian, and grills were available. After a good couple of minutes, we settled on the Garlic and Cheese Bread with basil pesto as a starter. I have never tasted such a tasty treat in my life! The roll was crispy, but not brittle and the mixture of garlic, cheese, and basil pesto was a winning combination. Yum!
The main menu was a battle to choose from, as there was such a variety of items on offer. Seafood dishes included grilled prawns, a fish trio (two varieties of fish of the day with calamari strips), rainbow trout, snow crab, and fresh live crayfish (when available). For those who (like me) don’t have a palette for seafood, there were options like roasted vegetables, spinach risotto, sticky chicken wings, vegetable lasagne, as well as a steakhouse section. I’m sure people travel from far and wide to try the crocodile steak, South African game platter, or ostrich, kudu, and zebra fillets!
Our stomachs were growling so we soon had to prioritise our cravings and cut our lengthy decision-making down to just minutes. I chose the 200g Fillet Steak and my partner chose the Sole Justin, the self-proclaimed “JJ’s no1 Fish Dish”. While waiting for our food to arrive, we ordered drinks and were very pleased to note that JJ’s stocked Forester’s Lager (a beer supplied by Mitchell’s Brewery, which we had visited the night before).
The food arrived hastily with extra friendly service. The succulent fillet was cooked to perfection and served with chips, roasted courgettes served in a spicy tomato sauce, and mashed sweet potato that complemented the steak perfectly. My partner’s fresh sole topped with mushrooms, avocado, farm cheddar, mozzarella, and garnished with prawns, was without a doubt the best fish he had ever tasted. During the meal, Justin passed by our table and when he noticed I was having the fillet, he rushed off to fetch his famous chilli and basil pesto sauce which he recommended we try with the steak. He was right – it was simply delicious! For someone who usually has a small appetite, I just couldn’t put the fillet down. By the end of my meal I was simply bursting, but with absolutely no regrets.
During our meal, one of the waiters stepped into the centre of the room and called for everyone’s attention. He declared that the waiters and waitresses would be entertaining us with African song. They sang 3 vibrant songs (one was “The Click Song” by Miriam Makeba), accompanied by a drum and clapping of hands. It was completely unexpected, but equally entertaining.
While sitting and enjoying the ambience, we overheard someone at the next table talking about JJs’ homemade cheesecake. That instant, we decided that we couldn’t leave without trying it, despite how sated we were from dinner. The cheesecake was served in a square and dribbled with sweet granadilla sauce. When cut open, the cheesecake was a gleaming white colour, and the granadilla added extra flavour to the creamy filling.
Before we left, Justin pulled up a chair and called for 3 glasses of sherry. It is for this reason, we’re sure, that he is only at JJ’s one night a week. We chatted about his time at JJ’s and asked him about the ceiling full of wine bottles which were littered with colourful letters and messages. He explained that each diner at JJ’s writes down their memory, glues it to a bottle, and adds it to the collection on the roof. Every time a new bottle goes up, one comes down and they are rotated so that each bottle is up for the same length of time. When a bottle is removed, the message is put into a flip file. Justin was almost bursting with pride as he showed us all of the messages he has collected over the years. He says “Life is all about memories. And I have a lot of good memories here.” – and just a quick perusal through the notes showed how much each and every person appreciated their time at JJ’s.
Overall, I had a truly special experience at JJ’s Restaurant and I can’t wait to go back and search for my message-on-a-bottle! So if you’re after a night out with good company, JJ’s Restaurant is the place for you!
Justin told us he has other business prospects in the pipeline, so watch this space…
Click here to see what else we got up to in Knysna.
