Excuse my spelling and grammar. I'm here to write about food, not pass a language exam. Honestly, I am full of sh*t when it comes to food. I try not to be, but when I pay my hard earned cash to not prep, sweat behind the pot and wash the dishes. I expect nothing less than excellence. I have had quite a few not so lovely experiences at restaurants, but decided against saying anything out of fear for having to dodge bullets on here like the matrix. This group is apparently just the good, only the comments are nasty. I made a booking, changed it 3times - because life. Each time the lovely individual answering the phone was incredibly accommodating and I received confirmation of change within seconds. We get in the car and drive for 40min to eat by one of my new-found favourite restaurants. I already know what I want. We make small talk on the way there, but my stomach is louder than my thoughts. We are welcomed with smiles (yes, they have masks on - calm down) you can hear it in the tone of their voice, the way their eyes pull and we feel the warmth. We are led to our table in the tent area. It is cosy, light, open and there are friendly waiters twirling inbetween tables. The waiters are neatly dressed, but still seem relaxed, they are knowledgeable, and not over bearing. I sit and page through the menu anyway, just to confuse my brain. I waiver for a second, but I have made up my mind. We order. I salivate as we watch the waiters dance by with plates of heaven. Barely 30minutes pass, here they come, soldiers marching towards us with the precious cargo. I'm excited, I feel like a cave lady who has been thawed after a thousand years. My stomach is rumblin' and I want to devour the plate in front of me. 'Is mos Fish n Chips' I must contain myself - use your knife and fork Monique. The batter is golden with sparks of herbs and spices. I cut open the fish... the vodka/beer batter crisps as my knife cuts through it and I hit the soft flakey center. My child-like excitedness grows as I make eye-contact with my grandmother and partner. They have started devouring, their eyes sparkle and I wait in anticipation for their mouths to stop chewing and tell me what they think. The ooohs and aaaash are enough. I dig in. Holy cracker box. It's crispy, it's flaky, the fish melts in my mouth, the flavour is heavenly. "'n engel het op my tong gepiepie" The chips are thin, crispy not oily and yum. Now for the calamari, the damn calamari, the thing that so many restaurants overfry and it feels like I am chewing a 10year old chappie. I have trained, I am ready, my jaw is strong enough for the chew. I allow my tentical to take a dip in the tar-tar sauce. I bite. I chew...once...twice. It's like my fish. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I have a "Sombody feed Phil" moment. My eyes widen, hmmmm, and I nod my head in approval. We don't talk, we stuff our faces. There's only eye contact and nods of approval. We CAN eat, but we couldn't finish the generous portions. We sit for a while, discussing how amazing the food is. The service is excellent. Yes, covid protocols are in place. I watch the dessert come past, I cannot resist. I ask for a menu. How could I not, ouma and I share a salted caramel cheesecake. It's almost too beautiful to eat. It would be rude not to eat the work of art. Ouma carefully splits the dome in half, her 80year old hand precise, she pushes a fresh strawberry to my side of the plate. The first bite... Once again, my eyes widen, my tongue is singing praises and my senses are entertained. It is a baked cheesecake and it is so light and fluffy, the texture is almost mousse like. The salted caramel is delicious, the pecan nut praline and cookie crumb is super yum. One thing I hate more than bad food is bad coffee. The coffees temperature was perfect and delicious. It was perfect way to end the meal. I literally could not fault anything. I don't care where you live. If you need to drive an hour, if you need to drive two. Pick up your phone. Make a booking. Get in your car and get your arse to Damhuis in Melkbos. It is an amazing experience. Ps. The beach is right across the road. If you eat too much, walk it off #OneMealManyThanks!