The Yellow Piano eatery, tucked away in the Eastern Cape in the historical town of Grahamstown, is situated on the high street, just a stone’s throw away from the local university entrance and down the street from the High Court.

Locals, students and visitors all appreciate its home-style charm and setting in an old trading store connected to Piet Retief. Yellow is the signature colour, stemming from its previous incarnation ‘The Yellow House’ restaurant, which became too small and Claudia, the owner, decided to move into bigger premises.

The new eatery, open since January this year, has a yellow piano gracing the entrance and functions as a modern-day inn too.

Menu choices include a buffet or the a la carte menu featuring heartwarming meaty dishes, chicken dishes depending on ‘the mood’ (think Oriental chicken with soya sauce and mushrooms or Mediterranean chicken with red wine vinegar and peppers) as well as plenty of vegetarian dishes and a few vegan ones thrown in for good measure.

If you’re thinking a la carte, then take your pick from comforting gems such as Rump steak with Madagascar pepper, Deep-fried camembert with cranberry sauce, Yellowtail with salad, fish soup or mussels in white wine.

Feast on sushi too if you remember to pre-order it. A breath of fresh air for a small town!

Eat Out got feedback from the Archibald family who recently dined at The Yellow Piano…

Lunch at The Yellow Piano
The décor is very different – a mixture of mod and old-world. As you walk in, there is a large painted yellow piano next to an old store counter with drawers and bric-a-brac, reminiscent of an old trading store…the mod bit being the bright multi-coloured wallpaper.

We got a warm fuzzy feeling when we walked in to the sound of gentle background music and were welcomed to our table. Behind the dining room is a room full of Piet Retief’s memorabilia as this was one of his trading stores. The outside courtyard is very cosy with an almost Italian flavour.

The food was really excellent. You can either help yourselves at the self-service table and get your plate weighed or order from the a la carte menu. We decided to pick from the self-serve and feasted our eyes on the following dishes: Oxtail stew and rice, Moussaka, Thai butternut, Chickpea stew, roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, a lentil dish, a chicken dish, several interesting salads including rice wrapped in grape leaves. They catered well for vegans!

It was delicious and we had a sense of being ‘at home’ and nurtured. It was a real ‘home-cooked’ meal. For pudding there was a choice of cakes, a berry-cheese tart and tiramisu, although we could easily have dined on a lighter pudding or a bowl of fresh fruit salad instead, to complement the healthy main meal.

We ended with a really nice cup of filter coffee and all left feeling nurtured.

The Yellow Piano
131 High Street, Grahamstown
046-622 3007
www.yellowpiano.com