The former owners of Burgundy Bistro have a new restaurant – and it’s quite a catch. Whether you’re after wholesome and healthy, or decadent and indulgent, Betty Blue Bistro is dishing up fresh and fun food bound to have you back for more.

Food

The recently opened Betty Blue Bistro in Hermanus may not have an enormous menu, but everything it does have certainly sounds (and looks) delicious. So delicious, in fact, that it’s pretty difficult to choose what you want to eat. Should you opt for a filled pancake, perhaps the one with pulled pork, coleslaw and mint cream cheese? Or rather, the “local is lekker” version with bobotie, tomato salsa and banana salad?

A delicious omelete at Betty Blue Bistro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Further down the menu, the what-to-nosh dilemma continues: The range of burgers, sandwiches and light meals – such as the fish tacos with deep-fried hake, slaw, pickled onions and crème fraîche – all look very appetizing, but then there’s also the variety of Betty’s rainbow salads – vibrantly coloured plates piled high, and which seem to be very popular, judging by what patrons at other tables have in front of them. These healthy options are well suited to spring, when the wisdom of the old adage, “summer bodies are made in winter” starts to sink in (worryingly so). I say, if you order the salad for lunch, you can have a pancake for dessert – this being a creperie, after all.

Decadent French toast at Betty Blue Bistro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

In the end, this is exactly what I do, tucking into a yellow salad – appropriately named because of its brilliant mix of yellow and orange fruits and veggies. It may seem strange to find papaya and roasted butternut on the same plate, likewise with gooseberries and carrots, and yet everything is so fresh and delicious and beautifully presented that you lose all preconceptions and dive right in. I followed this with a serving of their “milk tart” pancake, which boasts a scrumptious milk tart filling. I must admit, it was very difficult not to feel very pleased with life at this point.

Drinks

They don’t have a liquor license yet, though you’ll find all the regular hot and cold drinks on the menu. Most popular seem to be the “Betty’s rainbow juices” – a range of freshly pressed juices which includes a red juice (beetroot, orange, carrot and mint) and the green “Popeye” juice (apple, cucumber, spinach, mint and lemon). If you’d rather enjoy a glass of vino with your lunch, you’re welcome to BYO.

The fresh-looking decor at Betty Blue Bistro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Service

The service is warm, friendly and welcoming – genuine, unpretentious Overberg hospitality. After only a few weeks of business, it’s clear from the way patrons are greeted that Betty Blue Bistro has already built up a loyal and regular fan base. This could also be ascribed to the fact that host, Celia Rabie is a veteran Overberg restaurateur, with several former establishments under her belt.

A fruity breakfast at Betty Blue Bistro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Ambience

The décor is extremely easy on the eye, and Betty Blue is a fresh, fun and vibrant space, with friendly pops of yellow, blue and white matched with light wood furniture. The only critique is that a lack of soft furnishings – combined with bare walls – does make for a sometimes loud, echoing venue. But it’s a small criticism. Aside from that, it’s a stylish and welcoming spot that’s sure to draw you back again and again.

The interior at Betty Blue Bistro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

And…

Ooh, did we mention their breakfasts? What a spread! The creative “Betty’s Rainbow Breakfasts” include a red version of shaksuka with poached eggs and feta. Then there are some very healthy options like cinnamon oats with poached guavas, yoghurt and almonds, and some less healthy options, like the “Pancake obsessions”, where you’ll find bacon dippers – bacon flapjacks with figs and brie. As if that’s not bad enough, if you’re happy to completely do away with any and all good intentions, there’s the French toast with coconut, mascarpone and caramelised citrus… Oh dear.

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The team at Betty Blue Bistro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.