Fast facts

Restaurant name: Blueberry Café

Address: Netherwood Farm, R103, Nottingham Road, Midlands, KwaZulu-Natal

Contact Number: 033 266 7132

Average price of a main course: R100

Opening times: Monday to Sunday 8am to 4pm

Corkage fee: R50 for wine; R60 for sparkling wine

Parking: Free parking.

Food type: Casual dining

Best for…  Family lunches or drinks with friends.

Food

The menu is standard for a café with breakfast options: burgers, wraps, salads and toasties. There are also vegetarian options available, plus two interesting outliers: a lamb parcel and a freshly cooked curry of the day.

The beef burger comes topped with homemade pickles, cheddar, bacon and your choice of mushroom or brandy peppercorn sauce. The patty is succulent, well-seasoned and the toppings work very well together. The Angus beef curry toastie is also great, the curry having just enough bite to it while the carrot pickle helps to cut through some of the heat and add a tangy texture to the toastie. Both meals deliver on flavour but the cold, stale chips served with them are disappointing.

For dessert, the “famous” blueberry cheesecake is a rich creamy delight –  totally worth all the hype.

 

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Drinks

Blueberry Café has a good drinks menu. There’s an array of coffees, teas, soft drinks, juice, craft lemonade and kombucha. The alcoholic drink menu features 5 craft beers from local brewery Happy Days that’s also located on the farm. There are also a few local wines from which to choose. An interesting feature is their gin on tap, which comes in huge Insta-worthy glasses decorated with fresh fruit and herbs.

 

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Service

Given Blueberry Café’s popularity, the service is a letdown. More attentiveness is needed, and being greeted and seated would add a necessary touch of care.

 

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Ambience

The interiors are comfortable and elegant with modern touches, but the star is the view. Whether you sit inside or outside, you can see the rolling hills of the Midlands stretching all the way to the Drakensberg. The farm’s cows and llamas may pay you a visit on the side of the restaurant and a trip to the loo is a must, as each cubicle has ceiling-to-floor windows. If you’re feeling shy, a sign on the window reassures you that “only the cows can see you”. It’s both kid and pet friendly and you may be joined at your table by a lovely grey cat, who hops on empty chairs and minds its own business while you enjoy your meal. There’s also a shop attached to the eatery that sells top-notch steaks, biltong, preserves, cordials, condiments and other tasty treats.

 

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Eat Out critics dine unannounced and pay for their meals in full. Read our full editorial policy here.