By some stroke of luck, I was invited to dine at Wolfgat (the Wolfgat) in Paternoster last weekend, thanks to Canadian friends of my parents who couldn’t make their booking (um, thanks COVID…?). Even though it’s been on my bucket list for a while, I’d done surprisingly little research on the restaurant and head chef, Kobus van der Merwe.

In the week prior to going, I tried to keep it that way. I have a habit of Googling menus, reviews and just about anything that I can get my hands on about a restaurant before I go, but I wanted to keep this one a surprise. So, I went in (kind of) blind, despite knowing it’s been lauded as one of the best restaurants in the world.

An Ode to the West Coast

Knowing only this information, I was very surprised when I arrived at the unassuming seaside cottage on Sampson Street in Paternoster. It’s refreshingly humble — just a small, cast iron sign signals what’s inside. We were led to an outside table on the stoep (it was 35 ºC), overlooking the long Paternoster beach, milling with beach goers and swimmers.

Everything about the interior serves to direct your attention outwards, towards the coastline — the restaurant sits right on the edge of the expansive beach and the salty West Coast air immediately permeates the experience. Wolfgat, in its essence, is an ode to the West Coast and for the next four hours, I experienced Kobus’s love letter to his favourite coastline.

Freshly Foraged

With a seasonal tasting menu of seven courses, Kobus allows for time to take precedence in your dining experience. There is no rush or second sitting applying pressure for you to finish up and leave. Savouring the experience is part of the joy of Wolfgat — its part of the joy of the West Coast.

The menu opened with a first course of sourdough bread, herenboontjie pate and klipkombers, which is a seaweed native to South Africa. Every ingredient served at Wolfgat is indigeneous to the West Coast and most of the produce is foraged by Kobus and his team. Some elements of the dishes are prepared weeks in advance while some are foraged on the day and picked according to how many people have booked. Kobus prioritises sustainability when developing his menu — this is a love letter, remember, not an eviction notice.

A Celebration of the Sea

Paternoster is known for its exceptional seafood, so it came as no surprise that seafood was placed front and centre in many of the dishes. After a delicate starter, we were gently coaxed into the stronger flavours of the coastline — a trio of fresh-from-the-ocean, indigenous shellfish. White mussel and veldkool parfait, served in the shell; minced limpet in white wine, garlic butter and sage; and an oyster served with a gooseberry sorbet and macerated seaweed in sparkling wine.

You know the feeling of diving into a wave on a scorching hot day? That’s exactly how I felt when I tried the oyster. A salty oyster paired with a pearl of perfectly tart, yet sweet, gooseberry sorbet. It was a delicious moment that woke everything up and set the tone (and my palate) for an exciting meal to come.

A Love Letter to soutslaai

Kobus is a master of textural dining. Food isn’t just about what it tastes like, it’s also about what it feels like. I appreciated this reminder at Wolfgat, especially because most of the textural elements came from the foraged produce, my personal favourite being soutslaai.

If you’ve been to the West Coast before, you’ve probably seen soutslaai while on a hike, or on the beach. It looks like a succulent covered in tiny water droplets. Paired with Oxheart tomato, garlic masala, mint & onion salsa and peach meebos, it’s a revelation. It’s salty like the sea and its crunchiness (it’s a succulent!) perfectly contrasts the bursting Oxheart tomato. This was one of the bolder dishes, not in richness of ingredients but in flavour, and the soutslaai served to balance it out and keep it light and fresh.

A Marriage of Land and Sea

Wolfgat’s dishes never vere too far away from the ocean, but when they do, they are always accompanied by elements that place them firmly on the coastline. The sixth course of seared Springbok loin, mushroom, kiesieblaar, sea lettuce, salt bush and samphire is basically the West Coast National Park on a plate.  It’s a dish created from an admiration of both land and sea and marries the best flavours from each environment. Seared springbok provides depth and a richness that can only come from game, accompanied by crunchy kiesieblaar and perfectly blanched samphire — an ingredient I probably grew up walking on, over and through, but never realised was edible.

Source: @Wolfgat

That’s the thing about Wolfgat; it’s nostalgic. Although you’ve likely not grown up on a Kobus van der Merwe menu, you have probably spent some time on the West Coast during childhood or adolescence. You’ve likely experienced the smell of kelp at low tide, or have felt the sticky salty skin from the inimitable West Coast wind. Those experiences are entrenched in the food at Wolfgat and reinvigorate a much-needed appreciation for a stretch of coastline that’s under threat.

Wolfgat limits their seating to 20 diners, book well in advance. Book via Dineplan

wolfgat.co.za