Dining at Birkenhead House

Executive Chef Oliver Coetzee grew up in South Africa’s Western Cape where the cuisine has a strong Malay influence. He’s also had a long time passion for Asian flavours. The culmination of these influences with the abundance of fresh, local seafood makes for a truly tantalising menu.

On offer are homemade breads, ice creams and sorbets, as well as delicacies such as tempura strawberries. Fresh local seafood includes Cape Salmon, Kingklip, Hake, Marlin, Red Roman and Kabeljou as well as crayfish, prawns and mussels picked fresh from the rocks below the hotel.

Soups are a delicious hearty option, with flavours as unusual and exotic as vanilla and butternut. Only the freshest ingredients are used for lavish meals served in your choice of setting: overlooking the ocean; next to our dual level pool; in our glass fronted dining area or simply enjoyed in the privacy of your suite.

Menus and meals can be designed to meet guests’ individual palates and dietary requirements.

Guests can go foraging for edible Fynbos species along the coastal shoreline. Our chefs will then prepare a five-course dinner incorporating those hand-picked ingredients while each course will be paired with wines from the nearby Hemel and Aarde Valley.

No coastal experience would be complete without picking mussels from the rocks below Birkenhead House. Chefs Oliver and Pinkie will share their knowledge with the guests and explain which mussels to pick and how to pick them. They will then provide a ”Master Class” on how to cook them on an open fire incorporating ingredients from our local shoreline while discussing the history of South African cuisine and the Cape Malay influence.

Please note that Mussel Picking is seasonal and subject to coastal conservation rules.

Guests can also enjoy a wine tasting comparing four Pinot Noirs from the region.