World class breakfast, great foodie shopping, a foodies heaven, cooks paradise – when you go for breakfast with a friend and end up buying half the store, hmmmmm don’t shop for food when you are hungry.  Off the Menu Food Emporium is tucked away in the back on a building facing a car park, it’s owned by a chef and he has stocked it with all his favourite ingredients, after eating one of the best eggs Benedict I ever had, enjoying a mimosa and a fantastic coffee, we hit the retail hard, I bought truffles, pasta, pasta sauce, cheese, cold meats, breads, wines and lots of chocolate goodies.  Loved it, it’s so amazing to see all these magical ingredients in one place.  You can even buy cookbooks and chef uniforms.  Oh and the wines were great, the server said they were all looking forward to moving later this year to a bigger location and better views.  You must visit, it’s fab, they need to open one in Cape Town.

World Class Food & Wine – to say I loved this place in an understatement, not sure if we ever experienced such an array of amazing food products in one place,not to mentioned the array of wines and in such a tiny village like St Francis Bay, after stopping by to do a little shopping we decided to stay and have lunch, we ordered 4 different dishes to share, the steak tartare was made just like it is in France but better, we also had the liver parfait with fig.  It was to die for, but the piece de resistance was the spaghetti aglio olio which was on another planet.  One of the best dishes I have ever experienced anywhere in the world.  Then came the wagyu burger with fried duck egg and parmesan truffle fries on a brioche bun, I said to my wife, are you kidding me? All of this in the Eastern Cape, what a treasure.  Go eat here fast before it’s so booked out you won’t get in.

In A Different League – We visited Gqeberha (previously Port Elizabeth) for the long Easter weekend and ate here twice! It’s a cosy little eatery where you’re surrounded by a full pantry of delicious supplies. We had lunch on one day and a shakshuka breakfast on the other. Both times, the food was excellently prepared with fresh ingredients, beautifully plated and really delicious. Clearly, the chef knows what he’s doing. We were just sorry we weren’t around long enough to have more of what was on offer, especially the tempting burger. The service was excellent with knowledgeable and friendly staff. Highly recommend Off The Menu the next time you’re visiting the city or needing to stock up on quality ingredients/ deli supplies.”