‘Dis daai ou wat amazing goed met bokkoms doen,’ was how Kobus van der Merwe was first described to me. Truth be told, ek skrik vir vis… fish funk – that whiff of pungent sea-dweller – shrivels my appetite. And I’ve always considered the potent little bokkom an oddity peculiar to the West Coast, like a smelly type of mobile … I remember visiting Paternoster as a teenager and being quite horrified that people actually ate them. Until I read Kobus’s blog and then it was just a matter of time.
Uber talented Kobus van der Merwe
First corner on the left as you drive into town, Die Winkel op Paternoster and Oep ve Koep Bistro
Charming time warp
Owned by his folks, Die Winkel is a retro sensory overload of pickles and preserves jamming with jammerlappies and doilies, while Kobus goes about his business resuscitating the culinary heritage of the West Coast from his tiny kitchen at the back.
Exterior decorating, the best kind
I was downright excited about my first bokkom encounter. And a bit nervous because what if I didn’t like it? And him being Mr Bokkom and all. But when the Sandveld bean dumplings arrived I knew I was in excellent hands. Kobus is ICA trained and it shows in how he incorporates near-forgotten dune plants with fine-dining flair, plated in sharp focus yet with every element justified in the overall flavour-scheme. Nothing is there for the sake of being pretty and though some ingredients could be called rustic, the end result is always sophisticated and downright gorgeous.
A taster portion of the delicious Sandveld bean dumplings
He uses maasbanker bokkoms and due to short supply, recently started drying and salting his own… a necessary step in the evolution of the gourmet bokkom.
Bokkom se kind
The bokkoms are marinated to soften them up and in so doing, that sharp bokkom edge becomes less pronounced. Breaded Bokkom consists of a round slice of bread, halved, with slivers of green apple and bokkom, fried in a pan and served with beurre blanc, a poached egg and garnished with samphire or seekoraal as it is called in Afrikaans – en wat ‘n mooi naam is dit nie? It resembles delicate asparagus and tastes pleasantly…. green. But it’s the contrast of crisp apple and salty bokkom that provides the X factor here.
The gourmet Breaded Bokkom
Have no fear... just go for it
I polished my plate. The menu is small – about six dishes per day – and changes daily. Some form of bokkom is pretty much a given and well worth the journey. Kobus harvests dune plants that used to be West Coast staples but have fallen out of favour. Now people simply no longer know about them. For a main I had to choose between old fashioned chicken pie and calamari bobotie. Much as I love old fashioned chicken pie it was a no-brainer, really.
Heritage fusion food
Bland by nature, calamari perks up nicely as bobotie. The sides here were masterful and I loved how the beetroot bled around the edges. This dish is on par with anything I’ve had in one of our top fine dining restaurants and at R70 it is mind-blowing value. And that sentence really could do with an expletive or two. I’m being far too ordentlik…
Oep ve Koep Bistro is one of a kind. And Kobus is a national treasure. His commitment to raising the kontreikos bar adds heart and authenticity to the local food scene. I was most impressed that someone as young and talented as Kobus was toiling away in a tiny kitchen on the West Coast, digging deep to honour his food roots. Hy maak kosbare bydraes tot ons koserfenis.
Baie te koep
Kobus, dankie vir ‘n heerlike kuier, die lekker vars brood en die tip oor moskonfyt. Ek gebruik dit nou ook om ‘n bietjie Bolandse umami by my kos in te werk!
If you’re looking for that typical Weskus bokkom aan ‘n toutjie vibe, Paternoster se Padstal down the road has them strung up and for the more iffy-at-heart, there’s the vacuum-packed sort that won’t honk up the car.
Not so larney bokkoms
Paternoster has blossomed into a soul food destination with so many restaurants, you need at least a weekend to sample the best of them. Maar dis ‘n ander dag se storie daai.
Oep ve Koep was reviewed on SABC3 Expresso Show on 31 May. All my restaurant reviews are in the process of being uploaded to the Expresso website.
What a fabulous (and true to reality) review of Oep ve Koep and in particular Kobus’ lovely cooking. We took a trip to Paternoster for a weekend getaway last year and a visit to Oep ve Koep was a must. That was also my first intro to bokkoms – fabulous little salty morsels!
Thank you Marisa!
Hi Kobus,
Baie lekker vissie, Maar moet hom nie hier in die hoeveld laat droog word nie. In November 2012 het n paar dorsale finne in my duim ingesteek en binne in afgebreek.
Dit terwyl ek my hand in die sak gesteek het om n paar bossies vir my vriende te gee. Dit is nou 11 maande en die goeters sit nog steed daar. met iriterende en pynlike nagevoge. Dit wys glad nie op X strale nie . Sekerlik is ek nie die enigste transvaler met die probleem nie. Het jy asb raad. Met wie kan ek praat daaroor ??
Hi Nick, ek sal jou vraag vir Kobus aanstuur. Hoop hy´t raad. Of anders, gaan dokter toe?
cheerio
Bianca