Just when we all thought a new dynamic restaurant would never appear on the Hoedspruit map, bang! And here it is – situated at the Farm House (behind Campfire Properties), Zandspruit Estate. The location is great, and the owners, Trevor & Caroline Carnaby, have fully refurbished the old restaurant to create a more practical and spacious area.
Nestled under the trees on the lawned front garden, I spoke to Trevor and Caroline about their vision and ideas in establishing the restaurant.
They have been in Hoesdspruit for about 13 years and have always worked in hospitality. Both are very service orientated, enjoy good food, and through his “other” pastime as a guide, Trevor has always had access to top end lodges, hotels, and the like. He has always been intrigued by the menus and culinary trends. Both he and his wife love the Cape and the culinary influences there, and the trends which are often at the cutting edge of culinary delights in southern Africa.
Having had a property and a restaurant in the Cape for some years, but living in Hoedspruit, they have discussed opening a restaurant here for some time. Drawing on past experience, it became evident with the boom in Hoedspruit, and the evolution to a more mature environment, that this was the perfect time to launch such an undertaking. This will also afford Trevor more time to spend with his family.
Trevor and Caroline have always loved restaurants and with the experience and understanding of the business that they have, this project, although exciting, is not entirely new for them. They believe that there are enough people in town that every now and then want more than just a burger or pizza, and this restaurant will therefore be a little different from all the others in town. The location provides a tranquil, protected outdoor environment, just out of town, away from traffic noise and there is a children’s play area as well.
“We would like to try and raise the bar for restaurants in town”.
The restaurant name is Arugula – a place that people can come for something different with breakfasts, lunches, and dinner (in time). They are going to close on Tuesdays – a pleasant surprise (usually restaurants close on Mondays) so that they can catch up, deep clean, work on menus, train, and ensure that their vision is working. They are always open to feedback, with a simple, healthy menu, great cakes and desserts, and are looking all the time for what actually works, with a focus on consistency in service and meal quality.
Arugula also does not experience load-shedding and has Wi-Fi, which allows people to come and work, and catch up when the power is down (in most places).
Open for coffee from 07:00 with breakfast by 07:30 every week day (except Tuesday when only drinks, coffees & take-away quiches and pies will be available) and from 08:00 on weekends, and with the kitchen closing at 15:30 weekdays and 16:00 weekends, they will still however be flexible with times if patrons call ahead of time with a reasonable request. There is undercover and outdoor space to accommodate all eventualities – which does also lend itself to functions. ‘Emi’ is the restaurant Manager and will be the main face of the restaurant on a day-to-day basis.
Let’s look forward to this experience and we wish Arugula all the best going forward.
Please call 078 434 9542 for enquiries and follow on Facebook at ‘The Arugula Experience’.
Arugula – a nutritionally potent superfood, commonly known in South Africa as Rocket
