Knysna's award-winning Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa (along South Africa's Garden Route) has extended their passionate philosophy of award-winning luxury into the kitchen.

The chef at Zachary's, Geoffrey Murray, is an ardent organic food enthusiast. He grows most of the vegetables and herbs in an organic vegetable garden on the Pezula Resort.

To cultivate the garden, he has employed the help of local farmer, Oom Hennie Ahlers, and together the duo plants and grows most of the delicious fresh produce that Murray dishes up.

The love, dedication and fervour that goes into growing your own vegetables filters through the entire restaurant and results in an intimate fine dining experience.

As another example of Zachary's devotion, Murray and his team make all the restaurant's jams, marmalades, chutneys and jellies themselves, using fresh products harvested from his garden. The menu changes seasonally, according to what fresh products Murray has available.

Murray's style is best described as modern ethnic cuisine. This born-and-bred New Yorker loves incorporating the local customs and ingredients of his current location into his own unique style.

Expect adventurous cultural combos like wild Knysna oysters with cucumber, ginger and sake mignonette or lemon marmalade and koeksister ice-cream with green cardamom syrup (combining America's favourite dessert with syrupy-sweet traditional South African koeksisters).

By day, Zachary's enjoys sweeping views of the Knysna Lagoon. In the evenings the elegant candle-lit interior is intimate and romantic. Warm colours, sensuous fabrics and thick white table linen give the restaurant an air of understated luxury.

For a relaxing after-dinner nightcap you can stay at Zachary's or visit Pezula's trendy Champagne & Whisky Bar, where you can choose from an eclectic selection of spirits and sparkling wines.

Zachary's also welcomes food lovers who are not staying at the Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa. Just make sure to book in advance: It seems that Zachary is fast becoming the new culinary hotspot for Knysna's jet-set.


Molo says: "Also read our articles on the Pezula Hotel, the Pezula Spa and the Pezula Golf Course or find other upmarket restaurants in the Western Cape. Explore Cape Town via satellite by downloading our Google Earth map: Use this handy tool to find the location of a trendy new restaurant or take in a bird's eye-view of the Pezula Golf Course".

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