Jeff N.
Yelp
One of the best local hangouts, especially if you are staying or residing in downtown Black Mountain, Bush Farmhouse is a glorious place with mouthwatering, heavenly South African-inspired cuisine and some of the most satisfying cocktails I have had in my life.
What was great about Bush was that it was literally walking distance from our Airbnb. Therefore, we ate dinner there, had pre-dinner drinks there, and had nightcap drinks there. The atrium-like outdoor bar area has all the feels of a neighborhood hangout with a South African-Bush-like atmosphere that is down-to-earth, chill, and most welcoming to anyone.
When you walk towards the front entrance, the building itself is this bucolic cape property, with its own garden and greenhouse in the back where they grow their own vegetables and herbs. The front of the building has porch seating before you enter the main part of the first-floor house, which almost serves as some sort of general store, as they sell South African-produced goods. In there, you can wait for one of the servers to check your reservation and be seated. While there are a couple of tables indoors where you can take your meal and pick up some South African-produced goods, the atrium-like patio bar area is where you will want to grab a seat.
We were greeted by Mark, the owner and executive chef, a really cool dude who made us feel at home immediately. We chose to sit at the bar, which is where we ended up going every other time we stopped at Bush Farmhouse for food and drinks... but most of the time, it was drinks.
There are a variety of wonderful cocktails to enjoy there such as the Just Now with a synergetic blend of rooibos gin, honey, lemon, egg white, and amaro nocino. The Sundowner Negroni was quite good that included capertif, while my favorite and go-to was the Corpse Reviver #2, made with Mancini vermouth, lemon juice, Cointreau, and lots of love. If you're looking for after-dinner imbibements, their espresso martini and lychee spritz (made with gin) are terrific options.
Food-wise, you can't go wrong with the scrumptious grilled octopus served with fresh veggies from the garden, like mixed greens and tomatoes, and pickled onions. If you want a real taste of South Africa, you can't go wrong with the Bobotie, which consists of a cape Malay curry-infused meatloaf cooked and served in a ramekin dish with egg and served with rice and chutney. The pap and boerewors were also delicious, consisting of maize meal, morogo, and farm sausage, and served with a tomato onion gravy. For dessert, the chocolate mousse-like dessert was fabulous without being too heavy and good to the last bite.
Bush Farmhouse was a fabulous find, a local hangout that offers excellent South African cuisine made from fresh ingredients and titillating cocktails that will make you thankful you walked there and can walk back to where you came from.
