“Have you been yet?”
This is a question you are sure to hear from Bloemfontein foodies these days. Picnic, the new hot spot at the Loch Logan Waterfront, is the talk of the town. After months of not being able to say yes, I had to make a plan. So, on a sunny winter’s afternoon, I make my way there.

Before you ask, there are no baskets or chequered blankets. “I just loved the sound of the word picnic, and everything associated with it,” explains Almarie Kleingeld, the owner. “When a friend suggested the name, I didn’t think twice. We just had to figure out whether it would be an English picnic or an Afrikaans piekniek. But the English spelling was more visibly appealing.”

Opening a new restaurant in a bustling city such as the Free State capital is no picnic. “No, it is not easy, but I think Bloemfontein is ready for something new,” admits Almarie. Having previously owned the successful Meel restaurant, she is known by friends and colleagues to turn whatever she touches into gold.

I have a chance to chat to the Midas girl whilst waiting for my tapas, Picnic’s signature dish of your own selection of meats, cheeses and chutneys.

One of the first things I notice once seated at the white wooden table is the absence of a printed menu. Almarie gives a surprising answer to my query: “Don’t you think it’s the dirtiest thing ever? Just imagine all those hands touching it when passed on from customer to customer. No, I don’t like it,” she re-affirms. Although the thought never crossed my mind before, it is with a slight feeling of relief that I scrutinise the blackboard menu on the four walls of the all-white restaurant. “If customers can’t read that, I’m happy to offer them my glasses,” she smiles, reading my mind.

Almarie waves to a waitress dressed in white (the waiters wear similar black classic outfits) to take my order. “I love fresh and unpretentious food,” she says. “We don’t drench things in all kinds of sauces.” This much is clear when my simple wooden board arrives with three slices of fine quality Black Forest ham, Emmentaler cheese and a small bowl of tomato jam. The bread is thickly sliced and the butter hidden in a tiny glass dome. It is unpretentious and fresh, like the young woman sitting opposite me. Almarie says she wants her restaurant to be like butter.

“You see, butter’s not healthy as such, but it is so pure. I think this is, in essence, what I want our food to be like: not necessarily healthy (a glance at the cake table confirms this), but made with quality ingredients.”

Like its owner, the place is full of zest. And this seems to be contagious, judging by the smiles of the staff in the open kitchen. Adding to the energetic urban vibe is the constant coffee machine steam, clinking of cutlery and crockery, and the bustling shoppers outside. But, true to Bloemfontein, the country feel is never too far away. The fresh herbs in simple tin jars on the kitchen counter maintain a balance with the touches of opulence.

Almost everything served at Picnic, which is open for breakfast and lunch daily, is prepared in the restaurant’s own kitchen – from the croissants to the ketchup. The rest they try to source locally. Even the crockery, I notice, is from a well-known Free State potter. “I’m a local girl, maybe even a big fish in small pond,” says the Bloem celeb. “But I love being on friendly terms with my customers. It energises me.”

I say goodbye with my very own picnic to enjoy later: I just couldn’t resist the confectionery. Inside my neat white box, complete with doily, are croissants, rye cup cakes and chocolate brownies for everyone at home. Picnic’s new admirer is looking forward to being welcomed there again very soon.

By Colette du Plessis