Elysium Eatery

10/10/2026

So, uh… we have a website now. That’s cool, I guess.

Our sandos, burgers, steak frites and Thursday and Friday dinners in Somerset West now have their own little corner of the internet.

You can browse the menu, find us, and plan your next visit. Quite a lot of responsibility for a website that’s only just started.

Have a look: https://openhand.co.za/

Same Elysium. Now with a clickable address

09/10/2026

A little sunshine, a chicken sando and a cold house lemonade. A very reasonable way to spend an afternoon. ☀️

Crispy crumbed chicken, house slaw and hot honey, tucked into the Hokkaido milk bread we bake ourselves. Generous, full of flavour, and best approached with both hands.

Our house lemonade is something we wanted to make for years. Fresh, bright and particularly good company for a sando on a warm day.

Find a seat in the courtyard and take your time, or collect something to enjoy wherever the afternoon takes you.

For enquiries or collection preorders, WhatsApp 065 610 3751.

06/10/2026

Roast Duckling: The Return

You’ve asked for it, and we’re looking forward to bringing it back.
For those who remember our roast duckling from our years at Avontuur, we’re bringing it to Elysium with a slightly different take on the dish so many of you remember fondly. A little familiar, a little new, and something we’re excited to share again.

There’s house milk bread with whipped butter and a sprinkling of Maldon salt on arrival. Then comes half a roast duck, slow-roasted in duck fat and crisped before serving, with Van der Hum sauce, braised cabbage and crispy smashed baby potatoes.

The duck takes most of the afternoon. You only need to keep the evening free.
Settle in, order something to sip and take your time. Whether you’ve been waiting for its return or are joining us for your first taste, we’d love to have you at the table.

Thursday & Friday evenings from 6 pm
R400 per person, including bread and butter to start.

Prepared in limited batches, so reservations and duck preorders are required.
To book, WhatsApp 065 610 3751 or call 087 265 3722.

Pictured is our original Avontuur dish. Image courtesy of .

05/10/2026

Elysium is now on WhatsApp 📱

You can message us on **065 610 3751** with enquiries or to preorder food for collection.

We also have a couple of things on the way.

**Duck evenings** are in the planning, with a full announcement coming soon. We’ll also soon be selling **loaves of our house Hokkaido milk bread**, so you can take some home.

If you’d like to hear as soon as either becomes available, send us a WhatsApp message saying **“duck”, “bread” or “both”**, and we’ll let you know when we’re ready.

We’ll share the announcements on Instagram and Facebook too.

The bread is preparing for life outside the restaurant. We think it’s ready.

**WhatsApp: 065 610 3751**

03/10/2026

A little change to our dinner days at Elysium.

From next week, we’re moving our Saturday dinner service to Thursday evenings. Dinner will now be **Thursday and Friday from 5 pm**, starting Thursday, 8 October.

Join us for a sando, steak frites or an evening where someone else does the cooking.

And if you’re not hungry, you’re just as welcome to settle in with a cocktail. Somewhere to sit, unwind a little and let the day finish at its own pace.

Thursday has been promoted. We hope it handles the responsibility.

Thank you to everyone who has joined us for dinner so far. We look forward to seeing you on our new evenings.

30/09/2026

A little look at how our Denver steak has evolved.

The Denver is a cut we love and one we think more people should try. These two photos show a bit of its journey at Elysium, from our earlier steak plate to the steak frites we serve today.

Our 250 g Angus Denver now sits over a pile of thin chips, with bourbon BBQ glaze and your choice of Café de Paris butter or pepper sauce. The pepper sauce is the newer addition, pictured here with a final scattering of chives.

One of our favourite things about serving it this way is how the steak juices and sauce find their way into the chips underneath. A chip placed beneath a steak has been entrusted with a higher purpose.

It is a small progression, but these are the details we enjoy working on as Elysium takes shape. Keeping the things we love and finding ways to make the whole plate work better together.

Come and try it and let us know what you think. Are you going with Café de Paris butter or pepper sauce?

30/09/2026

A heads up to fellow small businesses in Somerset West.

We recently received a suspicious proof of payment for a catering order and thought the experience was worth sharing.

The document had several inconsistencies, including a spelling mistake, and had not been sent directly from the bank. We also checked the PDF’s metadata, which indicated that it had been created using Microsoft Word. That raised another question about a document presented as a bank generated payment confirmation.

When we asked for confirmation to be sent through the bank, the person refused, saying it would be difficult. When we questioned the inconsistencies, they replied “ok” and blocked us.

We held the order while the payment remained unverified. Their response gave us further reason to be concerned.

We are concerned that they may try the same thing with other businesses, which is why we wanted to share a heads up with Somerset West and the wider Helderberg.

For a small business, an order means ingredients, stock, preparation and staff time. Losing those costs to a potentially false payment can hurt.

A few things to look out for:

• Spelling mistakes, unusual formatting or incorrect details on a proof of payment.
• Reluctance to provide payment confirmation through the bank.
• Pressure to prepare or release an order before payment can be verified.
• Evasive answers, or contact suddenly ending when you ask reasonable questions.
• Inconsistent PDF metadata. Check the document properties in a PDF reader or use a trusted metadata tool. Software such as Microsoft Word appearing as the creator of a supposedly bank generated document is worth questioning.

Metadata can provide clues, but it cannot prove that a payment is genuine or false. Missing metadata does not establish authenticity either.

A professional looking PDF is still just a document. Check your own account and, if anything seems wrong, verify the payment independently using official bank contact details.

Asking for confirmation is a normal part of doing business. You have every right to protect the time, money and effort that goes into an order.

Please share this with another local business owner. Looking out for each other could save someone a costly experience.

28/09/2026

26/09/2026

A little look at the cocktail side of Elysium.

This is our Citrus & Gin Sour. Gin, citrus and a little sweetness, shaken and finished with bitters.

Gin and citrus are a combination we keep coming back to. We like that balance of bright citrus and gentle sweetness, with the gin still coming through. The bitters add a little something at the end that helps bring it all together.

It is the sort of drink we like to settle in with while deciding what to eat. There is no particular need to rush that decision.

We gave this one a moment in the light. Its shadow has since requested its own table.

Come and try one next time you visit Elysium and let us know what you think.

18/09/2026

Our cinnamon rolls have been getting a little obsessive lately.

Made with our Hokkaido milk bread dough, rolled with a balanced cinnamon caramel filling and baked until the edges turn sticky and deeply caramelised.

Soft, buttery, not overly sweet, and very difficult to leave alone while they’re still warm.

Freshly baked at Elysium in small batches