You eat at Isabellas on the harbour of Lambert’s Bay, eighteen meters from the water, with the fishing boats that supply the kitchen moving past the window. The restaurant has been here since 1996, serving West Coast dishes like creamy crayfish soup and seafood platters with hake, calamari, and mussels. The dining room looks out over the harbour to Bird Island, where Cape gannets breed.

The kitchen is run by local women trained by professional chefs. The menu includes sourdough bread baked locally, and breakfasts with eggs, bacon, and smoked salmon. The wine list and cocktails are designed to match the seafood.

Lambert’s Bay is a fishing town two hundred and eighty kilometers north of Cape Town. The restaurant sits among historical buildings near the curio stalls and tourist boats that go out to spot dolphins. The same boats that pass the window may have caught the fish on your plate.