You eat at Nguni in a converted dairy building in central Plettenberg Bay, where the kitchen serves South African dishes with local ingredients. The menu leans toward steaks and seafood — rib-eye cooked simply over high heat, line fish with Cape herbs, and Cape Malay curry. The building itself is part of the experience: thick whitewashed walls and high ceilings that were built to keep milk cool a century ago.

The kitchen prepares the rib-eye with olive oil and pepper, cooking it first on one side for four or five minutes before resting and finishing. Medium rare is the default, though they will cook it to order. The steak comes with hand-pulled roasted potatoes and homemade sauces like chimichurri or green peppercorn.

Seafood options change with the catch but often include soy-ginger glazed salmon or tempura hake with sriracha mayo. The wine list draws from nearby vineyards, and the courtyard takes lunch when the weather allows.

The restaurant takes its name from South Africa's indigenous Nguni cattle, known for their patterned hides. Some of the staff have worked here since the restaurant opened in 2007, including a general manager who started as a waiter.