Barely an hour’s drive from Cape Town, on the rugged west coast, in a quiet bay lined with scattered rocks, lies the pretty fishing village of Paternoster.

With its quaint whitewashed houses, gray-green savannah and turquoise water, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’ve ended up in a remote village somewhere on the Mediterranean coast. On the other hand, you won’t get anything more authentically South African than the local delicacy of bokkoms (salted and dried fish), the seafood version of that other very South African delicacy, biltong.

Being close to Cape Town, this predominantly Afrikaans-speaking town is a popular weekend getaway destination for wealthy Capetonians who prefer the unspoiled west coast to the more tourist-friendly south coast. In summer, the nearby Tietiesbaai Campground in the Cape Columbine Nature Reserve is popular with hard-core fishermen and divers.

Although the water is usually too cold for swimming, colorful boats baking in the sun are a typical sight on the city’s pristine stretch of beach. On a good day, as many as thirty ships can be seen across the bay: almost all of Paternoster’s humble permanent inhabitants are still at the mercy of the sea to provide them with food and a means of income.

Legend has it that the name of the city, which in Latin means “Our Father Prayer”, was given by Portuguese sailors who had problems in the rough sea. Grateful that they had made it safely to shore, they promised to build a church and christened the town Paternoster.

A visit to the Paternoster Hotel will give you a taste of the city’s colorful culture. The hotel’s infamous “panty bar,” its walls and ceiling covered in women’s underwear and dirty jokes, is where you’ll find beefy fishermen watching sports on TV while consuming copious amounts of brandy and coke. Across the street from the hotel terrace, locals sell their catch of the day, either Snoek legally or Crayfish clandestinely (it is illegal to buy or sell West Coast Crayfish or Rock Lobster with a Crayfish recreational permit).

Further along is the Paternoster Farm Stall, where merchandise includes a delicious array of house-made seafood pickles like chili coriander mussels or curried squid. Diagonally opposite is the charming Oep ve Koep (the name translates directly from an Afrikaans expression in West Coast slang as “open for shopping”) where kitsch tourist souvenirs are found among a large collection of antique enamels, glass and old signs.

At the beachfront market, enjoy the freshest fish and chips from the Seemeeu kiosk or brave the pungent smell and buy a bunch of bokkoms, a truly delicious substitute for anchovies.

For the perfect end to a typical West Coast visit, make dinner reservations at the quaint Die Voorstrandt restaurant. Located right on the beach in one of the oldest buildings in town, Die Voorstrandt offers a sampling of the freshest local seafood and unsurpassed views of the most beautiful sunset on the West Coast.