Cape Town Gastronomic Adventure

The "Mother City", as Cape Town is known in SA, is also very much recognised for its amazing culinary experiences against the backdrop of Table Mountain, Table Bay and the Winelands. Having been to Cape Town a couple of times already, we came prepared for a gastronomic adventure in and around the City Bowl, and what an adventure it was! 

Table Bay Hotel and Green Point Stadium

We started our trip on a Sunday, and let me just pause here to recommend that you try to avoid Sundays and Mondays in Cape Town as many places are closed and you end up jumping from place to place trying to find one that is open. We were lucky enough though, to land at Hudsons - The Burger Joint on Kloof Street where a carefully crafted selection of gourmet burgers and local beer brews awaited, not to mention the staff who were just great...

&Union Craft Beer

The next day we woke up with a craving for a good bakery and headed for Cafe Milano, only to find it closed (remember my warning?), then we went to one more place with the same fate until finally a Capetonian friend took us out of our confusion and we joined him for lunch instead at Crave. A lively small spot in a busy corner next to the Thibault Square, Crave serves the freshest Muffins, Sandwiches, Soup, salads and smoothies to cater for the hungry and hip souls in its surroundings. After touring around the city for a while and enjoying the sea breeze, we headed for &Union for some imported artisan craft beer and a chilled Cape Town Sundowner while snacking on some delicious cured meats.

Addis in Cape Ethiopian Restaurant

The evening was still young and after some much needed rest and refresh, we headed to Addis in Cape, highly recommended by several friends it lived up to our expectations through a delightful and very different culinary experience greatly enhanced by the special ambiance.

Beleza Restaurant 

At this point, with four different restaurants and bars under our belt in only two days, the tummy started to feel it, but with so much of Cape Town still to taste, we headed for our next destination: Beleza. When I read you could have a proper breakfast in Cape Town for R12  I could hardly believe it, but guess what? All true, and not only so, but the restaurant was handsomely put together and with great service! Next came Lunch, looking for some true Cape Malay food and following advice from a local friend I found Mariam's Kitchen. Very much your day-to-day restaurant in terms of looks and presentation, but the Beef Salomie tasted just like mama's best! We finished off the day with Anatoli Turkish restaurant as advised by a local and loved the authenticity of the food and the setting, we felt transported to Istanbul! From the flat bread and meze to the coffee, the experience was unique.

Next morning, we had a late breakfast at Jason Bakery, we only knew about it because every time we passed by there were plenty of people gathering around the street counter and hence decided to give it a try. The place was lovely and we had the best croissants ever with a huge mug of hot foamy chocolate, service, however, could have been better. 



Then for the much awaited visit to The Foodbarn in Noordhoek. We found it while looking for a place to eat after Chapman's peak drive and booked our place for wednesday late lunch. we went for the 3-course tasting menu paired with some fabulous Nitida wines and it was the perfect end to our Cape Town Gastronomic Adventure. The food was generally tasty, well-presented and creative, and although the Calf's brains I had for mains might have been too much for my already sensible tummy, I guess it was worth the try.

The Foodbarn Restaurant in Noordhoek

So that was it, we wanted to go off the-beaten-path of Cape Town and the typical V&A Restaurants and I guess we made it happen with all good surprises.

Ps. Restaurant reviews for each restaurant will be coming up soon, so watch this space!

Love, iSa