Farmstalls along the N2 between Sir Lowry’s Pass and the Houhoek Pass

Farmstalls on the N2

As the N2 summits Sir Lowry’s Pass and begins its meander through one of the most lovely valleys known to man – the Elgin Valley is sumptuous it is such a feast of beauty -  it passes no fewer than five farmstalls distributed fairly evenly on either side of the road (if you’re smart, you can stop at one or two on the way to your destination, and then another couple on your return).

We were headed to Vermont, the little village not far from Hermanus that has enjoyed a fair amount of attention if the number of holiday homes is anything to go by. We took it upon ourselves to stop at four of the farmstalls in an effort to do a comparison and to see just what each of them offers – besides, it’s great fun to fall out of the car, meander around the grounds, have a look at all the goodies, make a selection or two and then, between mouthfuls, rate the nosh … Continued

Dining at Jardine Restaurant at 185 on Bree

185 Bree Street

Friends were visiting from Mpumalanga last week and invited me to join them for dinner at Jardine.  Included on the S. Pellegrino Worlds Best 100 Restaurants list for 2009, dining at Jardine is not something to be missed.  Owner and Executive Chef George has worked all over the world and since opening Jardine in 2006 has established the restaurant into one of the leading fine dining restaurants this country has to offer …

Situated at 185 Bree Street (on the corner of Bree and Bloem) in Cape Town Central, Jardine is located in a building that over the past century has also been home to a butchery, chocolatier, jewellery shop, radio station and most recently Cape Towns branch of the Church of Scientology!  After renovations, the restaurant now seats 70 covers upstairs (some on a wrap around balcony) and the ground level of the restaurant serves as a bar area – perfect for enjoying a pre dinner cocktail or an ABF before heading home! Continued

Bird’s Boutique Café – on its way to becoming iconic in the city bowl

Bird’s Boutique Café

A meal at Bird’s Boutique is something of an experience, and if you haven’t already stopped off to taste Mathilde Stegmann and her daughter’s delectable dishes, then I would advise that you do.

Set on the corner of Bree and Church Street in a building that is most un-restaurant-like, there isn’t anything quite like this café in Cape Town. The concept defies categorisation, and yet the food is simple, home-cooking. Described as a ‘unique, artistic refuge’ the café, despite sounding such, is not pretentious and doesn’t work hard at just being what it is – a kitchen that feeds its patrons seriously yummy and distinctive food, with none of the gloss, glamour and self-indulgent ostentation that some other restaurants manage. Continued

Lunching at Parks Café in Wynberg

Parks Café in Wynberg

We don’t get out much. No seriously, doing lunch is tantamount to a social occasion we manage it so seldom. When one works from home, lunch hour is something you snatch on the run whilst picking up the wee one and sprinting into the local bakery  double time for fresh bread!

But yesterday we managed to have what definitely qualifies as a civilised lunch time interlude at Parks Café, Wynberg. The address is a little misleading, as Parks Café actually rests on Constantia Main Road, more-or-less across the road from Norman Henshilwood High School, in a simply beautiful restored Victorian villa (you probably drive past here on numerous occasions, but next time, swing inside – you’ll not be disappointed) … Continued

La Boheme Restaurant in Sea Point

La Boheme

A friend resides in Sea Point and has been raving about a restaurant that has opened up on Main Road so we gave it a try on Tuesday evening.  I’m so glad we did!  At R85 for a 2 course meal we were off to a good start, and the delicious food cemented La Boheme on one of my new favourite eateries … Continued

Café Caprice

Whether it’s for sundowners in the summer months or for the great winter burger special, Café Caprice never fails to disappoint.  Situated on the world famous Camps Bay Strip, Caprice has been around since 2001 and still enjoys a faithful following from locals and international visitors alike.

The views of the Atlantic Ocean, the white sand, palm trees and Lions Head to the left (if you are facing the sea, and lets face it, who wouldn’t be!) Caprice could not ask for a better location.  Open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and of course drinks, the menu is varied and great value for money.  Continued

Dinner & Dance in Cape Town

Pigalle Cape Town

What do you get when you put together a group of old friends, an approaching birthday, delicious food and copious amounts of wine? The answer – a reunion and smashing birthday bash.

I have a group of very special friends who are spread far and wide across continents and sea and this week we were lucky enough to arrange for everyone to be in the same place at the same time for a celebration. We had friends travel from Eshowe in KwaZulu Natal, Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape as well as the birthday boy from Hamburg, Germany, his sister from the UK and a pair love birds from the shores of Spain. And of course -  all of the fabulous people who reside in Cape Town. This evening was an opportunity to get kitted out in our finest attire and head down to Somerset Road in Green Point for some fine dining and bit of dancing … Continued

The Italian Kitchen in Tokai

The Italian Kitchen in Tokai, sister restaurant to Jonkershuis and Societi bistro at its  new home on Orange Street in Gardens, was fairly humming when we arrived on a Saturday night to celebrate a birthday.

Its nonassuming kerbside façade gives no real indication of the buzz that ensues just inside the door, even though there is an outside table or two, this being spring and hardly the time to sit out of doors, yet. But I can see that in summer, the outside tables could be much sought after, depending on how much you like watching traffic drive by … Continued

Popular Cape Town Family-friendly Restaurants

Shoreline Café

Cape Town offers some beautiful locations to spend time with your family in a relaxing and playful atmosphere. On a constant quest to find perfect family spots offering healthy child-friendly food with an appetizing menu for adults, set in pleasant surrounds with play areas, here are some of the best experiences on offer …

Shoreline Café at the V&A Waterfront was created for pure enjoyment and is situated next to the Two Oceans Aquarium. An indoor play area makes this spot a great escape for rainy days! The kiddie’s area is lined with AstroTurf and has a big TV to entertain the older chldren, while the younger members of the family will be kept very busy on the creatively designed jungle gym and slides … Continued

Posticino in Sea Point

Its official; I LOVE Posticino!  It was the first restaurant I had dinner at when I moved to Cape Town nearly three years ago and although I am not a regular visitor (I live in the Southern Suburbs and Posticino is across town on the Atlantic Seaboard), whenever I find myself on that side of the mountain Posticino is the designated dinner spot … Continued

Munching my way through breakfast at Martins

Martins Bakery

Martins in Diepriver is one of those hidden gems about which only the locals know, and visitors to Cape Town wish they knew, given the recent propensity for artisan breads.

Martins resembles a typical old fashioned deli / coffee shop, which indeed is exactly what it is. Run by ‘Mr Martins’ (even his faithful staff members call him thus) together with his son and daughter-in-law, Martins is teeming with bread and baked products of just about every description, including an excellent range of wheat-free goodies that feature a wheat free bread (for which you have to place an order, so be warned), a range of biscuits, and the bakery’s delectable date balls, for which we make a stop at least once a week … Continued

Eating out in Cosmopolitan Cape Town

South Africa’s Mother City is home to some truly global gastronomy – Cape Town’s CBD is a veritable melting pot of different cultures. Not only are its locals far from homogenous themselves, there’s also the multitude of ex-pats from far-flung nations who’ve fallen in love with the city of Cape Town and made it their home. The resulting mixture of different customs, clothing and cuisine makes for a vibrant and eclectic city – not to mention a mouth-watering restaurant scene. On any night of the week you can sample culinary arts from around the world, with a side serving of South African hospitality and a sprinkling of Cape Town flair … Continued

kwaLapa – telling the stories of food

kwaLapa in Newlands

It’s my week for visiting food stores. And kwaLapa in Newlands Montebello Design Centre, just recently opened, is about to take the southern suburbs organic-and-green-for-lunch crowd by storm.

It’s not just their catchy byline – telling the stories of food, where the store weaves the stories of its suppliers into the very fabric of the walls – but it is also the menu, filled with organic, wholesome options that include buttermilk flapjacks, raw muesli, organic soup of the day, delectably filled wraps, a freshly tossed salad of the day served with a cranberry or blueberry dip, and various organic coffee and tea options that make one fairly burst to sit and sip, whilst waving one’s hands in the air for them to ‘bring it on’! … Continued

I thought I soy a sushi bar …

I remember myself, age fourteen, squidging up my face in revulsion at what I’d just put in my mouth. Not the actual taste of it, mind you – in hindsight I’m sure it was delicious – but the thought: raw fish wrapped in seaweed? I wasn’t having any of it. Until about a year later, when I couldn’t have enough of it.

Sushi definitely grew on me, and you’d be amazed how many Capetonians list this Japanese cuisine as their number one favourite food. Luckily for me, Cape Town embraced sushi in a big way a few years ago and I can now get my fix just about anywhere in the city. Just in case you don’t know, here’s a rundown of a few of the best places to grab a California roll or ten … Continued

Rise and shine, Cape Town …

Brunch is, almost by definition, a lazy meal. It usually involves waking up late on a weekend morning and easing ever-so-slowly into the day with a leisurely, often decadent breakfast. Which means it might just be the perfect Capetonian mealtime, bowing only to the not-quite-late-afternoon cocktail hour, and maybe not even then. Having picked up on this fact, more than a few Cape Town eateries cash in on the tradition by offering a plethora of scrumptious breakfast specials – most of them available till sometime in the late afternoon … Continued