De Waterkant — The epitome of Cape Town Cool

Cape Quarter

The his­tor­ical De Waterkant area of Cape Town, situ­ated just above Green Point and kept watch over by Signal Hill, has fast become the epi­tome of cool, play­ing host to the apart­ments of young pro­fes­sion­als and a range of fine res­taur­ants and niche retailers.

The neighbourhood’s trans­form­a­tion from middle-class sub­urb to urban cool was sealed with the con­struc­tion of the Cape Quarter - a busi­ness centre come life­style oasis - in 2001. The centre mar­ries the area’s rich his­tory with its cur­rent trend­i­ness, by retain­ing the neighbourhood’s Cape Malay archi­tec­ture on its street facades, some of which dates back to the 19^th century.

Inside, how­ever, the archi­tec­ture is the only thing that’s not on the cutting-edge. The ingeni­ously designed space is home to not a small num­ber of interior shops, cloth­ing boutiques, art gal­ler­ies and res­taur­ants. I spent a good while brows­ing everything from African-inspired interior fur­nish­ings to con­tem­por­ary art to mind-blowing jew­ellery designs to sound sys­tems to high-end fash­ion and sunglasses. Quite a feast for the senses.

De Waterkant Views

And speak­ing of feasts, the res­taur­ants of the Cape Quarter are right up there with the best. Andiamo (mean­ing “let’s go”) has you covered for all things deli­ciously Italian, includ­ing a well-stocked deli and sand­wich bar. Tank, (www.the-tank.co.za) one of the first res­taur­ants in Cape Town to cap­it­al­ise on the sushi trend that began a few years ago, will ply you with items from its Pacific Rim menu and cock­tail list while you sit sur­roun­ded by a 20 000 litre, salt­water fish tank (yes, hence the name).

Wine afi­cion­ados: head for The Nose, a wine bar serving some of South Africa’s best wines com­pli­men­ted by a com­pre­hens­ive menu includ­ing ‘Warthog fil­let stuffed with brandied apples’. Not to men­tion Fiesta, with its menu of mouth-watering tapas, and La Petite Tarte, where the French con­fec­tion­ary is not to be missed.

However, as tempt­ing as it might be to while away your time amongst the delights of the Cape Quarter, there’s still more to be seen in De Waterkant proper. A wander around the nar­row, criss-crossing streets will have you sur­roun­ded by old Georgian-style houses, many of which have been con­ver­ted into still more busi­nesses and boutiques. Just don’t be startled by the boom of the Noon Day Gun, posi­tioned right above you on the Hill.

Cafe Max

If you’re lucky, you might hap­pen upon Café Max (www.cafemax.co.za), an acci­dental - yet very pleas­ing - find of mine.  The French-inspired eat­ery is housed in an his­toric build­ing in which, once upon a time, Lord Somerset stabled his horses. Despite this, the res­taur­ant provides a deli­ciously secret­ive escape from the bustle of the city - at which you’d be for­given for spoil­ing your­self rot­ten. Sadly, it is not open for dinner.

Of course, if it’s an even­ing meal with a dif­fer­ence that you want, I’d recom­mend Pigalle. Though named after the red-light dis­trict in Paris, this beau­ti­fully appoin­ted, 300-seater, con­ver­ted ice rink offers excel­lent Portuguese cuisine and sea­food. With a live band every even­ing, din­ner dan­cing is the order of the even­ing for the restaurant’s soph­ist­ic­ated - and often celebrity-dotted - clientele. 

De Waterkant is a corner of cul­ture and indul­gence, and, try as they might, Capetonians won’t be able to keep this one under wraps for long.

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For more des­tin­a­tion inform­a­tion see:
De Waterkant Attractions
De Waterkant Hotels
De Waterkant Accommodation
Things to Do in De Waterkant