Weโre so over cauliflower, kale, burgers and doughnuts. As for macaroons (yawn), bread baskets (you are kidding, right?) and, dare I say it, carbs, itโs definitely time to move on.
And move on we have. To gin, home fermentation, veldkos, ancient grains and a dozen other things that make eating out an experience.
Here the Cape Town food trends you need to know about…
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Fermentation
If youโre not already growing your own kombucha, making your own raw milk kefir, and adding turmeric to your smoothies, you will be. Soon. Because all things microbiome have gone mainstream, with a major emphasis on gut-pleasing foods. So, youโll notice kimchi sneaking onto the menu, and sauerkraut (the homemade fermented kind, not the made with vinegar kind) dished up alongside far more than your average German sausage.
Where to find: Fermentation is not the realm of health shops anymore, although Kloof Streetโs Wellness Warehouse is a good place to start. Also try restaurants in Observatory, Woodstock (The Potluck Club) and the City Bowl.
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Foraging
You can forage in Newlands forest for mushrooms, comb the beaches of Scarborough for kelp, seaweed and mussels, and walk the pavements of your average suburb picking whatever herbs and wild fruits grow on pavements. Or you can find the restaurant chefs who search for their provisions, and avoid any nasty encounters with the inedible.
Where to find: La Colombe in Constantia, Chefโs Warehouse on Bree Street, and The Test Kitchen, Woodstock.
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Matcha
Matcha is in everything, you might have noticed, and teas are distinctly green as a result (thatโs the colour, not the sustainability of the drink). But it isnโt only drinks thatโve been influenced by the nutritional zing (1 cup is the equivalent to 10 cups of โnormalโ green tea) of matcha – a green tea powder from Japan. Chefs have begun including it in smoothies, high-protein vegetable burgers, ice-creams and in dishes you wouldnโt usually expect to find it (like with French toast).
Where to find: Lady Boninโs Tea Parlour, Long Street; De Waterkantโs Loading Bay, Oโways Teacafe in Claremont, Mugg and Bean anywhere, Scheckterโs Raw in Sea Point
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Food in a Bowl
Bowl food is big across the globe, so donโt be surprised to find yourself ordering a round, deep dish full of vegetables, whole grains and protein. A derivative of this is the Buddha Bowl – a bevy of plant-based foods like quinoa, sweet potatoes, avos and grilled vegetables, in one dish. Yet others are calling it a โpower bowlโ and dishing up salads and healthy meals in one dish. You can even get your smoothie in a bowl, if you look hard enough. Bowl-based cookbooks are making it onto the shelves. Bowl and spoon eating is here to stay.
Where to find: Dear Me in the City Bowl, Sexy Food in the City Bowl (theyโre also big on kimchi and sauerkraut), Bowl in Woodstock
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Coffee (Continues)
Coffee is here to stay, despite the matcha tea craze. Chances are just about everyone begins their day with a coffee. Expect to end up with an aero press by the end of the year (coffee extraction is everything), anticipate that coffee shops will end up looking more like science labs (if America is anything to go by) as water temperatures and the weight of coffee become a skill, and brew towers become commonplace. And finally, geography is everything. If you donโt know where itโs from (preferably Ethiopia), donโt drink it.
Where to find: Bootlegger in Sea Point, Truth Coffee in the City Bowl, Origin Coffee in the Cape Quarter, Bean There, in Whale Street, just off Bree Street (Read about Cape Townโs foodie mecca, Bree Street)
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They deliver, you cook it yourself
Also known as food meal kits, these companies deliver ingredients, already prepared, to your home. All you have to do is cook. If you havenโt already tried local companies like U Cook, and Daily Dish, you will now. Itโs a cheaper version of eating out, with carefully selected ingredients (local, ethically reared meat, organic vegetables where possible) already packed and delivered to your door. It saves you the effort and time of shopping, but you still get the joy of cooking, without any of the fuss of preparation (most of it, anyway).
Where to find: theyโll deliver anywhere in Cape Town
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Veggies take centre stage
With a weakened economy itโs just time before cheaper cuts of meat, and the triumph of vegetables as comfort food reign supreme. Forbes declared vegetables #1 in the food trends anticipated for 2017, so expect to see carrot and beetroots, seaweeds, chard, turnip greens, and mustard greens. Anticipate mashed cauliflower rather than rice and pasta, and a vegetable crust as a healthier pizza base. In short, itโs the rise of the vegetable.
Where to find: Kind Cafe & Deli in Walmer Estate, Raw and Roxy Cafe on Bree Street (used to be in Woodstock), Aniyor Bakery & Cafe in Thibault Square, Tibetan Teahouse in Simonโs Town
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Artisan Butchers
You will find most of these new age butchers operating from one or more of the food markets around Cape Town. Theyโre big on ethically reared, grass fed, free-range meat, different and original cuts of meat, and packs of marrow bones for your homemade broths. You can also get bacon, tubs of lard and recipe advice.
Where to find: Son of a Butcher in Newlands, (you’ll find them at the Earth Fair and OZCF markets) Cure Deli at Earth Fair and OZCF markets, Backarea Gardens at Oude Molen in Pinelands
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Markets
Cape Townโs food market scene just doesnโt seem to lose any traction. Like food markets the world over theyโre busy and home to the freshest vegetables, expert local butchers, fishmongers and a dozen stalls selling anything from mayonnaise to coffee, beer, delicacies, chocolate and bread. In Cape Town the markets are here to stay, at least in the short term, as two types of Capetonians venture out every weekend morning to stock up – the weekly shoppers for whom supermarkets are antipathy, and the breakfast crowd for whom a strawbale seat and a table d’hote are the antidote to a long week behind a computer.
Where to find: Neighbourgoods Market, Hope Street Market, Oranjezicht City Farm market, Earth Fair Market, Blue Bird Garage Food and Goods Market, Bay Harbour Market, Hout Bay
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