Tag Archives: restaurants
Vasco da Gama
The irony of drinks at Java Cafe
Bridles and things
Café Manhattan at the Cape Quarter
The bar area gets a little rowdy in the evenings, so I wouldn't say it's family friendly. If you're looking for a slightly quieter place to hang out with a friend or four, take a seat in their lounge area - it's tucked away, near the kitchen, up a small flight of stairs.
Fresh at Paul Cluver
If you'd like a treat, prepared with love and care, visit Fresh restaurant on the Paul Cluver estate. We took friends visiting from the UK on an outing over Sir Lowry's pass to the little district of Elgin. Fresh, our decided lunch-stop, certainly didn't disappoint. The food, the staff, the atmosphere and our table on the lawn beneath the trees was perfect. Just perfect.
Jason Bakery’s “go somewhere else” opening hours
Jason Bakery – they love real breal
There isn't a lot of seating, but the bar chairs and tables attached to the outside pillars are actually reasonably comfortable. It was actually genius of them to small half-round tables to the pillars! The croissants are tasty, but the croissant-and-egg breakfast isn't much to write home about (and I was left feeling hungry). Their coffee isn't as good as Origin's, but it's not bad at all (I have a penchant for Origin's flat whites). The staff are friendly and efficient. I'd visit Jason Bakery again, and advise you to do so also! :)
OMG, deep fried oreos!
A chill pool and stage at SBC
I only visited once, at 11am when they open, so it wasn't very busy, and as can be expected, there really wasn't much happening. But, I can imagine that it gets quite packed with 20/30 somethings as the day and evening wears on.
I haven't read any positive reviews of their dinner menu (in fact, I read one or two negative ones), and I have to confess that the coffee that I ordered was slightly less palatable then airline coffee. However, I suspect they're more geared towards what comes out of a bottle than what comes from the bean. :)
Shimmy Beach Club is an interesting concept - quite different to any other venue we have in Cape Town, and for that reason you should probably pay them a visit. I'll certainly visit in the evening sometime - I'm keen to see if they manage to pull it off with style, or if it ends up being pretentious with no real class.
Harbour’s edge from Shimmy
Hard Pressed Cafe in the Portside Tower
If you believe there’s nothing up my sleeve…
FWIW, their coffee was pretty good and reasonably well priced - and we enjoyed the salmon and poached egg breakfast tremendously. They have many '90s vinyls for sale, although many of the used ones are somewhat scratched and the new ones seem overpriced at just under R500.
Reserved @ Hudsons
Be sure to make a reservation if you intend going between 18h00 and 21h00 most nights - it's super popular and you're unlikely to get a table otherwise.
Fantastic beer at Saints Burger Joint, Eden on the Bay
Market on the Wharf
Smoothies ‘n juices
Post by Orchard On Long.
Delectable gelato
Gelato Mania's huge selection of gelato and real Italian ice-cream was pretty awesome - so much so that we were forced to return the next evening to try a different flavour. Next time you're out for dinner in the Sea Point/Green Point/Cape Town city area, visit Gelato Mania for dessert... or dinner, assuming you like waffles for dinner. ;)
The coffee of champions
Milkshake no more
Visit Royale Eatery. Have a burger. Drink a shake. You're sure to enjoy it. :)
Jugs ‘o water
It's interesting how this norm in America is most often not even a consideration in South Africa, and how at times one has to ask for water more than once before it arrives - almost as though the staff delay the free drink so that one orders more paid drinks.
Our milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard
After leaving our breakfast spot where the food was ok, but the service and general vibe was unfriendly, we visited Royale Eatery for lunch; and milkshake of course! Royale are known for their lovely staff, gourmet burgers, and (as you can see from the photo) their interesting and delectable milkshakes.
Kerry-Anne, having had only a pickling for breakfast, had a Bergerac burger and since I'd already had a reasonable breakfast I just had a plate of sweet potato fries and a Lemon Cheescake milkshake (which, I recommend you try; if you like the feeling of pure bliss, that is.).
Our waitress more or less convinced me that next time I should try the Avocado & Mint milkshake. Have you ever heard of, and more, had such a thing? Avo in a milkshake? How strange.
Cafe Mojito on Long
Blues, a personal white elephant
A favourite breakfast spot
But, try them both, early, on a good-weather day - you'll probably enjoy them. :)
The Pot Luck Club restaurant
Isabella’s – good food that takes a while
Isabella's has an astonishingly-comprehensive menu filled with creative gourmet alternatives to regular burgers, wraps, salads and sandwiches. The portions are fairly substantial, and super-tasty.
Don't visit if you're in a hurry though. On both our recent visits it seemed like the restaurant's relaxed atmosphere intoxicated it's staff into a Sunday afternoon-like slumber. :)
But, the lack of speed and sparkyness is made up for by the surroundings and food. So, heed my advice if you're in a hurry, but do visit them if you have some time to spend.
A confusion of flora
After a blistering hot Friday, we had a strangely-cool Saturday, with plenty of cloud-cover, especially congregating around Table Mountain like a huge ball of grey cotton wool. Kerry-Anne and I headed out to the Alphen Hotel in Constantia to meet up with friends for lunch at La Belle, a lovely restaurant on the hotel's estate.
La Belle is pretty awesome - the service is great, and the food is superb. The pork neck I ordered was spectacular, the cheese cake was heavenly, but the coffee was unfortunately only average. I'd definitely recommend you visit La Belle though - you're sure to enjoy it.
The mountains of Stellenbosch
We really do seem to have the best of both worlds here in Cape Town: We're almost surrounded by the ocean (as peninsulas tend to be), we have a great big mountain towering over our city, and we have big open winelands with beautiful blue mountain ranges. This truely is a remarkable part of Africa!
This photo was taken from the delightful Asara wine estate. The location on Google Maps has been wrong for some time now - here's a map I created to show you the way.
Truth’s old coffee machines
I found this gem at Truth Coffee Roasting, a popular coffee shop in Buitenkant Street. I'm sure it's no longer in use - they do, after all, have far more sophisticated espresso machines these days. But still, it's quite pretty - don't you think?