TRAVEL: CAPE TOWN
Steeped in both European and indigenous influences, Cape Town’s cuisine is a glorious melting pot of flavours
Steeped in both European and indigenous influences, Cape Town’s cuisine is a glorious melting pot of flavours, discovers Samantha Parish.
Cape Town; a city that hugs the crystal-clear Atlantic, kicks back onto rolling green hills and is crammed full of sloping streets with laneways of rainbow-painted houses and high rises.
A tourist guide will have you chasing whales, climbing Table Mountain and visiting some incredible museums. All great ways to spend your time in Cape Town. But let’s not mess around. We’re here for the food, and this is a city full of delicious spots to eat and drink, making it South Africa’s top foodie destination.
South Africa’s colonial past has made for an abundantly complex and delicious cuisine layered with taste, culture and history. While Dutch, French and German influences lend European flair, at the heart of most meals are indigenous cooking methods and the spice, chillies and dried fruits of the Cape Malay people. Today’s South African cuisine is a complex melting pot, a way of cooking that respects the past by redefining and embracing a new, delicious future.
BE THEIR GUEST
A nostalgia for the traditional often sees restaurants create new interpretations of uniquely South African dishes. You’ll see version of ‘potjie’ (pronounced ‘poiiiki’), a dish usually cooked in a three-legged cast iron pot over hot coals. A potjie is not stirred but instead layered, with the meat and vegetables added at different stages of the cook.
Variations of ‘braai’ (pronounced ‘briiieh’) are cropping up in restaurants too. Here, food is cooked and grilled over an open flame. If you’re lucky enough to be invited by a local family for a braai, cancel all other plans and turn up hungry. This gesture of friendship is what a braai is all about – and a home-cooked version will be very different to what you’ll get in a restaurant. Food innovation is also big here – there are even vegan interpretations of favourites such as biltong.
So where should you head first? I highly recommend joining chef and food critic Rupesh Kassen on one of his half-day walking food tours (eatlikealocal.co.za). He shares a local’s knowledge of culture and eating, taking you down alleys and along popular strips such as Bree Street and the cobblestoned Bo-kaap area. It’s a great way to get your bearings – not to mention leaving you replete, with both delicious local fare and insider food tips.
If you’ve arrived on a weekend, ignore your jet lag, jump in a cab and head straight to the markets. Oranjezicht City Farm Market (ozcf.co.za) is open Saturdays and Sundays and is foodie heaven. Snack on local breads, pastries and olives, then prepare for the main event in a tent lined with local cooks preparing everything from vetkoekies (fritters) to paella. And don’t leave without grabbing a hot Portuguese tart – it’s a game changer.
Set aside a day to visit the Neighbourgoods market (neighbourgoodsmarket.co.za), open every Saturday in The Old Biscuit Mill complex in Woodstock. It’s what I think of as the Brooklyn of Cape Town. Sort through the artisan ceramics, handmade clothing and leather goods, then head into the food hall.
Grab a seat at one of the long tables covered in melted wax from burning tall candles and choose from a huge variety of South Africa’s favourite foods. This is a community of foodies, so you’ll be in good company and likely never want to leave.
My favourite restaurant is The Pot Luck Club (thepotluckclub.co.za), located above the Woodstock market. However, make this a separate outing so you can eat your way through both.
If you want to wield a pan yourself, you can’t go past the Bo-kaap Cooking Tour (bokaapcookingtour.co.za). You’ll learn about the food – and also the complex history – of the city and the Cape Malay community.
If you love to shop and eat, head to the V&A Waterfront (waterfront.co.za). After some retail therapy you’ll be in need of sustenance, so keep walking through to find the V&A food markets, brimming with street food from all over the world. My pick is Dos Bandidos (on Facebook) for flame-grilled soft tacos that leave just the right amount of room for
a melktert (sweet pastry crust with custard filling) from Lucy’s Tea & Confectionery (uklucy.com). To walk off your meal, mosey on over to The Watershed area, a collective of designer shops and the only place to get authentic souvenirs from the locals.
CAPE TOWN IN A GLASS
South Africans love a drink, and beer and ice cube-laden white wines are a classic choice for sundowners.
A visit to the picturesque wine country outside of Cape Town, namely the Stellenbosch and Franschhoek regions, is a must. Rent a car or book onto one of the many wine tours. It’s all about the oaky chenin blanc (white) and the pinotage (red), so get swirling and take in the beautiful surrounds. My top winery picks are Montpellier (montpellier.co.za) for a chenin blanc and Waterford Estate (waterfordestate.co.za) for the pinotage. For a farm-to-table finedining experience, try Babylonstoren (babylonstoren.com). Leopard’s Leap is your go-to for wine cocktails and a relaxed lunch. Or if you fancy a chardonnay made from
100 per cent bush grapes, make a beeline for Hoopenburg (hoopenburgwines.co.za).
But there’s more. Cape Town locals are obsessed with gin so make sure to check out the multiple distilleries in the city. The Gin Bar (theginbar.co.za) is discreetly tucked behind a chocolate cafe and showcases 70 local gins. The local craft beer scene is just as rampant as in New Zealand. Shout yourself a seasonal beer at Woodstock Brewery (woodstockbrewery.co.za). My newfound love is Cape Town brandy – for me, it’s the drink of 2020 and goes perfectly with Cape Malay flavours. Check out Van Ryn’s Distillery and Brandy Cellar (vanryns.co.za) in Stellenbosch or Cause and Effect (causeandeffect.co.za) at the V&A Waterfront to try one of their many brandy cocktails. Also don’t leave without trying South African vermouth Caperitif in a Negroni – you’ll be buying bottles to take home in duty-free. It’s like Cape Town in a glass.
Cape Town’s streets, laneways and rooftops are filled with people sipping cocktails, snacking on biltong and eating koeksisters (fried dough infused with syrup or honey) from street stalls. So come for the food, stay for the brandy – and don’t forget to tell the chef how ‘lekker’ (delicious) the food is.
Come to Cape Town for the food, stay for the brandy – and don’t forget to tell the chef how ‘lekker’ (delicious) the food is