Cape Town Food
Throughout our stay in Cape Town we sampled some of the excellent local cuisine. To say that Cape Town is eclectic would be an understatement. The city is fraught with contradictions and contrast, but all the while there is a wonderfully symbiotic feel to it. You will find clusters of restaurants in different neighbourhoods with different ethnicities. Whatever you are looking for you can find with a little bit of local direction.
While in Cape Town we enjoyed italian pasta and pizza at two different restaurants. One was a small, hole-in-the-wall establishment nestled next to a jazz club. It’s hard to imagine a better setting than eating delicious food on the outdoor patio in glorious weather with the bittersweet tones of good jazz wafting on the evening air. And then of course, there was the wine ….
The other Italian restaurant was a more traditional restaurant. Here they made fresh pasta cooked to perfection, served by a rather serious, young Italian fellow who looked strangely out of place amongst the rest of the black staff. Nevertheless, the food was excellent, the company second to none, and of course, there was the wine ….
Linton took us to an out of the way seafood restaurant in Hout Bay which served the most excellent Fish & Chips. The fish they use here for battered F & C is Hake which is a lovely, tender white fish and very delicious. I was determined to try as much local cuisine as I could on my stay so, at Linton’s urging, I ordered prawns. as did he.
I just about died when Linton opened his take out container to reveal about six of the ugliest things I have ever seen. Reminiscent of a shrimp on steroids, these prawns were about 8 inches long with the most grotesque heads still on! After my initial shock and exclamation that I didn’t like eating anything that looked back at me, I did hazard a try. The tender meat of the body was very good and similar to shrimp in taste but I did not care for the brains at all! Glad I tried them but … maybe not again.
We had lunch at a Portuguese restaurant one day. I ordered Chicken Piri Piri which is done with Portuguese spice. It was delicious and definitely a keeper. I was always surprised to discover the Portuguese influence which is evident throughout Cape Town.
We discovered a great breakfast spot which we frequented. Bacon, eggs, ostrich wor (sausage) toast and jam, all for about $3.00 Canadian.
Even the food at the hotel (Best Western Cape Suites) was exceptionally good. One night I had the best chicken wrap I have ever had. Loaded with chicken and a sweet chili sauce it was delicious! The buffet breakfast was good too with fruit, yogurt, muffins, toast, bacon, sausage, eggs and homefries. The waiter said the breakfast was usually 75 rand but that he would give it to us for 50. We paid him the 100 ($12.00) rand for the two of us which he promptly put in his pocket rather than the till. Welcome to South Africa!
No matter where we ate, the food here is delicious. At home I am somewhat of a salt-a-holic, always reaching for the salt shaker but in Africa I never once salted my food. The freshness of the flavours complimented by Piri Piri spice, lime, cilantro, curry, rosemary … all prepared in the manner best suited to the food, meant that I seldom felt the need to change the flavour of anything.
Despite my intent to try McDonald’s and KFC in Africa to see if they tasted the same as they did at home, there were just too many great culinary opportunities to even think of wasting a meal on these. I guess they will have to wait until my next visit!
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Morag