Peace, Love & Giraffes

When I flip through my family’s vacation photos, I always notice one common thread: food. Whether it’s a big bowl of seafood pasta, gigantic garlic rolls dripping in butter and garlic, or a big plate of  spicy caribbean chicken wings from the No Name Pub, we have photos of them. The food may be long gone, but in our photos the flavors live on!

Our visit to Cape Town was no different. I had absolutely no shame in taking plenty of touristy shots of food at ALL of the restaurants we dined at. Here are the highlights for your drooling pleasure:

Dunes Restaurant, Hout Bay

While talking about our trip to Cape Town, the one meal that comes up again and again was the yellow tail fish dinner we had at the Dunes Restaurant our first night in Cape Town.

The view alone makes Dunes a wonderful place to linger over a glass of wine and watch the sunset. Hout Bay, mountains, sandy beach = perfection.  I had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming! I loved the beachy, cape cod inspired decor. It was rustic elegance at its finest.

But of course what a restaurant really comes down to is the food. We both ordered the catch of the day: yellow tail snapper, grilled. I know, I know, but I promise we are not one of “those couples” who order the same thing every time we go out. I actually like ordering different things and picking Jono’s plate, but the catch of the day was just looked too good to turn down.

For the sides, Jono chose chips and a salad (I ended up getting the salad) and I chose rice and veggies. When we first got our food, we dug in, only to be disappointed to find the fish dry and overcooked. The manager swiftly send it back to the kitchen and it wasn’t long before our second plates arrived, much improved. Plump, juicy delicious yellow tail. Yum, yum, yum!

Two glasses of wine later and Cape Town had me wrapped around its finger.

Website: http://www.dunesrestaurant.co.za/

Icecream @ Boulders Beach

After plenty of time in the sun gawking over adorably cute penguins at Boulders Beach, we had worked up a bit of an appetite. When we wandered by this cute little gelato stand, we new it was the perfect thing to cool us off and hold us over until lunch. Their flavors are locally made in South Africa and delicious. We shared the caramel.

Blue Water Cafe, Imhoff Farm

We decided to stop at the Blue Water Cafe based on the amazing Trip Advisor reviews it’s received. Once again, the view did not disappoint! The place was quite crowded, and there were lots of kids having a great time on the jungle gym and in the petting zoo – the perfect family spot. Jono’s burger left a little to be desired, but my mussels were top notch.

This a great place to stop on your drive back to Cape Town from Cape Point/Boulders Beach. They even have a little shop where you can pick up homemade food goods. I bought a flour-less brownie that was devoured so quickly, I forgot to take a photo of it!

The Grand Beach Cafe, Green Point

After a cold, windy and rainy morning on Table Mountain, we were in desperate need of a warm spot to rest. I’d heard from a few friends and fellow blogger about The Grand Beach Cafe, so we made a beeline to Green Point.

I am so glad we did as this place was another highlight of our trip! Jono ordered the tempura fish, and completely cleaned his plate. He said it was so good, he wished he could start the whole meal over again.

I’d been on a sort of low-carb diet, and trying to stay away from pasta (which is so hard because it’s my FAVORITE), but I just couldn’t pass up the seafood pasta dish. Let me tell you, it was well worth every carb and calorie. And it felt good to treat myself on holiday. Our feet were literally in the sand,  and I had a mojito in my hand. How could I worry about carbs now?

Oh yeah..about that mojito. After many failed attempts to order a mojito in Joburg,  I’m happy to report the great mojito drought has ended!

In Florida you don’t have to search for too long to find a great mojito (or any kind of latin-inspired food for that matter), but in SA all I found were bars that didn’t have mint, bartenders who hadn’t heard of the drink, and weird champagne-mojito hybrids that just didn’t work. Luckily, I found the Grand Beach Cafe who specializes in mojitos.

Best. Mojito. Ever.

The mint, the lime, the perfect parts rum/mixer…and that view? Mmm…I’ll take it!

The indoor seating at the Grand Beach has a very different, industrial-chic vibe. Look at that chandelier! They also have a wood-burning oven for pizzas, which look amazing!

Website: http://www.grandafrica.com/GrandCafeandBeachCapeTown.aspx

Breakfast at Kronendal Guest House

Okay, so Kronendal isn’t open to the public, but if you stay there, you will be treated to the most divine breakfast right in the comfort of your guest room! We were honestly caught off guard by how beautifully presented it was each morning, and the obvious care that was taken while preparing it. The yogurt parfait was light, healthy and delicious and the croissants were to die for. And how cute is the little hard-boiled egg in the rooster?

Website: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g469392-d1802182-Reviews-Kronendal_Heritage_Estate-Hout_Bay_Western_Cape.html 

Kitima, Hout Bay

Kitima is Thai done elegantly but not pretentiously. The restaurant is beautiful: cozy, dark and romantic and the building has an interesting history to it that you can feel right when you walk through the door. I can always tell when a building has a story to tell!

We sat at the bar and ordered a sushi starter, pad thai and beef curry. I’m usually hesitant to order Pad Thai because as much as I love it, so many places do it all wrong. I’m talking bright red slimly noodles. Ick. But I figured if there was a place to do it right, it would be Kitima, and thankfully I was right. The spices and texture worked so well together, I could have licked the bowl!

Apparently the lounge is quite vibey at night, so could be an excellent place to go for a date night, or sip some cocktails with the girls.

Website: http://www.kitima.co.za/

 

If you have any suggestions for other fabulous Cape Town restaurants, let me know! I am going back in March with some girlfriends and would love to check them out!