My Cape Town Restaurants
Your personal guide to the delicious world of restaurants, wine and cocktails. Who's got the best specials, the hottest cocktails and the perfect cappuccino.
Monday 2 April 2012
Thursday 15 September 2011
Cafe Milano... the best treats, eggs benedict and french toast
Cafe Milano - trendy little Cape Town restaurant cafe - go there with style.
Sunday 28 August 2011
Meloncino - Going Italian style
It is so refreshing to find yourself in an authentic trendy Italian Restaurant in Cape Town. All too often locals try replicate Italian cuisine and style and never quite succeed, not even close. There are many authentic pizzarias run by Italians who make fabulous Italian food, but I am talking about a trendy and contemporary restaurant - somewhere you would want to be taken out on a date. · 10% discount for senior citizens. · VIP card - 15% gets accumulated onto the card and can be redeemed (discounted) on your next visit
Italian Restaurants Cape Town - Il Leone... A true taste of Italy
When it comes to Cape Town Italian restaurants, specifically pizzas and pastas I'm a snob. Yes I admit it, I'm a total pasta snob. Pasta needs to be cooked to perfection... al dente. Si! Not soft not raw but al dente... Throw it on the ceiling if you need to but make sure its right. Il Leone must be one of the best Italian restaurants in Cape Town and one its best kept secrets. I first discovered this delightful little place on a business lunch – I.e. an excuse to escape the office, pretend to talk about important things and drink real Italian wine. Our waiter had an authentic Italian accent, a good sign until I spoke Italian with him and he stared blankly back at me - born and bred South African – our falso-italiano. He did however have an amazing talent at choosing our dishes for us; and choosing exactly what we wanted to order. For me he selected the Tagliatelle ai Porcini (yes- fresh porcini mushrooms in Africa!) in an olive oil and garlic sauce. The world around me ceased to exist - wow. All I can say is that it was perfetto. The perfect combination of flavour and texture and I even had some takeaways! He also chose the Penne Gamberetti and Scallopine di Vitello con Porcini (veal escalopes) for the others. Being the addict that I am I obviously sampled these too and have to admit that they also were fabulous. Il Leone definitely falls under my top restaurants in Cape Town for atmosphere and great food, and the Tagliatelle ai Porcini as one of my favourite dishes. This quaint Italian restaurant is located in Green Point, not far from the V&A Waterfront and Beluga. The ambience is lovely - It’s cosy and quite smart, and always seems to be busy. They could also add a few cheaper wine options to the menu but otherwise its fabulous! Service is also great. I recently took my ladies there for our monthly girls night and by the end of the evening they all walked out converts. Our tradition is to explore a new restaurant or bar once a month and they’ve been begging to go back for seconds. Two dishes that also took my breath away in pure deliciousness were the butternut ravioli in a 4 cheese sauce and the giant artichoke and ricotta panzotti in a butter and sage sauce. Wine: we recommend the Italian Frascati. Absolute perfection and you don’t even need to go to Italy. This is definitely one of Cape Town's best Italian restaurants!
Il Leone must be one of Cape Town's best Italian restaurants. Hidden away in Green Point and within walking distance to the V&A Waterfront, this quaint Italian Restaurant is a must if you are passionate about real pasta.
Monday 18 July 2011
El Burro - nice... like a cup of tea.
Ponchos must be one of Cape Town's favourite Mexican restaurants so I decided to take a big step out of my Mexican box and suss out the competition. The two restaurants I had heard quite a bit about were El Burro and San Julian. Each promises a unique Mexican experience so it only seems fair to try out both. We opted for El Burro as it has replaced the venue of our old favourite, Beuna Vista in Green Point. Walking up the creaky old stairs, which add a great authenticity to the place, we hoped inside would be warm as it was storming outside and we were soaked from our dash in the rain. The restaurant is cozy and welcoming, largely due to the bold pink walls and bustling atmosphere. The decor is funky, unique and very Mexican and the deep fuchsia walls catch your attention with scatterings of unique mirrors, lanterns and Mexican collectibles. Bonus points for the coziness as it was freezing outside and El Burro is a welcoming place. We all shuffled into our booth and added a few chairs to make everyone fit as I had decided to bring the entire group along.
El Burro has a huge variety of tequilas on the menu and most of the group opted for a classic margarita. There are is an entire tequila tasting menu for the true tequila fanatics. One of my more daring friends chose the chilli margarita... we were all a bit slow to try it! I have to say that the cocktails were not very well presented - a straight tumbler glass with ice blocks. Nothing that will knock your socks off. A simple martini glass with a lemon would've done the trick. Girls like a bit of flair! The chilli margarita is quite interesting if you can handle the bite, and I would definitely recommend this if you like it hot! I find that many margaritas can taste a lot like flowers so congrats to El Burro for making a fabulous margarita! Just a little work on the presentation...
The menu has a variety of interesting combinations and unexpected dishes but nachos were definitely missing for us! Probably not truly Mexican and more of a tex Mex dish but hey, we love them. The chilli poppers were unfortunately disappointing.. more like jalapenos with melted cheese and the smokey flavour almost had us convinced they were actually chourizo sausage. Ponchosand Fat Cactus still get our vote for best chilli poppers and unfortunately for El Burro this is our make or break in choosing which Mexican restaurant to visit. I probably should admit we are a bit obsessed with chilli poppers and most normal people wouldn't have noticed. For mains I had the prawn taco, which I really enjoyed and the portion size was massive! The sauce selection is impressive and they were all absolutely delicious. You could mix and match and experiment with different flavour combinations, which really makes a big difference to a meal and adds variety. The chicken mole ("Molay") was also a very unique and delicious dish with its chocolate and chilli spiced sauce on red rice.
Overall the atmosphere was lovely and our waitress very helpful and patient with our millions of questions. The food was nice, but not much more than that. They have a great 50% winter special which definitely makes it worthwhile to stop by for lunch. We all enjoyed the meal but it didn't have us craving more or desperate to come back. It was nice... like a cup of tea is nice and that's about it.
El Burro winter specials
- 50% between 12 - 5pm.
Kitima - hidden secrets, Thai manor and dim sum
Kitima - a magical and sensory adventure set in the historic Krondenal Manor House in Hout Bay. One of Cape Town's Top Restaurants - dim sum, sushi and the most sleutish cocktails.
From the outside at night, Kitima looks misleading. You see a large Cape Dutch house with dark double bolted doors and a bouncer, is this an elitest club like in Harvard or Oxford?
The moment you walk through those doors everything is transformed. The energy, warmth and delicious scents blast you from the instant you walk in and Kitima creates a synergy of the senses. From the entrance hall you can glimpse different rooms and passages, like an old mysterious house of secrets. This old Cape Dutch mansion was built back in the 1700s and its wooden floors, giant windows and ancient fireplace combined with the Thai theme create a unique and very interesting atmosphere. The ambiance is perfect for almost any occasion from a romantic dinner tucked away at a little hidden table, to cocktails at the bar or a wild 30th birthday party. There is a perfect balance of energy and life but with that feeling of being cozy and comfortable. Dress code is cocktail and is sleutish without being pretentious.
Their cocktail menu is impressive and as I was late to our gathering it took me quite a while to decide between catching up with everyone and trying to get through their extensive selection. In a place like this, you can't go for the usual - you're almost challenged to try some new and colourful concoction. I opted for the "Sexy and Seductive"... sounds promising! Presentation definitely scores points here as it came in a huge round glass, quite like a giant whiskey glass with a red sugared decoration balancing on the top. The other cocktails around the table were just as delicious and the wine flowed freely. Kitima is a place you simply melt into and absorb the experience.
Choices choices choices... Kitima is a Thai Restaurant that offers so many different options from snacks and dim sum to sushi, tapas and a million other dishes and combinations that you simply have to go back a few times to try all your favourites. I chose a selection of dim sum for starters and sushi for mains. We all ended up mixing and matching around the table so I managed to try quite a few different dishes. I can definitely recommend the Har Gau - fresh prawns delicately wrapped in clear rice paper and steamed. Delicious! The spring rolls are also the best I have ever tasted and they literally come on a 2 tier silver platter. One of their best and worst dishes, however is the aromatic crispy duck. Best because the duck is cooked to absolute perfection, however worst because it comes with little pancakes and slivers of spring onion and carrot. You basically create miniature wraps with the crispy duck. Its just not satisfying. The duck and their secret sauce is delicious but you want to eat it with something, it feels like something is missing from the meal, which I find rather frustrating. So aside from my personal little rant about this particular dish the food is unique and delicious. The options are endless and it is a restaurant I could never get bored of!
Kitima must be one of Cape Town's Top Restaurants, not only because of the amazing atmosphere and vibe but the menu also offers something for everyone without straying from its theme of Asian fushion. I think technically you would call it a Thai restaurant but they offer so much that fushion has to be thrown in there somewhere!
021 790 8004
Kitima - hidden secrets, Thai manor and dim sum
Kitima - a magical and sensory adventure set in the historic Krondenal Manor House in Hout Bay. One of Cape Town's Top Restaurants - dim sum, sushi and the most sleutish cocktails.
From the outside at night, Kitima looks misleading. You see a large Cape Dutch house with dark double bolted doors and a bouncer, is this an elitest club like in Harvard or Oxford?
The moment you walk through those doors everything is transformed. The energy, warmth and delicious scents blast you from the instant you walk in and Kitima creates a synergy of the senses. From the entrance hall you can glimpse different rooms and passages, like an old mysterious house of secrets. This old Cape Dutch mansion was built back in the 1700s and its wooden floors, giant windows and ancient fireplace combined with the Thai theme create a unique and very interesting atmosphere. The ambiance is perfect for almost any occasion from a romantic dinner tucked away at a little hidden table, to cocktails at the bar or a wild 30th birthday party. There is a perfect balance of energy and life but with that feeling of being cozy and comfortable. Dress code is cocktail and is sleutish without being pretentious.
Their cocktail menu is impressive and as I was late to our gathering it took me quite a while to decide between catching up with everyone and trying to get through their extensive selection. In a place like this, you can't go for the usual - you're almost challenged to try some new and colourful concoction. I opted for the "Sexy and Seductive"... sounds promising! Presentation definitely scores points here as it came in a huge round glass, quite like a giant whiskey glass with a red sugared decoration balancing on the top. The other cocktails around the table were just as delicious and the wine flowed freely. Kitima is a place you simply melt into and absorb the experience.
Choices choices choices... Kitima is a Thai Restaurant that offers so many different options from snacks and dim sum to sushi, tapas and a million other dishes and combinations that you simply have to go back a few times to try all your favourites. I chose a selection of dim sum for starters and sushi for mains. We all ended up mixing and matching around the table so I managed to try quite a few different dishes. I can definitely recommend the Har Gau - fresh prawns delicately wrapped in clear rice paper and steamed. Delicious! The spring rolls are also the best I have ever tasted and they literally come on a 2 tier silver platter. One of their best and worst dishes, however is the aromatic crispy duck. Best because the duck is cooked to absolute perfection, however worst because it comes with little pancakes and slivers of spring onion and carrot. You basically create miniature wraps with the crispy duck. Its just not satisfying. The duck and their secret sauce is delicious but you want to eat it with something, it feels like something is missing from the meal, which I find rather frustrating. So aside from my personal little rant about this particular dish the food is unique and delicious. The options are endless and it is a restaurant I could never get bored of!
Kitima must be one of Cape Town's Top Restaurants, not only because of the amazing atmosphere and vibe but the menu also offers something for everyone without straying from its theme of Asian fushion. I think technically you would call it a Thai restaurant but they offer so much that fushion has to be thrown in there somewhere!
021 790 8004