A Journey - Cape Town Restaurants

Culinary Journey - Malaysia

2014-01-29T03:33:00.001-08:00

Malaysia is Asia's cultural melting pot. Its racial diversity has contributed a lot to the culinary world. It is known for hawker style food and sharing of meals. In this post, I will share my foodie journey during my holidays there.

BANANA LEAF RICE
Indian traditional rice meal which consists of rice, a selection of meat and vegetable dishes, papadum, dried chillies stuffed with salt, yoghurt, dal, rasam (sour spicy soup), chutney all served on a banana leaf. Amazing!

PORTUGUESE EGG TART
My short trip to Malacca introduced me to this delicious egg tart which has been brought by the Portuguese when they ruled the state for 100 years.

STEAMBOAT
No, you don't have it on a boat :) Steamboat refers to a hot pot like vessel which is filled with the broth of your choice (which varies according to the restaurant you visit.) It can be Tom Yum, Chinese herbal chicken soup, seafood soup, etc. You can then add vegetables, meat, seafood or noodles of your choice to the hot pot, wait for it to cook, then eat it! That's what I call cook your own food and eat what you want. There is also a variety of condiments and sauces that accompany your steamboat.

SAMBAL PETAI
Sambal is a sauce base made of shallots, garlic, shrimp paste, dried chilies, tamarind juice, sugar ground to a paste consistency. It is then used to make individual dishes using any vegetable, meat or seafood of your choice.
Petai is a type of local vegetable (also known as twisted cluster beans) which has a peculiar smell that stays till you visit the toilet the next day! It contains natural sugars, high in fiber, iron and low in potassium. A few of it's numerous amount of health benefits include controlling blood pressure, sugar levels, blood count, treat heartburn, etc.

Raw Petai

Sambal Petai with Anchovies

NASI LEMAK
Nasi Lemak should be declared as Malaysia's national dish due to its popularity among the locals. A basic nasi lemak consists of coconut rice, sambal, fried anchovies, cucumber, boiled egg and peanuts. It is traditionally wrapped in banana leaf, which contributes to its wonderful aroma and taste. Of course, there can be a more advanced version of Nasi Lemak which can include seafood and meat side dishes.

Picture courtesy of www.seasaltwithfood.com

These are just few of the variety of food available in Malaysia. It is probably not THE ultimate guide to Malaysian food and I might have missed a lot of other important dishes such as the Penang Char Kuey Teow, Chicken Rendang, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Roti Canai, etc. But when you travel to Malaysia, do try as much as you can while gaining a few kilos on your weight! :D

Eat with Emma

2013-12-13T06:07:00.002-08:00

I vote myself as Eat with Emma's No.1 fan! Found this eatery just 2 weeks ago, and I have been spending at least 2-3 lunch days here. Eat with Emma is started by a food blogger (Emma). For those interested, you can find her blog here. The restaurant has a chic deco and one of my all time favourites is the buffet lunch which is served from 12 to 2.30 pm. The buffet menu changes every day, so you will not get bored selecting from the variety of salads and protein. The takeaway buffet is priced at R30 for vegetarian option and R40 if you have any protein. You can also sit in and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee with your lunch (The coffee is sourced from Bean There).

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the meals, but I promise to update this post the next time I have lunch there.. which should be soon :D For those who are eager to know the options, here's some of the items available :

Pumpkin Quiche
Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Watermelon Salad
Self assembled Greek salad (spinach leaves, olives, cucumber, tomatoes, sometimes nuts)
Chickpea salad (my favourite!)
Quinoa (the variety changes from pumpkin/butternut quinoa to beetroot quinoa)
Pork sausages
Lasagna
Bobotie (this was also divine)
.... and the list goes on

As I said, the variety changes every day. They also serve menu based food if you do not prefer the buffet lunch.

Eat with Emma

61 Loop Street
Cape Town
Western Cape

021 426 1273

Thumbs up at Miller's Thumb

2013-12-13T04:20:00.000-08:00

We've heard a lot about Millers Thumb, but never went to it. The day that we finally had dinner there, we never regretted it. The restaurant makes use of the freshest ingredients which also results in good quality dishes. The menu consists mainly of fish, but meat options are also available for those who prefer it. You will be given a variety of fish to choose from, depending on what is in season. Then, you can select how you want it done - Cajun style, simple grill with lemon juice and olive oil, the Cape Malay style or Mediterranean. When we were there, there were additional options such as Asian Wasabi and three more which I can't remember :) So.. here are the pictures of our meal.

Asian style dorado with egg noodles

Grilled Cajun calamari

Moroccan styled Dorado with cous cous

For dessert fans, they also serve decadent desserts. Ask for their daily specials. Make a reservation because they can be fully booked especially during summer.

Miller's Thumb

10B Kloofnek Road Tamboerskloof Cape Town, Western Cape 8001

+27 21 424 3838

An evening at Harbour House

2013-10-01T04:56:00.000-07:00

I would easily place this restaurant at the top of the list. It was pleasant experience at Harbour House, Waterfront. I have been to the Harbour House, but only for a sushi meal and drinks at lunch. The sushi, sparkling wine and harbour view combo never fails me. You can view my previous post on this. In this post, I will write about the dinner service at Harbour House.

From the menu, we had : Fresh Yellowtail fillets in orange Beurre Blanc sauce, and Sauteed Calamari tossed in olive oil with black olives, capers, lemon zest, garlic & chilli, served with savoury rice salad. Both were very lovely dishes. I found that the orange and white wine combination was perfect for the fish. Generally, white fish needs to be cooked with some acidity, as it does not contain much flavour.

Fresh Yellowtail fillets in orange Beurre Blanc sauce

Sauteed Calamari tossed in olive oil with black olives, capers, lemon zest, garlic & chilli, served with savoury rice salad

We indulged in delicious desserts after our mains. One of my favourite desserts is the Crème brûlée and I could not resist the temptation when I saw it in the menu. It turned out to be one of the best I've had! The Crème brûlée was made with Farm House cream and Madagascan vanilla. The other dessert was a Chocolate Terrain, packed with beautiful layers of dark chocolate mousse, meringue & soft almond biscuit, served with a fudge sauce.

Altogether, it was an excellent experience, and I am looking forward to my next visit there.

Harbour House, V&A Waterfront
http://www.harbourhouse.co.za/harbourhouse
Telephone: (021) 418 4744

The Postcard Cafe, Stellenbosch

2013-09-23T00:32:00.001-07:00

Spring officially began on 1st September, but Capetonians have seen no signs of it. We had a whole week of cold front and experienced hail and snow on the mountains. The weather was pretty gracious to us on Sunday. It was a beautiful sunny day. We decided to take full advantage of it by visiting the winelands. Our trip last weekend to Stellenbosch introduced us to a restaurant called the Postcard cafe.

Situated at Stark-Conde Wines, the mountain on the backdrop and tables by the pond was something you need to experience. We arrived without a reservation, and it was fully booked. We managed to convince the waiter to give us a table and let us have a quick lunch. It was quite awkward as most of the tables were booked for 2.30pm, and we were there at 12. I wonder why they wouldn't accommodate people during the time. To be honest, most of the tables were empty even when we left!

The menu contains a list of food, including the recommended wine pairing. We ordered 'Crispy fried prawns & calamari on salad greens with creamy lemon dressing'. The prawns and calamari were nicely done. I once had a very greasy tempura prawn at Cape Town Fish Market. At least these once weren't greasy. I particularly like the dressing, which had a mixture of flavours including soy sauce, sesame oil and lemon mayonnaise. It also has sesame seeds, which added a nutty flavour to the dish. A minus point though, were the large chunks of cold brocolli, which made the dish confusing as to whether it was supposed to be a cold or hot dish.

Overall, service was average. We got a table, after convincing the waiter. You will feel that you are being ignored at times, as you would need to grab someone's attention. Food was good. Drink wise, the Stark-Conde Syrah was a bit too sharp for my senses, while the Cabernet Sauvignon was delectable.

Postcard Cafe

Stark-Conde' Wines

Oude Nektar Wine Estate, Jonkershoek Road

Phone : +2721 8617703

Opening times : 9.30 am - 4 pm

Culinary Journey - Europe

2013-06-18T02:46:00.003-07:00

Soo... we just came back from our European holiday. It has been a wonderful journey across the continent. You just realise that not all Europeans are the same. In fact, they have different cultures, languages, and food! Our foodie journey brought us to sample different cuisines, so here's a summary:

Amsterdam

Best chocolatier in the whole trip! The shop is called Pompidour. Do drop in for an afternoon tea/coffee with a selection of their chocolates and cakes. Yumm!
Chipsy King. Devoured lots of double fried chips with mayonnaise. Sounds very unhealthy, I know. But we made it up by doing lots of walking during the day.
Asian Kitchen. Best value for money. They serve you quick and tasty Asian food and the portions are hugeee.
Doner Kebab. Haven for meat eaters. Pita bread filled with lamb and spicy chili and garlic sauce.
Wok to Walk. Another asian place. You get to select your ingredients and sauce. Very interesting!
Sampurna. The best Indonesian food in town. It was only a few meters away from where we stayed. Ayam Bali was the best dish we tried. Also tried Ayam Pangang Setan and Daging Rendang. All mains are served with Sayur Lodeh, Tempe goreng, Cucumber salad, Rice, and Prawn crackers.

Switzerland

Tried Zurich's specialty - Rösti and Zurich Geschnetzeltes. The sauce was made with white wine sauce and mushrooms. I just loved it.
Raclette - Haven for cheese lovers. Basically, you have a hot pan, melt some cheese with herbs and spices, and pour it over boiled potatoes.

Venice

Spaghetti Vongole - Spaghetti cooked with Clams. As long as you get fresh clams, this dish is good.
Pizza Diavola - Simple pizza with salami toppings. You will not regret this.

Paris

Ever famous Escargot - Snails are not slimy when cooked or eaten. In fact, you will not be able to taste anything, except the garlic and butter sauce. We tried it at a Bistro called Chez Gladines. The bistro had a very nice atmosphere and owners were very friendly. It has a very informal setting and locals go there with a group of friends.

London

Pétrus - A one Michelin star restaurant by Gordon Ramsay. This was the best experience we've had. We started with a glass of peach champagne. Had a 3 course meal. These were my selections :

Starter - Pan-fried sea scallops with cauliflower, anchovy and caper, lemon beurre noisette.
Main - Pan-fried fillet of sea bream with confit potato, sprouting broccoli and oyster beurre blanc.
Dessert - Orange and vanilla baked Alaska Grand Marnier sauce

Each dish was presented well and the elements in the dish blended perfectly. We also got a chance to meet the Head Chef and look at the kitchen! If you order coffee or tea at the end of the meal, you will get a variety of chocolates which is all made by chocolatiers in the restaurant! What an experience!

Afternoon tea at The Lanesborough - Get served with all you can eat sandwiches, cakes, and desserts, complimented by best selection of teas, scones, toasted teacakes and home made preserves, clotted Devonshire cream. Sounds like a dream? It's not if you decide to visit The Lanesborough. Trust me, try restricting yourself initially, otherwise you will be stuffed by time the scones arrive.

So, that was my 'compact' list of restaurants and food. I might have forgotten some places we've visited, but I will update as I remember :)

Knead on Kloof

2013-01-15T01:49:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, we visited the Iziko Museum to have a look at their "Wildlife Photography of the Year" exhibition. It was an interesting exhibition, which featured photographs of wildlife taken from various people all around the world. Before the exhibition, we went to Knead on Kloof Street to have some lunch.

They make their own bread at Knead. I love the smell of fresh bread that I get as I enter the cafe. I also like the outdoor seating, which overlooks Kloof Street. You can see a lot happening on a Saturday morning! Being a Curry lover, my husband ordered a Durban Curry pizza. I ordered a Tuna Mayo Sandwich. The Durban Curry pizza was something different. For me, it tasted like a Naan bread with curry. The base could have been crispier.

Durban Curry Pizza

The tuna sandwich was well made. They were generous on the fillings, but I could have done more with the caramelized onions. I could never finish the whole portion, so had to have it as a take away. I would recommend it on their whole wheat brown bread.

Tuna Mayo Sandwich

Overall, nice cafe serving healthy food. There can be a huge crowd, especially on a Saturday, which made the waiters very busy. Try popping in earlier, otherwise you will not get a seat.

Overall impression :
Food : 4/5
Drinks : 4/5
Service : 3.5/5
Ambience : 3.5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unannounced and not sponsored by any party

Knead

Shop 16, Lifestyle on Kloof,

50 Kloof Street, Gardens

Opening times: Tuesday to Saturday 7am-11pm; Monday 7am-6pm; Sunday 7.30am-6pm

Asian Journey - Seoul

2013-01-14T05:38:00.000-08:00

I will never forget the trip to Seoul, South Korea with my dearest friend Andrea. It was a wonderful experience in a beautiful country. If you decide to visit Seoul, do visit it in April as the cherry blossoms start to bloom. Anyway, this post is about my trip to Seoul ( a restaurant in Sea Point).

Some of the large variety of Korean food I saw during my trip

Seoul is a small restaurant tucked among the shops in Regent Road, Sea Point. When we went, there was a bus load of Koreans dining at the same time! To start with, we were given Kimchi condiments. There were 4 types of Kimchi : Cucumber, cabbage, seaweed and bean sprouts. I liked the cabbage and cucumber kimchi in particular.

Kimchi

We ordered 2 simple meals- Spicy Chicken Hotpot and Sweet and Sour Chicken. The Spicy Chicken Hotpot lived up to its name. It was spicy and very flavourful. The flavours came from bean paste. Ingredients included chicken pieces, carrot, cucumber, onion, spring onions and chillies.

Spicy Chicken Hotpot

The sweet and sour chicken though, is very different compared to what you would think its like. It consisted of fried chicken pieces with a very sweet sauce. I would have preferred the Chinese Sweet Sour chicken which has more ingredients and flavour.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Overall impression :
Food : 4/5
Drinks : 4/5
Service : 3.5/5
Ambience : 3.5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unannounced and not sponsored by any party

Seoul
77 Regent Road
Sea Point

Chilling at the Waterfront

2013-01-08T05:51:00.001-08:00

This is my most favourite place in Cape Town. I love going for a walk at the Waterfront, especially during summer. There are people singing, dancing, boat rides, tourists, seals, spotted once dolphins, cruise ships, and the list goes on. There are just too many things to see! There are also many many many restaurants at the Waterfront. The newly opened food court has a lot of varieties. The old Musica warehouse has also been turned into a food warehouse!

But this time, we went to Harbour House. The top level of the restaurant has spectacular views. You can either sit on a couch with a group of friends or by the balcony. It has a very relaxing vibe. We ordered Classic Champagne for drinks, Prawn California Rolls, and Salmon Rainbow Rolls for small bites.

All the sushi prices were reasonable. They were in the 50-70 range for 6 pieces. The sushi was good, both salmon and prawn were fresh. The Champagne was nice, but I'd say that it is an acquired taste. It had a slightly bitter taste.

Overall, I would go there for good view, good vibe, a plate of sushi and a cool summer cocktail. Oh, and service was good :)

Harbour House
Quay 4
V&A Waterfront
+27 21 418 4744

Overall impression :
Food : 4/5
Drinks : 4/5
Service : 4/5
Ambience : 4/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unannounced and not sponsored by any party

Saturday in Simon's Town

2013-01-08T05:26:00.000-08:00

We like to visit Simon's Town every so often. We usually stop by at the craft markets in Kalk Bay then head to Simon's Town for lunch or some nibbles. Our previous visit brought us to a restaurant called "Salty Sea Dog". Yes, it IS called Salty Sea Dog. And No, they don't serve salty sea dogs.

It was the restaurant that came up first in TripAdvisor search results and had good reviews. On arriving, we were confused on how the system works. We saw many people, mainly families and older generation sitting down and having Fish and Chips. After 5 minutes at the table, we realised that it is a self-service system. You need to go to the counter and place your order. To start with, the tables were dirty and greasy. The menu has a few items, so we decided to order calamari and chips.

There were 2 separate counters for drinks and food. So you will need to queue separately. You will be given a number, and wait for the number to be called. You will then head back to the counter and collect the food.

And for the food, it was disappointing for me. It was greasy. Plus point was the crispy chips. The calamari tentacles were huge! It was at least 2-3 inches long! Makes me think its the squid they recently found off the Japanese shore.

Overall, average place. Why did it make to the Trip Advisor's good remarks? I am not too sure. Maybe because the prices were reasonable which makes it a good family restaurant.

Salty Sea Dog
2 Wharf Street Simon's Town
+27 (21) 786 1918
http://www.saltyseadog.co.za

Overall Impression :

Food : 2.5/5

Drinks : 3/5

Service : 2/5

Ambience : 2.5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Paternoster - A delightful place

2012-12-27T03:53:00.004-08:00

Our trip to Paternoster was a blessing. It was a gift from our friends, Paul and Elizanne. Serene, delightful, cultural are the words that describes the place. I was very impressed to find nice restaurants in a small town like that. We had a very good dinner at Gaaitjie. But this post is about our lunch at The Noisy Oyster.

Booking is essential in this restaurant. There was even a notice outside which said "We are fully booked for today, but we huge tippers will be considered". The backyard was a beautiful garden setting with water features, leafy plants and gravel flooring.

The menu was a fusion of east and west food. Some of the items were Sushi platter, Laksa and Rice, Grilled seafood, Oyster, etc. All the food that we ordered was excellent. Laksa was rich and flavorsome Sushi was made with freshest ingredients. Calamari was grilled to perfection.

The Noisy Oyster
St Augustine Road
Paternoster
022 752 2196

Overall Impression :

Food : 4.5/5

Drinks : 4/5

Service : 4/5

Ambience : 5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Snacking in Hout Bay

2012-12-27T01:53:00.001-08:00

Have you been in a situation where you've had breakfast, and the tummy is longing for something light for lunch? We were in Hout Bay and the same thing happened to us. After visiting the Craft Market to look for Christmas gifts, we went to Trattoria Luigi for a light meal.

We first sat on a table by the main road, but our waiter brought us to a garden seating quietly tucked behind the restaurant. It wad a lovely atmosphere, I must say. For a simple meal, we ordered grilled calamari with chili and garlic. It was not one of the best I've had, but was decent enough to be consumed. It lacked flavor and we had to add lots of Tabasco sauce to make it flavorsome.

The grilled version does not come with a tartar sauce, so we ordered it separately. We almost finished the calamari before the tartar sauce arrived. The waiter's explanation was that they make the sauce themselves, so it takes some time. It was half acceptable at least.

Our overall experience, atmosphere was good, food was edible, drink choices were good. As a place to have light meals, it is not all too bad.

Trattoria Luigi
Main Road, Cape Town 7806

021 790 1702

Overall Impression :

Food : 3/5

Drinks : 3.5/5

Service : 3/5

Ambience : 3.5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Sandwich Delights

2012-12-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

As the Noon Gun goes off in Cape Town, our instant reaction is to think of lunch. I dread looking for a place where I can get a light and delightful meal. In my journey of looking for nice Sandwich Bars, here are some that I like :

Ou Meul Bakery
This place offers pies and sandwiches of various kinds. You can sit in or have a take away.
Try their Chicken Mayo sandwich, which comes in a good portion of chicken, mayo, rocket and caramelized onion.

Knead
Located by Wellness Warehouse building on Kloof Street, this Bakery offers a variety of good quality sandwiches. My favorites are the open sandwiches on Seeded Bread.

YoursTruly
Love the coffee here, compliments the sandwiches. Located in 175 Long Street

LeCoco
I first saw the advertisement at Picbel Parkade carpark, tried it for lunch. A quick way to grab some lunch. It is a sandwich bar, which has a variety of fillings to choose from (eggs, tuna, chicken, different types of bread, olives, onion, etc). They accept CASH only, so don't walk in with your Card. Location : Picbel Mall, entrance is by Strand Street.

Yet to try :
Jason (Cnr Bloem and Bree Street)
Lunchworks (Waterkant Street)
Gourmet Boerie, Kloof Street - opposite McDonalds

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unannounced and not sponsored by any party

Posticino Italian Restaurant

2012-11-04T01:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a very long year. I can't believe that my last post was in April! Feels like it was only a month ago. Thought I should start writing again. :)

In this post, we will visit Italy. Well not Italy literally, but its one of those restaurants that make you feel like as if you are there. That's what I felt when I went to Posticino, on Sea Point Main Road. It is a very cozy place, with wooden tables and chairs and the best part of it, no formality.

As for the food, we ordered a Panna pizza, Funghi pasta for myself and the Asparagi pizza for my Vegetarian Mum. I must tell you, all of us enjoyed the food that we ordered. Panna pizza was served with fresh, and well-smoked salmon.

I am not a fan of creamy pasta, so the Funghi pasta was perfect for me. The sauce was made of wild mushrooms, yet managed to perfectly blend the vegetables and pasta together.

The Asparagi pizza was a favourite choice for my mum. Both the pizzas has thin crust and generous toppings.

So, for Italian food lovers, visit Posticino - nice food, ambience and gracious to the pocket ;)

Overall Impression on Dina's scale:
Food : 4/5
Drinks : 4/5
Ambience : 4/5
Service : 3.5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unannounced and not sponsored by any party

Posticino Italian Restaurant
Albany Mews, Corner of Albany Road & Main Road, Sea Point
Telephone: 021 439 4014 or 021 439 3974
Web Site : http://www.posticino.co.za/

Wharfside Grill Restaurant - Mariner's Wharf - Hout Bay

2012-04-13T07:29:00.001-07:00

After moving to Sea Point, I realised that there 100 more restaurants nearby that we can explore and that makes it so conveninet! We decided to take a drive to Hout Bay after work to have a nice supper. It is a restaurant I have never been to before and I must say it impressed me a lot. It is called Wharfside Grill Restaurant in Hout Bay.

The entrance to the restaurant was an interesting journey. From the main road, you will see a ship shaped building. Not surprisingly, as you enter, you walk through showcases with items from a ship. The interior is designed also to look like as if you are in a ship!

We ordered a SNOEK PÂTE for starter. It had a smoky taste and was delicious!

The starter was served with slices of nutty bread that complemented it.

For mains, I ordered the Seared Gamefish dish. The gamefish for the day was tuna. It was served with Linguine, tomatoes and baby marrow. The Seared Tuna was fresh and to make it whole, it was server with sweet chilli sauce.

My husband ordered Salmon Pasta. Again, the salmon was well smoked, served with creamy sauce pasta.

The service and wine selections were good, and overall we had a pleasant evening. Will definitely go again one of the days!

Interesting sign on window :

Overall Impression :

Food : 4.5/5

Drinks : 4/5

Service : 4/5

Ambience : 5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Mariner's Wharf
Hout Bay Harbour
Hout Bay
7800

http://www.marinerswharf.com/wharfside-grill.htm

Dixie's Glencairn

2012-03-28T23:55:00.002-07:00

We went out on a weekend break just outside Cape Town, in GlenCairn. We booked to stay at Simonstown guesthouse, which was not in Simonstown, but in GlenCairn. It was a cozy little stay, with beautiful sea view on the top of a hill. Feeling very hungry by the time we reached there, we decided to have lunch at a restaurant that was situated at the foot of the hill. It was called Dixies Pub.

Locals recommend you going to this place. Apparently from what we heard, it is run by a family who has owned it for 3 generations. Now off for starters, we ordered Smoked Salmon with Capers and Tomato. The Salmon was well seasoned, but too much of capers on my plate made it taste salty.

For mains, we ordered Calamari Steak with Rice and Pizza. As there was too much going on the plate of Calamari and Rice, the vegetables and sweet potato mash was served on a different plate. I felt that the flavours were good, but did not go well together. Calamari Steak with mayonaise, Vegetables with tomato based sauce, sweet potato mash - you can imagine the tonnes of flavour that was going through when you eat it. Could not finish the dish, ended up eating rice with the tomato based sauce. Defintely one rule that you learn - too much of a good thing does not work at all!

The pizza was mediocre. Well.. on a positive note, it had a thin crust. The rest - predictable. I would say the view from the place was nice. Would I go back to Dixies? Maybe if I am stuck in GlenCairn again without a car or a train service running.

P/S : There is a lady, carrying a baby, who makes hand craft and sells it on a Sunday. Touched by her hard work, I bought some beads lavender from her. So if you ever pass Dixies, purchase something from her and make her day!!! :)

Ambience : 3/5

Food : 3/5

Service : 4/5

Drinks : 3/

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Dixies Glencairn

Booking : (021) 786-2105 or (021) 786-3309

Fax: (021) 786-2105

134 Main Road, Glencairn, 7975

http://www.dixiesrestaurant.co.za

Chinese Specials in Cape Town - Empire Asian Restaurant

2012-03-28T01:19:00.001-07:00

Hey Folks! Its beeen a while since I posted my entries on this blog. Spent 1 month in Malaysia and started my new job in Cape Town. Hard to find some time writing entries now. Nevertheless, we still eat out once in a while and there is always restaurants to write about.

Journey through Cape Town Restaurants brings you a Chinese Restaurant in Sea Point called Empire Asian Restaurant. The restaurant serves Asian Cuisine, but its specialties are Sushi and Chinese Food. For Starters, we ordered a Hot and Sour Soup and Vegetable Springrolls. I love hot and sour soup. It has a thick consistency, mainly consisting of corn starch, chillies, tofu and vinegar. I must say, I enjoyed the hot and sour soup! It was one of the best I've had for ages.

The vegetable springrolls were not too bad. The vegetable filling was made of cabbage, peas, carrots. It was served with sweet chilli sauce.

Moving to the Main Course, I was tempted to try the sizzling tofu dish. It arrived sizzling hot on our table. The flavours were mainly of soy sauce, and had generous amount of tofu, brocoli, onion and peppers. It was a huge protion for 1 person, but I did not want to waste it. I tried to finish it, but unfortunately I couldn't. So bear in mind when ordering this dish, or maybe any other dishes. Share if you can! My husband ordered sushi platter that costs R88. Sushi was ok compared to the ones we had at other restaurants.

Overall, the experience was pleasant, disppointed in the service though. Here's the overall rating for you:

Ambience : 3/5

Food : 4/5

Service : 3/5 (We had to look for the waiter when we wanted something :( )

Drinks : 4/5 ( Credits to the Jasmine Tea I had)

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Empire Asian Restaurant

50, Main Road

Seapoint

Cape Town

021 434 3458

La Med - Clifton Beach

2012-01-09T05:34:00.000-08:00

There's nothing better than a walk out on a clear Saturday morning. My husband and I spend the morning walking along Seapoint. It started with a very pleasant walk looking around various shops. Seapoint does attract many local and international visitors because of the variety of shops. To my knowledge, there are 3 Korean restaurants, 2 Asian markets, 2 Chinese Restaurants, Checkers, Woolworths, Pick n Pay, @Home, Mr Price and the list goes on (all in one area!). We thought that instead of going to malls, next year we will walk around Seapoint to get Christmas gifts! We then continued to walk up Bantry Bay towards Seapoint. Not knowing that we walked almost 5 km and were dead tired and sweaty by time we reached La Med or also known as The Bungalow for lunch.

You can imagine the very first thing you would want after a ling and sweaty walk is a nice cool drink. We were seated, and ordered ourselves a Mojito. For lunch, we ordered Grilled Calamari starter and Fish and chips. They also served sushi, but I thought ordering fresh seafood dishes would be appropriate.

The best Grilled Calamari I ever had

I was not disappointed with the Calamari starter. It was probably the best I ever had! Fresh calamari in herbs, spice, sourish (lemon) marinade. Definitely would go there and have it again. :) The fish and chips was also not a let down. It was crispy on the outside, and no fishy taste at all. THAT is the definition of FRESH. Seafood is not supposed to taste fishy. The fish just melted in the mouth. The chips were good accompaniments, fried to crisp.

Fish and Chips

Overall, had a pleasant experience. The view from the restaurant was stunning, overlooking Clifton Beach. Good service from the staff, except our mojitos arrived a bit late. Not the best mojitos I've had. It wasn't sweet and sour as expected, more to diluted taste. Quite a disappointment for a R40 mojitos!

About 50m from the restaurant

P/S : There was a mini pool for you to sit at while having a drink, which I thought was a brilliant idea!

Overall impression:
Food : 5/5
Drinks : 3/5
Ambience : 4.5/5
Service: 4/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

La Med / The Bungalow
Victoria Road, Camps Bay (near Clifton 4th Beach)
021 - 438 5600
www.lamed.co.za

Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen

2012-01-04T06:38:00.000-08:00

If you still remember, my very first post was on Chef Pon's Sawaddee:
(http://cape-meals.blogspot.com/2011/11/sawaddee.html).

This week, I am featuring another Chef Pon's branch, known as Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen. While Chef Pon's Sawaddee specializes on Thai food, Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen serves Asian food, from Indonesian Satay, Vietnamese Salad to Thai Massaman Curry.

We had a fried wonton starter. Its my husband's favorite starter.. we order it every time we go to a Thai restaurant. He felt the wonton was better at Chef Pon's compared to Wang Thai at Waterfront. But in my point of view, Chef Pon's deep fried wonton was oily and a little stingy on the fillings. Our main courses were Beef Massaman Curry, Chicken Massaman Curry, Duck Jungle Curry and Stir Fried Tofu, Vegetables with Cashew Nuts and Pineapples.

Starting with the Massaman Curry, only a few days ago I came to know that Massaman means Muslim. This curry is inspired by the Indian Muslim traders who brought spices like cinnamon, star anise, cumin and cloves to Thailand. No wonder it has some Indian hint on it. The Massaman curries were very tasteful. It is a very good option for those who can't take too much chillies, as the dish prepared was not spicy at all! It was flavorful, full of coconut milk and lemongrass.

Now to the Jungle Curry. We were so anxious to know how was this Jungle Curry compared to Chef Pon's Sawaddee. It was tasty, the hotness hits the back of your throat about 10 seconds after consuming it. Chef Pon's Sawaddee had better Jungle Curry in terms of spiciness and the duck in the curry was crispy. The extra crunch and fats were needed to give an authentic flavor. Might be a minor criticism, but for those who prefer a slim option, you should try at Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen instead.

Last but not least was the Stir Fry. The one thing i look for when having a stir fry dish is, the variety of vegetables in the dish. A mix vegetable stir fry is not of good quality if the only vegetables they put in is a whole lot of Capsicum and Cabbage. An extra point to Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen for serving stir fry with variety; tofu, capsicum, carrots, onion, generous amount of cashew nuts and pineapple chunks.

Overall impression :

Service : 3.5/5

Food: 4/5

Drinks : 4/5 (They had original Thai Singha beer!)

Ambience : 4/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen

021-465 5846

12 Mill Street, Gardens, Cape Town

Addis in Cape

2011-12-20T06:50:00.000-08:00

Visiting Addis in Long Street was a unique experience. It was an added fun after walking along Adderly Street Christmas Market. Addis is a restaurant that specializes in Ethiopian cuisine. Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese and Thai restaurants can be found very easily anywhere in Cape Town. The scarcity of this cuisine makes it special and you must make a definite visit to experience it.

Our table

We were amazed as soon as we entered the restaurant. It has a very different dining style. Small chairs were arranged around a round table, all knee high. So basically, you sit quite low. Maybe Ethiopians sit in such manner. It is interesting, but we ended up having back aches after sitting for a while. Do make a reservation, as you would get better seats by the window.

Hat-like food or table cover

Since we are new to Ethiopian cuisine, we went blank after reading through the menu. Luckily it had some summary about the food, but one has to spend at least half an hour to get used to the terms and the type of food available. So, being newbies, both my husband and I decided to order something 'familiar' or 'safe'... a chicken dish! We ordered a Doro Wot. 'Wot' is a general name for stew and sauces.

It was described as "Chicken marinated with fresh lime juice and simmered in a mixture of freshly chopped onions, garlic and ginger, with Berbere and a hint of Kibe. (exact summary from the menu)"

Also written beside the dish was... Fillet/Drumstick, which means we can order our chicken to be in fillet or pieces of drumstick. We ordered a drumstick Doro Wot. What was weird for me though, is that we were literally asked about 5 times regarding our order. Unsure why that was, I asked my husband if we ordered something weird or unpopular. Nevertheless, the dish came, but sadly, in fillets. My husband informed them that we ordered our dish in drumsticks. The waiter answered us " Most people order in fillets, and usually this dish is better if the chicken was in fillets, so we decided to give you chicken fillets instead. To me, that was fair enough that they know their cuisine better, but if it was such, it should not be written in the menu such way. It is misleading and disappointed me that instead of consulting or informing us, they decided to change it.

Doro Wot served with Injera (white - sour dough)

Forgetting the "not so good start", a waiter approached us with a pot of water to wash our hands in. Our dish came in a big round plate, which was based with Injera (sour dough pancake), and Doro Wot on it. We were provided with a basket of Injera (Injera tasted a lot like Dosa - a South Indian pancake). So basically, the way you eat it is, break a piece of Injera and scoop some of the Doro Wot with it. I can say, that the Doro Wot was very delicious! The gravy was a mixture of spices, which reminded me a lot of Malaysian Chicken Rendang.

After a delicious meal. I looked through the menu and saw Ethiopian Tea. Tea has always been one of my favorite drinks, so I decided to give it a try. Ethiopian Tea is made by boiling tea leaves and spices like cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Tea was very good, but extremely hot. As we were quite in a hurry, I asked the waiter whether I can have some blocks of ice to cool the tea down. The waiter advised me that this will make the tea taste diluted, but if I still wanted to have ice, I can have it. Another attempt to keep the cuisine 'original' by the waiters, but at least this one gave me an option.

So, hopefully this review will give you some insight on Ethiopian cuisine, and when you decide to visit this restaurant, please go to their web site and study the cuisine and history, before you get disappointed by not getting what you ordered. Ethiopian cuisine is very delicious, so do try it!

Overall impression :
Food : 3.5/5
Drinks : 4/5
Service : 2.5/5
Ambience : 3.5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Addis in Cape

41 Church Street Cape Town 8001, South Africa
021 424 5722

www.addisincape.co.za/

Wang Thai - Waterfront

2011-12-11T09:27:00.001-08:00

Wang Thai is a good restaurant situated at the V&A Waterfront. Thai food is one of my favorite type of cuisine. I like it that the dishes use fresh ingredients, all blended together to form a paste which gives out a good aroma when cooked. This place that we went today serves delicious curries and stir-fry. It is comparable to Sawaddee, the difference between the two restaurants I would say is the better ambience in Wang Thai AND unique dishes like the Jungle Curry served in Sawaddee.

To start with, we ordered Crispy Wantons. The most important thing about a wonton is the filling. The starter had tasty prawn and chicken filling, well fried to its crispiness.

Next, for mains, we ordered a Duck Red Curry and Pad Graphao (Brinjal, Tofu and Basil Leaves in Fermented Bean Sauce). I ordered Pad Graphao hot, as I prefer stir-fry with a little chill bites. It is one of my favorite dishes, I order them from Simply Asia as well. But, Wang Thai makes a better dish. This is because the Brinjal and Tofu are in large chunks, and sauce is not too salty (too much of the fermented bean sauce will make it salty, which overpowers the other sauces). The only criticism I have on the dish that Wang Thai prepared is, the brinjals were not too cooked. Thus, a lot of the brinjals were left out at the end after I finished eating.

Rice in Traditional Steel Pot

My husband had the duck curry. He ordered it Thai style - which means it is even hotter than hot. Yes, it came hot, not to blow your heads off, just enough for chill lovers while retaining the taste of the fresh ingredients. His criticism was, the butternut in the curry was not cooked enough.

They also serve Sushi, if you like to have some sushi at Thai place :)
Price wise, Thai Duck Red Curry was R95, Pad Graphao was R59, Wonton Starters were R35.

Overall impression :
Food : 4/5
Drinks : 4/5
Service : 4/5
Ambience : 4/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Wang Thai
V&A Waterfront
021 - 421 8702
www.wangthai.co.za

UPDATE (2016/01/07) : This restaurant has since moved to Lagoon Beach
6, Sunstays, Lagoon Gate Drive, Cape Town, 7441

Eastern Food Bazaar

2011-12-11T01:31:00.001-08:00

One of the places I like to go for lunch is the Eastern Food Bazaar. Situated in Long Market Street, the Eastern Food bazaar has a cafeteria concept; several stalls selling different types of food. And yes, you guessed it, since its called the Eastern Bazaar, the stalls sell different kinds of Eastern food, from Kebabs to Chinese cuisine.

I've tried the chinese menu there. Ordered a Fried Rice the first time I went. One thing you must know is, anything you order from any of the stalls, the portions are huge! A Fried rice can feed 2 adults, so keep that in mind when you order something. Besides that, we also tried Butter Chicken and Chicken Biryani from the punjabi stall. This stall must be one of the favorite stalls, as there is always a long queue. both the dishes tasted very homely. If you visit a Punjabi home, the dishes would be as authentic. :) Plus point. Speaking about the portion.... the chicken biryani was served with 4 pieces of chicken drumsticks! You can imagine how I had to finish it! The biryani was served with complimentary lentil curry and refreshing yoghurt. It was flavorsome, and not spicy at all.

Prices were reasonable. R30 for a chicken biryani is not bad at all. We ordered Masala Tea for drinks. Good when the weather is cold, spices in the tea was refreshing. You can also try the variety of snacks available, such as Paani puri and Dhokla.

What I don't really like about the place though is the ambience. It is quite dark and gloomy, so does not really give a good first impression. :S The management could really do up the place to make it cleaner and look better. What I suggest is, have a take away instead. Plus point for food, and you don't need to be seated in a gloomy area!

Overall impression :
Food : 4/5
Drinks : 4/5
Ambience : 2/5
Service : Not applicable

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion
***All reviews are independent, unanounced and not sponsored by any party

Eastern Food Bazaar
96 Long Market Street
Cape Town CBD

021 461 2458
www.easternfoodbazaar.co.za

Calamari Tale at Chapman's Peak Hotel

2011-12-05T03:39:00.001-08:00

A perfect day to be out on a Sunday! Weather in Cape Town is unpredictable! Just two days ago, it was windy, and one could hardly walk on the streets. And its warm today. Receiving the gift if warm weather on a Sunday, we decided to pay a visit to the Sunday Craft Market in Hout Bay. Visit to the market was great! It had small stalls that sold crafts from Wooden Animals to recycled Coca-Cola bottles turned into a small box. For those planning to visit, this market is on every Sunday. For more details:

http://www.uncoverthecape.co.za/shopping/markets/hout-bay-market/index.htm

Well, as we were looking around the market, my husband told us that we must get to the restaurant for lunch. It was only 11.20 am and I thought why the rush?? We drove to the restaurant nevertheless. After reaching the restaurant, only then I understood why he planned to rush!

We went to Chapman's Peak Hotel! It is listed as one of the 20 things you should do when in Cape Town. World known for the best Calamari. No wonder, you have to get there early just to get a seat. Just before we arrived, we were told that there was a huge queue outside the restaurant, because it only opened at 12. We were lucky enough not to be in the queue and was seated almost immediately by the terrace, facing beautiful Hout Bay.

Overlooking Hout Bay

If you go to a restaurant world known for its Calamari, you SHOULD try the Calamari. My mum-in-law and I opted for the starter Calamari, I knew I couldn't finish the larger portion. My dad-in-law and husband ordered the Main Course Calamari. The only difference we saw from the menu between the two are the chips or rice that comes with and Main meal is served in a pan.

After tasting it, I was quite disappointed that the starter Calamari because it was a little bland. It lacked the flavors of herbs and crisp that the main course had. Maybe they put too much effort on the main course, and made other meals a let down. :(

Was happy at least, that while having lunch, one can take some time to enjoy the breathtaking view AND we went back to the market later :)

Overall impression:

Food : 3/5

Drinks : 4/5

Ambience : 5/5

Service : 3.5/5

During Peak Hours

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion

***All reviews are independent, unannounced and not sponsored by any party

Chapman's Peak Hotel

Hout Bay 7806, South Africa

+27 (0) 21 790 1036

Mr Pickwicks

2011-11-29T04:28:00.001-08:00

For a casual dining, I recommend you to visit Mr Pickwicks. It is a small cozy western restaurant. Its a kind of place that you can just be yourself :) What I like most about it is the seats by the window, overlooking Long Street. Having your meal watching all the fun in Long Street is definitely a good experience.

There are a variety of burgers available here, including Vegetarian Burgers and Spicy Chicken Burgers. All Burgers are served with salad and chips. Chips are crispy and freshly made (don't like soggy chips).

For drink lovers, there's a bar where you can sit at, offering all types of alcohol from beer to wine to cocktails. Tuesday nights (5-7 pm) is a Happy Hour time. Local beers are priced at R12 (two for the price of one).

Otherwise, service was good, casual dining, cheap, had a fun time. Planning to go for one of the Trivia Nights held every Monday! ;) Oh! And I saw a Groupon offer for Mr Pickwicks.. in case you find a deal :)

Overall Impression :
Food : 4/5
Drinks : 4/5
Ambience : 4/5
Service : 4.5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion

***All reviews are independent, unannounced and not sponsored by any party

Mr Pickwicks

158, Long Street

021 - 423 3710

Sandbar - Camps Bay

2011-11-28T01:27:00.001-08:00

It was Friday night, and weekend has just begun! We decided to have a quiet time together and stroll along Camps Bay beach. Luckily it wasn't too windy! We had early supper in Sandbar. Sandbar is located just beside the famous hangout point for celebrities - Caprice.

Some of the items on the menu was a bit over priced; mainly the seafood meals. Restaurants in Seapoint would offer better seafood choices, reasonably priced. We ordered Penne Arabiatta and Fried Calamari with Chilli and Garlic. My Penne Arabiatta was not too bad, lovely with a variety choice of vegetables. My husband enjoyed the Calamari, fresh and tasty. Both of us ordered a Ginger Cocktail, would say that was the best part of the evening.

My overall review for this place would be :

Atmosphere is not suitable for a quiet dinner for two. If you plan to go with some friends, this would be a good place. We could hardly have any conversation because there was a LOUD group seated behind us; talking to each other like as if they were miles away.

Meal was fair. It was tasty, but could get the same meal in another restaurant elsewhere. Would not brag on the specialty. Drink choices were good. That is why, I recommend this place for a drink with friends. The restaurant had a beach view; thus adding to the value.

Overall impression :
Food : 3/5
Drinks : 4/5
Ambience : 3.5/5
Service : 3.5/5

***Impressions are based on writer's opinion

***All reviews are independent, unannounced and not sponsored by any party

Sandbar

31 Victoria Road Camps Bay 8040, South Africa
021 438 8336

A Journey - Cape Town Restaurants

Culinary Journey - Malaysia

Eat with Emma

Thumbs up at Miller's Thumb

An evening at Harbour House

The Postcard Cafe, Stellenbosch

Culinary Journey - Europe

Knead on Kloof

Asian Journey - Seoul

Chilling at the Waterfront

Saturday in Simon's Town

Paternoster - A delightful place

Snacking in Hout Bay

Sandwich Delights

Posticino Italian Restaurant

Wharfside Grill Restaurant - Mariner's Wharf - Hout Bay

Mariner's WharfHout Bay HarbourHout Bay7800

http://www.marinerswharf.com/wharfside-grill.htm

Dixie's Glencairn

Dixies Glencairn

Booking : (021) 786-2105 or (021) 786-3309

Fax: (021) 786-2105

134 Main Road, Glencairn, 7975

http://www.dixiesrestaurant.co.za

Chinese Specials in Cape Town - Empire Asian Restaurant

La Med - Clifton Beach

Chef Pon's Asian Kitchen

Addis in Cape

Wang Thai - Waterfront

Eastern Food Bazaar

Calamari Tale at Chapman's Peak Hotel

Mr Pickwicks

Sandbar - Camps Bay

Mariner's Wharf
Hout Bay Harbour
Hout Bay
7800