Cape Town
has a vibrant and excellent restaurant scene. It seems that chefs know exactly
how to surprise diners. The food is innovative and amazingly fresh. The
restaurants are more welcoming and stylishly decorated as you could ever wish
for. Here comes a choice of vegetarian-friendly fine dining restaurants in Cape
Town. I had dinner at these places several times over the years and never left
disappointed. Fact is it is indeed quite the opposite. As soon as I wave
goodbye at the door… I start dreaming of my next visit.
Are you
looking for a restaurant near the CBD with a view all the way up to the West
Coast? You want a seat from where you can almost touch the top of Signal Hill?
You adore glitzy chandeliers and like maritime scenes? You would want to eat at
the restaurant of a World Pasta Championship winner? You fancy concrete floors,
metal, exposed brick walls and Asian fusion? Do you dream of Indian food that
is probably better than on famous Brick Lane in London, Great Britain?
Picture Perfect Vegetarian-Friendly Fine Dining Restaurants in
Cape Town
Zeitz MOCAA Food
Something
marvellous happened in Cape Town. The V&A Waterfront partnered with Jochen
Zeitz and created Africa’s First Major Museum Of Contemporary Art, that is now
housed in the historic, iconic (and redeveloped) Grain Silo.
On level
six of the museum in the silo, a restaurant called FOOD moved in. Think
polished concrete, steel frames, wooden furniture, light grey tones, and food
made from locally sourced ingredients plus a view over the harbour and all the
way to Bloubergstrand and along the West Coast. As if all this wouldn´t be
reason enough to visit already, this is a StreetSmart Restaurant, that means
with eating and donating you are helping a street child (a voluntary R5 will be
automatically added to the table’s bill. Do not hesitate to donate more, if you
have the means). The coffee is from Capetonian Roasters Origin Coffee, which
was founded by a Canadian in 2006. They are artisan roasters, they know where
and how their coffee beans are cultivated, harvested and processed. The
porcelain the coffee is served in is made by eco-friendly design studio Love
Milo who uses local materials and works with local craftsman.
I
recommend the Black Gnocchi with Black Pea, Purple Carrot, Aubergine Puree,
Crisp Nori and Sesame Seeds.
Zeitz MOCAA FOOD 6th Floor V&A Waterfront, Silo District, S
Arm Road, Waterfront, Cape Town 8001, South Africa. Hours: Wednesday to Monday 10am to 5.30pm.
Closed on Tuesday. Visit the website for more info.
Granary Café at the Silo Hotel
It is new,
trendy, stylish and fun and right next door to Zeitz MOCAA. The Granary Café is
located on the 6th floor of the Silo Hotel. When booking, why not ask for a
table by the window. The view is magical at night, it feels a bit like flying
above Cape Town. From my seat I can almost touch the top of Signal Hill. The
dishes on the menu, the work of chef Veronica Canha-Hibbert, change with the season and there is a great choice for vegetarians
and the waiters are more than happy to help. Start with a drink a the Willaston
Bar which is on the same level as the restaurant.
The
Granary Café. Silo Hotel. Silo Square. V&A Waterfront. Dinner 6.30pm to
9.30pm. Best to book in advance. Visit the website for more info.
Signal Restaurant
The famous
Cape Grace Hotel with its own quay on the V&A Waterfront has no other than
the mighty Table Mountain in its backyard. The restaurant is decorated in light
grey and brown with glitzy chandeliers and paintings that showcase maritime
scenes of yesteryear. I recommend the Tomato salad with whipped cream cheese
panna cotta and strawberry sorbet as a starter, as a main the Carrot risotto
with a saffron emulsion, orange, sultana and ginger and as dessert the Mango
mousse with coconut crème, cashew sponge, tropical fruit salad and mango basil
sorbet. Have pre-dinner drinks at the Bascule bar for the ultimate view over
the marina and Table Mountain.
Signal
Restaurant at the Cape Grace Hotel. Cape Grace Hotel, W Quay
Rd, V & A Waterfront, Cape Town, 8001, South Africa. Monday to Sunday 6.30
to 11am, 12.30 to 2.30pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm. Please book in advance. Phone: +27
21 410 7100. Visit the website for more info.
95 Keerom
In the
stables and slave quarters of the Company Gardens, Gorgio Nava, Italian chef
and winner of the World Pasta Championship in Parma, Italy created a chic
restaurant. Downstairs there are different cosy dining rooms that have exposed
brick walls, glass and candlelight, whereas the upstairs dining room is
open-plan and airy, there even is a tree in the centre. The food is Italian. I
used to visit a nightclub called Rhodes House next door, and one day this
restaurant opened. Albeit by now, many moons later the restaurant is well
established, the chef still asks how I like my food. As a starter I recommend
L’ Insalata di Avocado 95: avocado, rocket, tomato, blue cheese, fresh pear,
walnut, as a main Butternut ravioli, with ricotta and sage butter and as
dessert La Meringa 95: meringue, Marsala Zabaglione crème, berries.
95 Keerom.
95 Keerom Street, Cape Town, South Africa. Phone: +27 21 422 0765. Monday to
Saturday: 6.30pm to 10pm. Best to book in advance. Visit the website for more info.
The Test Kitchen
Not that
easy to secure a booking, The Test Kitchen is that popular. Years ago, I would
have recommended this place for lunch, simply because at the time I never
managed to secure a table for dinner. My tip was to arrive towards the end of
lunch, that way I managed a few times to secure a table without a booking. You
will have to book well ahead, as in seriously well ahead, bookings are open
three months in advance, tables are booked out in a blink. The Test Kitchen
just won The Best Restaurant in Africa and the 50th Best Restaurant in the
world (San Pellegrino).
I love the
light room, with its concrete floor, metal, exposed brick walls and stylish
lampshades. The layout allows diners to see what is going on in the
open-kitchen. Vegetables play an important role, they get fermented, or spices
are added to regulate acidity, sweetness and sharpness (fermented bean paste).
The food is Asian inspired.
The Test
Kitchen, The Old Biscuit Mill, 375 Albert Road, Woodstock, Cape Town, South
Africa. Visit the website for more info. I wish you good luck with securing a booking.
The chef Luke
Dale Roberts opened a new restaurant, Salsify at the Roundhouse: The
Roundhouse, Roundhouse Road, Camps Bay, 8005. Best to book in advance. Visit the website for more info.
Pot Luck Club
Another Luke
Dale Roberts eatery (please see before). Have you ever been invited to a
"bring a dish" gathering? Everybody who is invited brings a dish, no
matter what it is, be it a salad, a dessert, or a lasagne, or some baguette.
The only rule is that it can be shared among all guests. These types of gatherings
are most often called potluck dinners.
At the Pot
Luck Club there is no need to bring your own food, here it is all about sharing
plates of Asian fusion tapas with your companions. Sit down at the sturdy
wooden tables and tuck into Truffle and Asparagus Tart Fine, Porcini
Hollandaise and Poached Quail Eggs, Chickpea, Goats Cheese and Parmesan Fries
with Aioli and Tomato Ketchup, Winter Vegetable Salad, Wild Garlic Oil and
Beetroot. End the meal with ordering the Chocolate Cigar dessert: Saffron
Poached Quince, Manjari and Granadilla Mousse and Pistachio Ice Cream.
Pot Luck
Club. 373-375 Albert Road, The Silo, The Old Biscuit Mill, Cape Town. Hours:
Sunday 11am to 2.30pm. Monday to Saturday 12.30pm to 2.30pm, 6pm to 10.30pm.
Best to book in advance. Visit the website for more info.
Bombay Brasserie at the Taj Hotel
Having
never been to India, I must admit that all Indian foodie experiences I had so
far where made on Brick Lane in London. This magical restaurant is in style and
décor different from the ones I know.
You enter
a dining room decorated opulently with parquet flooring, chandeliers and large
glass fronts covered with thick curtains. When sitting down you sink into
beautifully soft peacock embroidered chairs. All spices used are blended in the
restaurant kitchen and the naan bread is prepared in traditional Tandoori
ovens. The waiters will explain which dish best to combine with which bread or
rice.
I
recommend the Apricot and potato ‘tikki’ cakes with cumin yoghurt and mango
chutney and the Roasted aubergine “Bharta” mash. In between courses diners get
sorbet to cleanse their palate, nothing overly unusual in a restaurant like
this, but the way it is served looks exotic and is worth the visit alone.
Bombay
Brasserie. Taj Cape Town. 1 Wale Street, Cape Town, CBD. Hours: 6pm to 10.30pm.
Best to book in advance. Visit the website for more info.
The Alba Restaurant Boat
We all
know that nautical adventures are pretty fine, because one gets to see the most
amazing things. The Alba has taken to the water, operating from a 22 metres
long vessel. This is Cape Town's first fine dining floating restaurant in the
V&A Waterfront. Floor to ceiling glass windows allow you to have a view of
Table Mountain and the colourful surrounds. Go on a cruise of about two hours
through the harbour in the V&A Waterfront and feast on seasonal dishes made
from locally sourced ingredients. You start your foodie-voyage from the
Pierhead, Jetty T in front of MAReSOL onto the V&A Hotel, thereafter the
Duncan Dock and into the Victoria & Alfred Basin after which it will return
to the Marina. Rest assured, you won't journey through the open and often
choppy waters of Table Bay. Choose from a variety of dining options: a bubbly
brunch cruise (bottomless bubbles), a lunch cruise, a sunset cruise, a high-tea
cruise or a dinner cruise. Please check availability in advance. I recommend
the baked Camembert with a berry reduction, figs, honey and spiced walnuts and
the dark chocolate mousse with orange zest.
The Alba Restaurant Boat. Pierhead,
V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm,
Saturday 9am to 5pm, and Sunday 10am to 5pm. Monday to Sunday Dinner Cruise 7pm
to 9pm. Please visit the website for detailed information. Best to book in
advance.
One last
thing All restaurants I recommend are obviously for meat-eaters too. You know,
we all have friends who eat meat and fish, and we want to go out together. Let
us understand and respect each other and not try to convert each other.
Read Ten Fantastic Things to Do in Cape Town for more inspiration.
From Berlin with love
Read Ten Fantastic Things to Do in Cape Town for more inspiration.
From Berlin with love