#HighburyHearsYou – we at Cape Town Etc are passionate about getting local restaurants back and booming in business. As part of our #HighburyHearsYou initiative, we’re dishing out the deets on some incredible restaurants in and around town.
I was never really much of a foodie until I came to Cape Town, writes Cape {Town} Etc’s Ashleigh Nefdt.
Being from Joburg (Pretoria originally), plus hard lockdown when going out to eat just wasn’t the culture, meant that the loves of my life became KFC, Maccie D’s and Chicken Licken (I know, it was difficult being the picture of health).
However, I’ve upgraded slightly, and I’ve learnt more than ever to appreciate good food, and the aesthetics in which I can enjoy my treats. And so, here are my fave foodie places in and around this chakra of the world (Cape Town).
Fave Breakfast spot: Nourish’d
When I got to the Mother City, I decided that it was time to leave the unhealthy lifestyle I once led behind me. Nourish’d came to my attention after I literally googled healthy places to eat in Cape Town (lol). The Nourish’d in Kloof is a really lovely way to start your day and feel good about yourself. It’s the apple crumble oaties for me. I love something sweetish in the mornings and if you and dairy aren’t on good terms, their almond milk, or ‘mylk’ as Nourish’d calls it, is a great substitute. I like to sneak an iced mocha in as my beverage of choice, and believe me when I say that combination is super nourishing. I also order from the Nourish’d crew on Uber Eats when I get a chance, and the cutest thing is that they write you a sweet note on the the packaging. Who doesn’t want good food and a kind message to start the day?
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Fave lunch spot: Zen Zero, Camps Bay
This was my first favourite restaurant in Cape Tizzle. I discovered it when I was 12 or 13 years old before making the great embark to the West Coast permanently. I fell in love with the vibe, the ocean views and of course the Italian food. I always order the linguine sea food pasta, which is a creamy pasta dish that boasts prawns, calamari and white fish. It also has mussels, but I usually ask for them not to be included. It’s not personal, I just haven’t learnt to love them yet. I’ll enjoy the meal with some sparkling water (because we’re still trying to be somewhat healthy). I know some people say it tastes like TV static, but personally I think it’s just like little sparking drops dancing in your mouth and it just works with the pasta. I said what I said.
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Fave Dinner spot: The Raj, Camps Bay
If I was on my death bed and could have one last meal, it would be butter chicken curry. I literally have an entire finsta dedicated to the dish (no, really.) I knew Cape Town could serve curries but I genuinely wasn’t expecting the mother city to take my already favourite food and make it even more heavenly. The thing about butter chicken is that you need the exact combination of sweetness in the rich and creamy tomato-ey sauce. The chicken itself also has to be just tender enough so that it practically melts in your mouth with the sauce. Once that’s right, it’s all about the naan. I enjoy garlic naan, much to the dismay of others. Finding a place that gets all of those factors right isn’t always easy, but The Raj does, every single, time.
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Favourite Sweet Spot: Crumbs and Cream
Ice cream sandwiches are honestly an essential. Crumbs and cream lets you make your own combination, where you can choose the cookies and the ice cream you’d like as the filling. I usually go for the Chocoholic combo, which is basically for anyone who should be attending chocoholics anonymous. It’s chocolate ice cream sandwiched between a brown and candy crushed cookie and it’s actually too delicious. I don’t add toppings, but they have tons for you to choose from if you’re about that toppings life! 10/10 recommend.
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4. Favourite Drinking Spot: Tiger’s Milk, Kloof
I am a sucker for a good whiskey lemonade or a bezza (Black Label, I’m looking at you) and the milk of the tiger always comes through with the right energy. I guess it’s also the Joburg in me that has a little attachment to these roots. Tiger’s is one of the best places to have pres before the groove in my opinion, and if you go there on the right night, it IS the groove. Also, the cocktails are amazing for sundowners if whiskey or beers aren’t your thing.
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5. Great Escape: Lekker, Kalk Bay
There are a ton of cool restaurants to visit in Kalk Bay, but lekker just makes me happy. The bright yellow sign and the views of the sea make my heart feel warm. Also, it’s just got the kind of vibe that makes you feel proud to be South African, probably because you can get a boerie burger there. I usually order their burger and beer special, which is a buttermilk friend chicken burger and the bezza, of course. But I also really appreciate their chicken and bacon baguette, which is sauced with honey mustard mayo and has Avo too, of which I am a proud supporter of. Their milk tart is also amazing. Honestly, everything is so lovely there, you really will say ‘Lekker’ out loud.
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