Three of us are departing two weeks from today and I would like to collect some tips on where to eat during a week's stay in Capetown. We will be staying at Kensington Place but are willing to take taxis to restaurants.

We are more interested in quality local ingredients than in starched tablecloths and the attendant accoutrements. But will go very upscale if that is where the great food is. I would like to experience the food of some of the city's top chefs..cutting edge is fine. Particularly interested in great shellfish and meat, but will eat virtually anything.

I would also like to sample Cape Malay food..any comments on these:

The Showroom Hospital Street
Bo Kaap Kombuis August Street
Onewaterfront Cape Grace Hotel

Comments on these:


Panama Jack's
Blue's

Jardine
Aubergine

Hoping to be willingly led to some great food experiences!
Need I add that seeking out great local food is a primary interest of mine when I travel..!!??

Many thanks!

..and one more: Savoy Cabbage on Hout Street...

We really liked Panama Jack's, though it's a long cab ride from Kensington Place (where we also stayed. Try the Eggs Benedict for breakfast!) For Cape Malay we went to Bismillah and enjoyed the excellent unpretentious food. We had lunch at Baia and it was good with a nice setting but the seafood was not nearly as good as at Panama Jack's. If you're a fan of real African food, don't be talked into Africa Cafe which serves "dumb-downed" tourist versions. A great place for fresh, inexpensive prawns close to Kensington Place is Jimmy's Killer Prawns on Kloof St. Have a great time!

Showroom was fantastic. My favorite by far, with the exception of the Cape Malay hole-in-the-wall Selwyn took us to, but I would need his permission to share the name.

Thanks to both of you..keep the suggestions coming! But curious, Hills27, as to why you need someone's permission to share the name of a restaurant you liked...(??)

Cause it's his secret place. And he's a regular poster here!

Oh, if you are going to the winelands, we had a great lunch at La Petite Femme outside Franschhoek. The food was fantastic and the view spectacular.

One word: Ginja. Hard to get in (it's small) so be sure to have reservations. Not far from the V&A Waterfront. Local ingredients, an inventive menu and the chef could compete with the best chefs in any major metropolis, IMO. Very hip decor, but you enter through a literal hole in the wall and down what seems to be a tenement hallway. Don't let that stop you. Not cheap.
One Waterfront is very good, but overpriced, as are most top hotel restaurants; we preferred to eat in the Bascule bar downstairs (in a side room away from the smokers in the bar); same kitchen, better prices, good wine list and whiskeys. I'd skip Baia: a huge place with many tourists that specializes in fish, but the seafood wasn't that well prepared or fresh.
Leslie

Leslie..Ginja looks great. On the list! Thanks!

You'll love it (I hope.) But I forgot an important one. If you like Indian food, don't miss Bukhara. Best Indian I've ever had (though I haven't eaten it in London or India!)
Leslie

I thought Bukhara was just okay. The service was awful.

Cape Town .... i have fond memories of the following restaurants

1.) Paranga- seafood
2.) Mama Africa and Africa cafe - for a nice ambience' in terms of Africa style ......

I concur - the best Indian food in the western world is in London. New york is pretty good too, if you know where to go!

Bhukara is just okay ...... if you are from other parts of the USA (outside NYC or NJ) and do enjoy Indian cuisine, then i recommend it!

eGullet has good restaurant info - more for Europe but try their Mid East and Afruca forum and look around. There are posts in re Capetown.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=41

that would be Africa...

Chicago has some pretty good Indian food as well.

Well, it's when you go, I guess. Bukhara service when we were there was very good.
Hari, I defer to you for real Indian food expertise. Being from L.A., what do I know from good Indian? There being a big Indian presence in SA, I figured it was comparable. But Chicago? Hmmmmm.
Leslie

Hi Leslie,

I only ate at the Bukhara Stellenbosch (mostly because our guide for the week in 2003 liked Indian food and we took him out to dinner) ... not their Cape Town location. It was good! don't get me wrong, just nothing spectacular .... i have no Indian food experiences at either LA or Chicago. I'll take the forum's word for it. But, i do hear that the indian food in the bay area is pretty spectacular, as there is a huge Indian community there.....

Rgds,
Hari

Rocco should know Indian restaurants in LA. From memory, he posted favorably about Bhukara

I can recommend Rick's Cafe and Yindee's (Thai), both located in the Gardens suburb just south (uphill) of the CBD.
You might find the following website helpful which includes some ratings, the menu and direction for each listed restaurant: http://www.dining-out.co.za/Cape-Town-restaurants.asp

We will be in Cape Town in mid November. I'm also a food addict. Please post your review of the restaurants here after your trip. I only have a few nights in Cape Town so don't want to waste any calories.
Thanks.