This, from the New York Times: http://tinyurl.com/2gwf92 .
Restaurant looks pretty good, can't wait to try it.

And, here is a link to an interesting forum, with lots of Middle Eastern and African food and restaurant information: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=41

There are a few good places to try Cape Malay food that didn't make it onto the list at the NY Times (because they were focussing on it going upscale).

- Zorina's Cafe on Loop Street in the CBD is the classic (but sadly her son's place, Rooti's, at the Clocktower in the V&A Waterfront isn't so great)

- Bismillah in Bo Kaap is where the locals go

- At the upscale end, the NY Times overlooked probably the best and biggest champion of Cape Malay cuisine, the venerable pink lady, the Mount Nelson Hotel and its Cape Colony restaurant.

- The Cape Malay Restaurant at Cellars-Hohenhort is also a well-seasoned veteran with a devoted following.

IMHO, the Showroom is overrated and one.waterfront is overpriced, but lots of people love both places, so YMMV.

You can also learn to cook Cape Malay cuisine with a one-day course, and you can combine a half-day walking tour of Bo Kaap that culminates in a fabulous lunch in a private home.

The Cape Malay influence goes well beyond the restaurants; in Cape Town, you'll find that boboties and bredies are common in the kitchens of both white tribes (Afrikaans- and English-speaking) and in both Muslim and non-Muslim coloured kitchens, and that koeksisters are favoured pastries for all kinds of people. Since there isn't much of a dining out culture among the working class coloured population, the "overlooking" of the cuisine was mainly by restauranteurs of other ethnic origins. Many local people of all stripes happily prepare it at home -- upscale, downscale, or however suits your taste, budget, occasion and interest.

With the rise of the middle class and the shift in wealth in South Africa, this has meant an elevation of the cultures of that middle class, and in Cape Town that means coloured culture(s). In addition to Cape Malay cuisine, we're seeing an interest in Cape Jazz, in the Cape Minstrel musical traditions, and in preserving the complex slave history of coloured ancestors. (There's even a new, free music and arts performance series called "Goemarati" - www.goema.co.za) Like great port cities of the world, there is a wonderful, powerful, distinctive and heady mix of cultures and pleasures to be discovered! Think of New Orleans -- Cajun and Creole, Jazz, Mardi Gras, history, mystery and a dash of hedonism (port cities take their R&R seriously!).

Kurt

(adapted from Afrikatourism blog at http://afrikatourism.blogspot.com/20...y-cuisine.html)

Great post Kurt.

Even though Kurt has not said it so blatantly I am going to say that the very last place I would visit to enjoy Cape Malay cuisine would be the Showroom or The One restaurant. The New York Times reporter probably came to Cape Town, stayed at the Cape Grace and was sent to these restaurants. I think that he homed in on high end Cape Town eating as opposed to traditional real type Cape Malay food. Bruce Robertson (who I might add I am quite friendly with) originally started The One restaurant so I imagine that this is how the link to the two restaurants happened. I dont think Bruce would claim that his forte is Cape Malay type cuisine. Make no error the food at the Showroom and The One is good but this would not be where I would run to for Cape Malay food.

For great Cape Malay food nothing beats Zorinas in my opinion (unfortunately only open for lunch and during the day) Biesmillah is also a great place to want to enjoy this type of cuisine. I must say I have not tried the Bo-Kaap Kombuis yet as it is still quite new so I reserve my comments on this establishment at this stage.

If you really want to enjoy great Cape Malay food go to Zorinas for lunch, ask for Monica (wonderful lady) to serve you and then tell her to bring you "what Selwyn always eats". She will know what you are talking about so simply leave it to her to do the rest. If you follow this path I can assure you that you will enjoy a Cape Malay meal second to none or to better decribe what I am advising I will use the words of a past New York visitor of mine who simply labelled the meal as "food for the soul". One last point is do not be put off by the looks of Zorinas when you arrive as it is a little local hole in the wall type venue adjacent to a take-away outlet which has no glitz or glamour. It speciality is not its looks, it is its food!

Biesmillah is a good place to enjoy Cape Malay food for dinner. The owners of the restaurant are wonderful homely people who will tell you all about the different types of food that you are enjoying be it about the content of the food or even the meals origin in our Cape Town history.

The other beauty about Zorinas and Biesmillah is that the meal will cost about a third of what The One or The Showroom will cost you.

Hope you all have wonderful, local gastranomical experiences like Zorinas when you visit our great city.

Very proudly part of the wonderful nation of South Africa

Do you have any experience with the food in the camps in SA and Bots? Which camps or lodges would you say have the best food? While we aren't foodies per se, a good meal is a big part of our vacations. I had given up on any gastronomical treats on this trip, but maybe I shouldn't...

We found the food at Londolozi to be top flight. Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana: mediocre. Phinda Mountain Lodge: acceptable, but not special.
Best two meals we had in Cape Town were, by far, at Ginja, which has a chef who could hold his own with any metropolis' best, and Bukhara, for some of the best Indian food you've ever had.

We will be in Cape Town the first week in July after our safari in Sabi Sands and Timbavati. Please advise me on the upscale dining places mentioned above (such as Cape Nelson) that it is appropriate to bring kids ages 9 to 16. The kids are used to eating in relatively formal places in America.

Thanks.

Bump