Since we’re nearing the end of winter, and more importantly, the winter specials, we decided to treat ourselves to one last one. We were saving the best for last, so this past Thursday we found ourselves at Chefs Warehouse & Canteen in Bree Street. This special caught my attention a couple weeks back and has been in my thoughts ever since. Chefs Warehouse was doing a collaboration with their sister restaurant upstairs, Merchant on Bree. Chefs Warehouse focuses on globally inspired tapas, while Merchant is a nose to tail restaurant that highlights simplicity done right, both with their ingredients and what they do with them. The winter special was R595 per person sharing, and the menu was divided into sections showcasing the best of the best from each restaurant.

It’s that time of the week again, my favourite day, or rather, post my favourite day. If you are new here, or haven’t caught on by now. On Thursday’s, Tumi and I venture out on a food excursion. Near or far, we don’t discriminate. The only rule is that we need to eat good food, and lots of it. This past week we visited Yama Asian Eatery, in Franshhoek. As it says in the name, it is Asian inspired, where authenticity meets elegance. This is the third restaurant under the guidance of Ryan Shell, and we knew we were in good hands since we enjoyed our experience at both Oku and Eleven. The prior times, we did the tasting menus at the other two venues, this menu is a little more casual, still very luxurious, but a tad more relaxed. We were very much looking forward to some delicious Asian tapas, sushi, and of course a few delightful cocktails, because why not. Thursday is basically Friday in Cape Town, and might as well be a Saturday in the Winelands. We hopped in the car, blasted our singalong mix, shoutout to Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, and took the scenic route, well, the only route I (my GPS) knows. Soon enough, we were in Franschhoek. After a quick step, hop, and jump into then out of the rain, we were safe and sound in Yama. Since it’s still winter, and utterly freezing, we unfortunately couldn’t sit in their gorgeous courtyard. But that was quite okay because their stunning interior made up for that, and I mean… What better excuse than to have to come back and eat delicious food in their beautiful courtyard in Spring. Anyhoo, we were greeted by an incredibly friendly and enthusiastic gentleman that showed us to our table. I absolutely loved the interior. It was so fitting for the stormy weather outside. Not only was it warm in terms of temperature, but the earthy tones and dim lighting added to the sophisticated coziness. Somehow it is a big, open, and airy space but still has an intimate feel to it. It is minimalist yet intentional and has subtle luxury vibes. Basically, if zen married glam, and their child went to culinary school, you’d get Yama. I must just add that their chairs are hella comfortable. We got ourselves seated and within seconds we were surprised by a familiar face. Ryan came to say hello to us and he joked about needing to open a fourth restaurant for us to try and of course, we agreed. He might have been joking, but we certainly were not. He is such an amazing individual and I love how hands on he is. He couldn’t stay and chat for long because he was going to each of the restaurants, tasting everything and helping out. This is the type of leadership I look up to, it’s very inspiring.

Even though the weather says otherwise, winter is soon coming to an end. Why do I know this? Because I have noticed that the restaurant’s winter specials are only up until the 31st of August. A bit of a bittersweet moment. Incredibly grateful that it won’t be so icy cold anymore, but sad that everything is about to get a bit more expensive, and busier once the tourists start flocking in. Since we are halfway through the month, I thought it would be fitting to take advantage of the last few specials. The Waterside caught my attention. A lunch special for R595 per person. A couple months prior, I went to Pier which is the upstairs restaurant to The Waterside. After reading through the menu, they were both a tad similar. No complaints, it was incredibly delicious, but I wanted to try something different. I then noticed that they had a vegetarian menu which sounded equally as delightful. So I ran it past Tumi, he was happy, and I made the booking.

Believe it or not, this was my first time trying a smash burger. I know, I know, am I even Capetonian if I haven’t caught onto the trend? A better question is how did I manage to go so long without having one of these burgers? Especially since these joints are opening up faster than the cannabis stores after it became somewhat legalised, with some necessary T’s and C’s of course. It also reminded me a bit of those people that went the whole Covid pandemic without catching it, or supposedly not catching it anyway. Anyhoo, it was time for me to join in the cultish Capetonian smash burger fun and what better way to do so than going to the best of the best, Zuney. I picked up Tumi, and off we went. On the drive there, he tried to educate me on the smash burger theory, but I am someone that learns through experiences, so it all went over my head. We then discussed a game plan because we were dealing with some serious business. My first smash burger, whoa. We agreed the best way to approach this would be to order everything on the menu. If you are going to do it, do it right, right?

On Thursday afternoon, my business partner agreed that enough is enough, June and July’s winter was cute, but August was pushing it. I mean, it’s absolutely freezing, for no reason at all. It’s actually just rude. After a shared rant, we decided what better way to distract ourselves from this icy Cape Town weather than eating some belly warming spicy food. Not any spicy food, but more specifically, Mexican. Why? You might ask. Well, of course when you think of Mexican delights, you think of tacos, nachos, and if there is some space left, churros. But what goes with all of those magical things? A margarita, or two, or potentially three. You know, depending on how much of a distraction you desire. So it was settled, Mexico (in Cape Town), watch out, here we come!

On Thursday, my business partner and I were thrilled to be going back to Franschoek for yet another phenomenal and unique culinary experience. After being blown away by Oku, we were delighted to learn that it’s part of a family, with not one, but two sister restaurants. We decided to try Eleven first since they have a tasting menu, and we absolutely love trying a little bit of everything the chef has to offer. The wait and the drive was finally over and we arrived in the heart of the quaint village. The restaurant hugs the corner of the street, and it has a heritage charm about it while still being modern and refined. I love the minimal signage, it gives off that quiet confidence that they know they’re great, there is no need to be flashy.

With winter finally in full swing, I figured, what better activity is there than eating some delicious food to distract myself from the icy weather we have been having? I mean, surely a full and satisfied belly would make me better equipped for the cold? Maybe, maybe not. Best believe I was going to test this theory. Since I was in the mood for testing things, I thought The Test Kitchen would be rather fitting. The ideal case study for my experiment (I do love a play on words). Like I always do, I did some research and to my delight, I saw they had a special prix fixe menu. It was meant to be! With utter joy and excitement, I made the booking. Fast forward to Thursday afternoon, it was time to eat, and time for my experiment. Luckily, and unluckily for me, Thursday just so happened to be the coldest day of the year thus far. To leave my heater was a struggle, but I got dressed as if I was going to go skiing, and picked up my business partner. I am not exaggerating about my outfit. Tumi is a very polite person. He looked over at me and said, “you look, um, cosy?” I said, “yes, it is FREEZING.” Anyway, moving on… We arrived at the much anticipated lunch, and we were greeted by the most welcoming hostess. She was full of life and just radiated joy and light. The music was blasting some of my favourite throwbacks, and everyone had big smiles and genuinely looked happy. The energy of this restaurant is truly impeccable. Before even getting to the table, the warmth of the people and the atmosphere made up for the breezy air outside. We were shown to our table, and were left to browse the menu. Of course, I had already dissected it on their website, but it’s always nice to be reminded of the delicious food you’re about to eat. We ordered some sparkling water, and took the opportunity to look around. The interior is just stunning. The best way to describe it is industrial chic, laced with elegance. I love how the exposed brick and pipes contrasted with the white tablecloths and leather chairs. It was all very well balanced. My favourite part was the open kitchen. It felt like I was watching one of my cooking shows, the best kind of entertainment.