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.

After reading that Salsify had been awarded Eat Out’s restaurant of the year, I found it only fitting to make the earliest booking so I could try it out for myself. I must admit, I didn’t do much research on the restaurant beforehand like I normally do, but I was pleasantly surprised by an unforgettable experience, a few personal touches, and exceptional food. The best way to describe it is an elevated trip down memory lane. On Thursday afternoon, my business partner and I took the beautiful scenic route to The Roundhouse, located at the top of Camps Bay. We arrived, and were greeted by the host who directed us to our first unexpected gift, a hand washing ceremony. This consisted of getting a spritz of cleansing essences on our hands, scrubbing them with a herbaceous salt mix, then rinsing it all off with warm water that was poured from a large jug. Once we dried our hands with the soft towels, we were escorted to a waiting room. This room was so intriguing, there was graffiti and artwork all over the walls. Half of the room had shelves of jars filled with all types of interesting ingredients. Next to the shelf was a mini kitchen type area where a bartender was busy concocting a welcome drink for us. It looked like he was whipping up a magic potion, I was in awe of how quickly and precisely he worked. He had special tweezers and everything! He remained in the corner of my eye, while our host explained the history of the building to us. Since it is a heritage building, they are not allowed to change the structure of it. Hence the attention to detail in the interior of the restaurant.

In typical Cape Town fashion, and with contrast to my last review, it was a beautiful, sunny winter’s day. Once again, I would be making my way to the very laanie suburb, Constantia. No judgment at all, I hope to have a house there one day with an unspeakable number of cats. Yes, you read that correctly. I want to be a cat lady with enough rooms for each cat. Swiftly moving on, my business partner and I had the pleasure of dining at Foxcroft for lunch on Thursday afternoon. We arrived and were greeted by the host. Like I mentioned before, it was a stunning day, so we decided to sit outside in the courtyard. I really liked the relaxed atmosphere, it was peaceful and gave off the feeling of being on holiday abroad. Not that I have done that much traveling, but it is what I could imagine a summer’s day to be like somewhere in Europe. We were surrounded by greenery and had just the right amount of sunlight shining down on us.

On the gloomy Saturday we just experienced, I had the pleasure of spending my afternoon at Beyond Restaurant. I was given the task of finding the perfect lunch destination, instructions were to: 1. Find somewhere warm 2. Somewhere with a nice view 3. Somewhere with delicious food If I do say so myself, I succeeded. We arrived at exactly 12 o’clock, and took a short little jog in the rain to the entrance. Yes, I did that in heels. We were greeted by an incredibly friendly host that then escorted us to our table. Since it just opened, we were the first table to arrive. I was not complaining, we had the whole restaurant to ourselves! I was truly having my 15 minutes of fame moment, and bit my tongue before saying “You booked out the whole restaurant, for me? You shouldn’t have” to my date. I thought it would be a good idea to save my sense of humour for our potential second date.

Tucked away on the prestigious Steenberg Estate, home to a well deserved 5 star hotel and spa, is one of my favourite restaurants, Tryn. It is the perfect combination of sophistication and comfort. Its welcoming atmosphere keeps you coming back, time and time again. It is rare for a place to look as beautiful as it does on the outside and have the same amount of charm within. It may be because I’ve found myself to be a regular, but when I visit I really feel like I am a part of the family. On Thursday afternoon, my business partner and I made our way there to take advantage of their special. Three courses from their main menu for R640 per person. This also includes an amuse bouche, a bread course, as well as the most delicious chocolate truffles to end with. I absolutely love their menu, it is super diverse and I quite enjoy trying something different each time. I have eaten here more than a few times I will admit, and I have truthfully never been disappointed. They are incredibly consistent in dishing out top notch food.

On Thursday afternoon, I had the privilege of attending an exclusive preview of the Mill Street Bistro’s new winter menu. Showcasing an absolutely delicious special called the MBS L’Entrecôte Experience, as well as some extra new dishes. This was truly a food highlight of the year for me. I had high expectations, but I am wholeheartedly delighted to say that they were exceeded by Michelin-starred chef, Phil Carmichael. I was so excited for this, I hardly slept the night before. I couldn’t wait for the clock to strike 11am so I could hop in the car, blast my music, and enjoy the scenic drive to Stellenbosch.

On Thursday afternoon, my business partner and I made our way to the beautiful setting of Hiro Izakaya in the Constantia Utsig Wine Farm. It was like the heavens blessed us with the impeccable weather we had that day, especially after all the rain. We moved our reservation from inside to outside on the patio. The atmosphere was so tranquil and serene. It was still quite quiet as we got there when it opened. We were spoiled for choice in terms of seating, so we chose a spot with just the right sunlight to shade ratio. We had the most stunning view of the mountain, and the lush green landscape. It was truly peaceful. The decor was rustic with the wooden tables and chairs but I absolutely loved the addition of the single red rose on each table, it added a pop of colour and elegance to the space.