To say Cape Town can be brutal during the winter is an understatement. When the winds are whirling, it’s easy to say no way to leaving the comfort of your home for the blistering cold. But there’s allure in embracing the season and its signature advantage: Eating and drinking robustly and guilt-free because, well, you’ve got to keep warm! As we embark upon the winter season, here’s a roundup of the tastiest menus in town – all tried, tested and approved by our team. A cosy cocktail, hearty meal and decadent dessert await as you sit out the chilly temps happily.
Yatai Ramen Bar
Japan’s number-one comfort dish has started making it big in South Africa. Seasoned broth, chewy noodles, tender slices of meat and perfectly cooked soft-boiled eggs – trust us when we say that a hot bowl of ramen can do warming wonders on a chilly day. For one of Cape Town’s better bowls, hit this new CBD favourite. Yatai Ramen Bar is known for its shoyu ramen (made with a classic soy-based broth) and rich, creamy tonkotsu (a pork bone broth simmered for hours) – and it does pretty mean speciality cocktails and small plates as well. Set in an intimate space beneath sister restaurant Nikkei, the interiors are low-lit, dark and atmospheric with flashes of pink cherry blossoms. Everything is an experience – even descending to the night-clubby bathroom. By night, the decks are fired up and you’ll get Japanese flavours to a beat (a very tempting proposition). You’ll want to try everything here. Think: Generously stuffed prawn dumplings, Cape bream tartare, miso-glazed eggplant, chicken tsukune … and among the most impeccably made ‘Kyoto Kiri’ watermelon cocktails in all of town. Our suggestion? Opt for the Kyoto Set Menu. It’s all about zingy natural colours and mouth-watering, unforgettable taste eruptions. The flesh for any carpaccio must be spanking fresh. Here, fresh lobster is topped with yuzu amarillo vinaigrette, fermented chilli sauce and red vein sorrel, giving the sweet lobster meat a fiery, salty kick. The katsu sando is something so luxurious, so mischievously decadent – using wagyu MS 9+ sandwiched between pillowy milk bread. Their signature dish, the wagyu truffle shoyu ramen, is also legendary. This soupy creation bathes strands of noodles, marbled meat, red cabbage slaw and a marinated egg in umami depth to delight both truffle and wagyu fans alike. As you’re feeling increasingly full (but eyes perennially wide), the white chocolate and ginger mousse with sake-poached pears and elderflower will end things on a perfect note – light and fresh.
87 Bree Street, Cape Town
021 109 8094
Sótano
When the winter sun is shining, there’s nothing quite like tucking into the catch of the day, overlooking crashing waves with the hearty squall of seagulls overhead. Luckily for us, Cape Town has no shortage of seaside restaurants when you fancy a whiff of salty sea air. Sitting proudly opposite the red-and-white striped Green Point Lighthouse, Sótano serves up some of the best seafood and sushi in laidback surroundings. It’s the perfect setting for relaxed-but-refined plates seasoned by the saltwater breeze as they drift through the sunny open dining room. In the summer, this place is as buzzy as a honeypot, with sun-kissed groups jumping right into Aperols and Mediterranean-esque small plates to share. As the temperatures drop, they’ll wrap you up in blankets, so you’ll happily stay here for hours. The new menu – an enticing blend of Cape seafood and Mediterranean flavours – is designed to suit a range of occasions. There’s plenty for pescatarians, carnivores and vegetarians alike. Wine and cocktail lists match the approach. The Mussel Monger oysters with a mignonette dressing are unmissable. Baked feta prawns, a deliciously light and creamy combination, is another crowd favourite. We’ve been dreaming about it since we took the first bite. The garlic, lemon and herb butter is best mopped up with chunks of warm ciabatta. Other must-try dishes include the chorizo-stuffed Patagonian calamari, served on a harissa-spiked Napoletana sauce with squid tentacles and edamame beans, along with the plump lamb koftas, vibrant with roasted garlic yoghurt and chimichurri. Your belly will delight in the flavours. What really works here is the pace. You’re never left without a drink or food, and waitstaff are constantly tempting you to try more dishes. Come mains, feast on as many sushi rolls as you can eat – butter-soft salmon roses, delicate rainbow rolls and tempura prawn California rolls with a judicious drizzle of teriyaki sauce. Just sublime.
121 Beach Road, Mouille Point
021 433 1757
Quoin Rock Wine Lounge
It would be perfectly legitimate to visit Quoin Rock Wine Estate just for the wine. Schalk Opperman is a talented winemaker who produces impressively elegant, clean-lined wines at this winery set in the Knorhoek Valley on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. You could taste, buy and leave happy, but to miss the Wine Lounge aspect of the equation would be short-changing yourself. When you arrive to the hill it’s perched on, you’re immediately swept off your feet as you look out onto the verdant landscape. Entering the space, it’s clear the stylish bar-cum-casual-diner is no afterthought. Artsy interiors complement the ultra-modern bones of the building, with white brick walls, neutral furnishings, unique light fixtures, jewel tones and brass finishes. The double-volume space is flooded with natural light and offers one of the best views in Stellenbosch (made more dramatic by misty vines). It also has an excellent menu of wine-friendly food – much of it cooked over an open flame, all of it designed with flexibility in mind. Head chef Paul Prinsloo sources ingredients locally and the carefully curated team serve lunch with regional warmth. A must, however, is the Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) tasting. Tiny bubbles, floral notes and crystal flutes – their blanc de blancs and brut rosé are exceptional. Also, don’t miss the punchy Saldanha Bay oysters with MCC onions, mustard seeds and mizuna to help take your tasting to the next level. Larger dishes emerge from the kitchen with a similar elevated simplicity. Exhibit A is Norwegian salmon teamed with roasted beetroot, carrot purée, horseradish cream sauce and a side salad. It’s served seared and looks beautiful. Exhibit B is a big-flavoured beef fillet, perfectly cooked to medium rare and paired with an exemplary glass of Quoin Rock Simonsberg Blend. For those going the full dine, the cheese platter (camembert, 18-month aged cheddar, six-month Boerenkaas and parmesan) will close the meal very successfully.
Quoin Rock Wine Estate, Knorhoek Road, Stellenbosch
021 888 4740
The Jordan Restaurant with Marthinus Ferreira
Views over the leafy farmland and single estate vineyard might be one of The Jordan Restaurant’s main drawcards, but it’s certainly not the only one. When a bowl of butter-poached crayfish arrives at a sun-kissed table, conversation stops. Senses previously tickled by the sight of ducklings and bees pollinating the garden momentarily shift to the intoxicating aroma of smoked duck. The medley of land and sea swims in a light, silky tarragon velouté, exquisitely balanced with lentil and corn fricassee and a soft quail egg. More familiar, but equally delicious? The pommes dauphine set atop a base of brilliant green spinach purée – little mouthfuls of mashed potato, lightened with choux pastry and then deep-fried – hidden beneath a jumble of shaved Karoo Crumble, spinach and truffle salad, sultanas and pine nuts. Honest, flavoursome cooking underpins The Jordan Restaurant’s raison d’être; an apt term given head chef Marthinus Ferreira’s mostly French-leaning techniques. In 2022, the former DW Eleven-13 owner-chef left Joburg for the Stellenbosch Winelands and made The Jordan Restaurant his own. His exploration of native ingredients within a fine-dining prism runs through a three-course set menu or full tasting experience. Beverages are Jordan-focused. Larger plates range between roasted kabeljou alongside a quenelle of tomato fondue, a seaweed arancini ball, pickled cucumber, mustard seeds and a wasabi beurre blanc, perhaps, or springbok loin cooked sous vide served with soused beetroot, butternut labneh, broccoli, a barley croquette and venison jus. There’s obvious thought paid to texture, too, in a dish of grilled mushroom accompanied by cauliflower purée, burnt onion, leeks, daikon, gratin dauphinoise and red wine velouté. The standing ovation is best saved for the chocolate crémeux dressed up with a chocolate sable, blood orange gel, warm orange curd sauce and passion fruit sorbet for freshness.
Jordan Wine Estate, Stellenbosch Kloof Road, Vlottenburg, Stellenbosch
021 881 3441
