Wine General and other South Africa Restaurant Reviews

South African wine is worth travelling halfway round the world for. Most of the wine growing areas are centred around Cape Town, heading up the West Coast towards Darling, along the East Coast as far as Hermanus, inland as far as de Rust, near Oudtshoorn, and straight north as far as Upington.

If you're into wine, the only decisions you will have to make is which few hundred wineries you'll have to leave out because you just won't have time for them all, and how you are going to get your purchases home. Actually, the second one is a lot easier than the first, most wineries and merchants will ship wine home for you, so it will be awaiting your return.


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Theme: Other

When the early Settlers in South Africa set out for uncharted territory, they had to live off the land. Game was plentiful in those days and a fire at night was not only companionable, but warded off unwanted visitors such as lion and hyena. The most perishable meats (organs like liver and kidneys) were eaten first, then the bigger cuts and whatever was left over, cured and dried to be enjoyed later.

South African men take their braai (as we call an outdoor barbecue) very seriously and woe the individual who overcooks the meat on the outside and leaves it raw inside. Chicken is a particular challenge, as it needs slow, even coals and fair dose of patience. Marinades are often a topic of debate, as each ‘braai-master’ will always claim his recipe as the best.


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Theme: Local

Directions: On a sunny day all over the country :-)

The taste of a buttery piece of feather-light, garlic redolent naan bread wrapped around a spicy bit of curry is ultimately delicious. And as far as instant snacks go, a freshly fried potato and cheese samoosa (a triangle of dough with either a meat or vegetarian filling) is hard to beat…

At the time of British rule in South Africa during the 1900s, East Indians were brought to South Africa to work the sugarcane fields of KwaZulu Natal. They quickly evolved into a merchant class of shopkeepers and tradesmen who opted to stay in South Africa, rather than return to India. A deeply traditional people, they fiercely preserved their culinary heritage and to this day good Indian food is readily available and appreciated by all South Africans.


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Theme: Indian

Directions: Many Indian restaurants in and around Durban

Afrikaners are descendants of the original Dutch, French and German settlers who founded the Cape before pioneering settlements in the interior of the country during the 1700s and 1800s. Leading physically-demanding lives, they favoured robust foods and for flavour, they looked to the East (Indonesia) from where most of their servants hailed and making ample use of coriander, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon to spice their stews and desserts. Home-baked breads with farm butter and traditional preserves, meat and potatoes plus vegetables followed by hefty desserts stood the farming folk of yesteryear in good stead.

Times have changed however, and lighter meals starring salads, chicken and fish are popular in urban Afrikaner homes nowadays. A few things however, haven’t changed. South Africans, and Afrikaners in particular, are known to barbeque (or braai in local speak) in places as unlikely as London backyards, New York rooftops and Italian country roads…..


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Theme: Local

Cape Malay cuisine seduces diners with its aromatic Oriental flavours. Cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric and aniseed turn ordinary dishes into a discovery of palm-fronted islands where the smell of spices travel on the evening breeze. This fragrant style of cooking is unique to South Africa and dates back to the beginning of the Cape’s European history.

The Dutch settlers who founded the Cape Colony in the 1700s brought their Muslim servants and cooks with them from Java in Indonesia – then a Dutch Colony. Today the descendants of these Javanese are known as the Cape Malay and they’ve settled on the slopes of Signal Hill in Cape Town in an area known as the Bo-Kaap (Upper Cape). Many of the women are employed in the hospitality trade where family recipes are introduced to a greater audience of international diners.


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Theme: Local

Directions: Particulary in Cape Town

More and more African food is being showcased around South Africa, with Moroccan and East-African foods in particular, often prepared alongside more local offerings.

In days of old, African food was cooked over an open fire or in a three-legged pot, so today, meat tends to arrive in either stewed or grilled form. Beetroot, carrots, cabbage, potatoes and all manner of maize products dominate the vegetable choices. Restaurants like the Africa Café in Cape Town and Moyo in Johannesburg are doing an excellent job of serving wonderful modern African food that appeals to all comers. For example Moyo serves a Palava chicken, which is cooked in palm oil and coconut milk, complemented by peanuts and green chilies before being topped with lovely fresh, chopped coriander.


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Theme: African

Being a sea-faring nation the Portuguese were intrepid explorers and amongst the first Europeans to visit the Cape of Good Hope in the 1600s. In the Colonial era that followed they left their mark in various places on the African continent – Angola, Moçambique and South Africa. From the indigenous people they learnt the usefulness of chilies, which they combined with more traditionally Portuguese ingredients such as olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. Where European Portuguese food is delicately flavoured, South African-Portuguese cuisine is fearlessly fiery.

Portuguese-South Africans are particularly gifted when it comes to preparing seafood, baking good bread and dishing up memorable meat dishes. Their long love affair with the ocean and all it offers is legendary and they are known as a people who can prepare cod, bacalhau or prawns in a multitude of ways.


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Theme: Local

From the Moçambique border in the East to the Namibian border in the West, South-Africa’s coastline is rich in seafood and fresh line-fish (“the catch of the day”) is always a good menu option if you are a fish-lover.

South Africa has large Greek and Portuguese communities whose love of seafood is legendary and whose restaurant menus stand testimony to this passion. If you’re in the mood for seafood, just ask your friends or hotel concierge to reserve you a table at the nearest Greek or Portuguese restaurant. Similarly Asian restaurants (Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Indian) are a good source of fresh and well-prepared seafood dishes.

The people of the West Coast (north of Cape Town, heading towards the border of Namibia) are lovers of crayfish and snoek and are particularly adept at grilling seafood over open fires. Beach restaurants like Muisbosskerm and Die Strandloper are the places to try mussel kebabs, freshly grilled line-fish and halved crayfish tails basted with butter.


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Theme: Seafood