cape town restaurants - Inspired Living SA

Eating Out, Food, Restaurant Reviews, Taste

Spasie Underground Restaurant

If you love eating out but are in need of something a bit different, then Spasie Underground Restaurant is definitely the place for you! When I first saw mention of Spasie Underground Restaurant on Twitter, I was most intrigued. Which would make it was no surprise, when the invitation to dine there popped up in my inbox – I jumped at the chance.

Spasie Underground Restaurant is certainly not your run of the mill eatery! Nestled amongst the eclectic mix of bulidings in Bo-Kaap, once the HQ of Haas Coffee, Spasie is both unexpected, as well as charming, which makes the concept even more successful.

A dining experience rather than just a meal out, Spasie Underground Restaurant is the concept of Greg Zeleny, who you may know as the founder of Secret Eats. At Spasie, guests gather at a long chefs table for a more intimate evening of dining, enjoying great company, amazing food and wine.

Each week a guest chef is invited to Spasie Underground Restaurant, to create a custom 4 or 5 course menu, complete with wine pairings. Chefs are given complete creative control, giving them the opportunity to move away from their daily routine and create something truly magical and different in the Spasie kitchen!

Spasie is open Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for dinner and soon to be open for Sunday brunch. The “chefs table” menu is on offer on Thursday and Friday evenings, with Wednesday themed as a “speakeasy” evening, also known as #PWW or Pocket Watch Wednesdays.

Our menu was prepared by Chef, Jaco Redelinghuys from Yoco Eatery in Durbanville Cape Town. Chef Jaco is all about bringing fine eating to everyday life, he is passionate about food and fresh produce.

The art is in the eating. ~ Jaco Redelinghuys

The wines paired with our menu, for the evening, were all from Kaapzicht Wines in Stellenbosch. We started our evening with a French Onion Soup Tarlet, paired with the Kaapzicht Chenin Blanc .

Next on the menu was a beautifully presented Vegetable Mille Feuille. The vegetables were wonderfully al dente, lightly charred, with a slight smokey flavour. The mille feuille was served with creamy Goats Cheese and a delicious Parmesan Crumb, for added texture. The dish was paired with a marvelously crisp Kaapzicht Sauvignon Blanc.

As a palette cleanser Jaco served a Passion Fruit Sorbet, made from home-grown passion fruit – it was amazingly zingy.

For mains we enjoyed a perfectly cooked Fillet Mignon, served with La Pomme de Terre, Root Vegetable Puree and Green Beans. The fillet was paired with the Kaapzicht Cabernet Sauvignon, which complimented the dish beautifully!

For desert Jaco served the masterfully crafted and aptly named French Countryside in Autumn. When the dish first arrived, we were all in awe of the creative genius behind such an artfully presented creation – it really looked too beautiful to eat! The mushroom, made from meringue, was set on a bed of “chocolate” soil, edible leaves and stones, with berries dotted about to cut through the sweetness.

What a delicious meal and fabulous evening at Spasie, it is definitely something we will do again soon. Thank you to the great staff and the remarkably talented chef Jaco, from Yoco Eatery.

Booking for these exclusive evenings is essential and cost from R650/person, which includes your complete food and wine experience. To see the list of upcoming chefs and make a booking visit the Spasie Underground Restaurant website or call them on 021 422 1492.

Image Source: Jaco Redelinghuys – ST Photography

Disclosure Ranking: 4

Eating Out, Food, Restaurant Reviews, Taste

Catharina’s at Steenberg Hotel and Farm

You may have read a recent post I did featuring my stay at the stunning Steenberg Hotel. As I illustrated in the article Steenberg Hotel and Farm is a one-stop luxury destination. As well as a tasting room there are two great restaurants on the estate. I promised I would give you a bit more detail about the “in-house” dining offered on the estate, so here goes. [Read more…]

Eating Out, Food, Restaurant Reviews, Taste

Kyoto Garden Sushi

Kyoto Garden Sushi Review

I have read and heard so much about Kyoto Garden Sushi recently. I must admit the name is rather deceptive because is not just a simple sushi bar! In fact it is what I would consider to be Japanese fine dining. Kyoto Garden Sushi is situated in Kloof Nek, in the heart of the Cape Town CBD.

The evening we picked for dinner was a typical Cape winters night. Picture it, howling wind and driving rain, we actually lost our umbrella walking to the restaurant! I know most of you are thinking, an umbrella in Cape Town, in winter, why bother! Needless to say, we were happy to eventually arrive at our destination and be out of the rain, which naturally stopped once we were inside!

Kyoto Garden Sushi is the perfect spot for a romantic dinner for two. The dimly lit, elegant, zen inspired interior, is welcoming, with a wonderfully relaxed ambience. After a rather stressful day, it was exactly what we both needed! The only negative with the dim lighting, is the poor quality of my photographs!

Happily ensconced at our corner table, we poured over the drinks menu. Kyoto offers a wonderful selection of innovative cocktails, Japanese Beers and wines, which would please most connoisseurs. I opted for a delicious sounding Kyoto Cosmo and the hubby a Japanese beer.

With our rather limited experience of Japanese cuisine, we took the lead from owner and waiter for the evening, Scott, who interestingly enough hails from LA but spent quite a bit of time in Japan, perfecting his menu ideas for Kyoto. Scott guided us through the menu and gave us his recommendations. I must admit I felt rather overwhelmed and wanted to taste everything but we eventually narrowed it down and ordered a few dishes.

We started with the freshest Tuna Tartar, served with Daikon Radish and Wakame, Fresh Oysters with three flavours and Fresh Japanese Coleslaw with Crayfish. All three dishes were amazing, all the ingredients were extremely fresh, which Kyoto is renowned for. We decided on a crisp Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc to accompany the rest of our meal.

Next we ordered The Sea, one of the soups off the menu. The Sea is a clear broth with prawns, clams, octopus, mussel, scallops and seaweed. I can honestly say this dish is like nothing I have ever tasted before. It does in fact taste like The Sea! Delicious!

Scott recommended that we try a tempura dish, which happens to be a favourite of mine. I chose the Vegetables, Prawn and Bay Scallop Tempura, as my main meal. The batter was wonderfully light and I loved the combination of seafood and vegetables.

For mains Grant decided on the Steamed Fish in Bamboo Pot. To be honest this was probably my least favourite dish {yes I taste everything} of the evening but he really enjoyed it!

You will probably be amazed but we did not try any sushi. I have heard that the sushi is delicious but there were too many other dishes, which we wanted to try. Next time!

Although full I had to try a desert! In fact we ordered two. I had the Toasted Tofu, with Ginger Ice Cream and a hint of lime. Admittedly I am not a tofu lover but Scott said this was his creation, so I had to try it! It was amazing – the Tofu was unlike any that I have tasted before and I love ginger, so it was the perfect combination.

Grant ordered the Black Sesame Seed Ice Cream, which sounded as intriguing. Both deserts were amazing and I would go back just for those!

To round off the evening Scott suggested we try some Sake. I have had Sake once before and was not keen on it. He brought us a selection of three to taste: the House Sake, Raspberry Sake and a Refined Sake. To be honest I do not think Sake is something I will be making a habit if drinking in the future but the Refined one was definitely the best.

A rather interesting discovery I made at Kyoto, is the fact that there is such a thing as Japanese Whiskey – who knew! Kyoto offers quite an extensive selection of Japanese Whiskey but I am afraid I was not brave enough to sample any.

Our evening was truly a unique taste experience, one which I thoroughly enjoyed and we will definitely be going back. The highlights for me were the stunning Tempura, such a light batter and the rather unusual Tofu desert with Ginger Ice Cream. The only thing I must warn you about, is it is not a budget evening out and you can look at spending at minimum of R200 for a three course meal but in my opinion it is worth it!

Contact Details: Tel: 021 422 2001, Address: 11 Lower Kloofnek Road, Cape Town, Dinner: Open 5.30pm-11pm. Twitter @KyotoSushiCT

Disclosure Ranking:2

Eating Out, Eating Out With Children, Food, Restaurant Reviews, Taste

What’s Hot The Clubhouse Winter Menu

My hubby and I were recently invited to enjoy The Clubhouse Winter Menu, we have never eaten at The Clubhouse before, so I was really keen to give it a try! I picked a Friday evening when we were in fact “childless”, so it ended up being an impromptu date night!

The Clubhouse is situated at the Claremont Cricket Club in Constantia, with views of the stunning Constantia Valley and Table Mountain. They are open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday 12:00-23:00 and Sunday 12:00-18:00. The restaurant prides themselves on being family-friendly, in fact children under 12 eat for free on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4-7 pm!

The Cluhouse interior is light and bright, with casual relaxed decor, which makes it the perfect place to unwind and have a chilled dinner. The fireplace is the perfect place to warm up and get cozy, so remember to request a table close by. This is especially perfect during these cold winter months!

After perusing the rather extensive menu, we decided to start off with Smoked Paprika Prawns and Salt and Pepper Baby Calamari with a Paprika and Lemon Mayo – my favourite was definitely the Salt and pepper baby calamari. I did not dislike the prawns but felt they were a bit overpowered by the tomato based sauce.

It was a rather cold winters evening, so I simply had to try the Slow roasted lamb shank in a red wine sauce with carrots, celery and garlic! It was rather delicious but be warned it it is a huge meal!

My hubby had the Beef Fillet served on garlic mash, with a side of sauteed spinach and a pepper sauce. The fillet was equally delicious and in my hubby’s words “the best steak I have had in a long time!”

We were both quite stuffed after the meal but could not resist the rather decadent sounding Sticky Toffee Pudding with dates and pecan nuts, served with clotted cream, which just happens to be one of my favourite winter deserts!

No evening meal would be complete with out a coffee and The Clubhouse did not disappoint – their double espresso was wonderfully strong and aromatic!

We really enjoyed our meal at the Clubhouse the food and service were both great! They also have extensive wine list and a separate kids menu. The main menu caters for the not so hungry, with light meals and salads on offer, as well as pizza’s and a great selections of starters and main’s. I found the menu well priced, with pizza’s ranging from R65 to a Fillet steak at R130.

I would recommend The Clubhouse, especially for family dining and I know we will definitely be heading back with our girls – I am really keen to try their delicious looking pizza’s!

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Location: Constantia Sports Complex, Constantia Main Road, Constantia, Cape Town, 7800. Contact Tel: 021 – 794 6314

Disclosure Ranking:2

Eating Out, Eating Out With Children, Food, Restaurant Reviews, Taste

What’s Hot Oh My Burger

I am not sure about you but Friday is my night off from cooking! It is usually a take-away and a dvd or we pop out for a quick bite with the family. Either way Friday night calls for a chilled evening, with delicious soul food and great company!

What better way to chill and relax into the weekend, than by enjoying a yummy gourmet burger! So What’s Hot on the burger scene in Cape Town? Well if it is Southern Suburbs relaxed dining you are looking for, then Oh My Burger, is your answer to gourmet-burger dining ~ at its best! Oh My Burger (OMB) is situated in the Westlake Lifestyle Centre. OMB is open only 4 nights a week at a restaurant, which doubles as an organic deli/ bakery during the day.

OMB is the wonder child of local Capetonian Karin Volbrecht.

Burgers are my passion,” says Karin. “I wanted to create a place where people could get together and enjoy a delicious selection of gourmet burgers, and that is how the OMB concept was born. Each of our burgers has been very carefully created to marry the best taste experiences into one satisfying, tasty, wholesome meal.”

We recently visited OMB for a family night out {aka me not wanting to cook!} and a great opportunity to sample a few of their burgers. The menu caters to meat-eaters, chicken-eaters, ‘Tim Noakes” eaters and even vegetarians, with the hand-made, home-made kidney bean, potato and sweet corn patty, or the OMB Black Mushroom – a large black mushroom, drizzled with home-made pesto and topped with hallumi cheese. Added to the mix are options of either potato or sweet potato chips or “Posh Chips” – to wet the appetite, Posh Chils can be drizzled with truffle oil and lightly dusted with pamersan cheese.

I decided to try the top selling burger, which is the Babe Burger, a hand-made beef burger topped with crispy bacon, avo and Emmentaler cheese. It was delicous and if you take away the roll and you have the perfect Banting Meal {I did not as Friday night is my “cheat-night”!!!} The hubby had the Lamb Burger, while the girls opted for the OMB burger. The food was really good and we all felt extremely satisfied{mildly stuffed actually – be warned the burgers are huge!}

The OMB burgers range from R65 for the OMB Burger to R110 for The Fat Boy Burger and even the little people are taken care of with a kiddies burger costing R48. If it is something sweeter you are after why not try one of their delicious milkshakes R24 for a small and R34 for a large!

So if you are looking for somewhere to eat on a Wednesday to Saturday evening, that will keep you coming back for more, make sure you pay a visit to OMB. For more info please visit the Oh My Burger facebook page and also find them on twitter and Pintrest.

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Where: 12 Westlake Lifestyle Centre, Westlake 7966 Cape Town

When: Wed – Sat 6:00pm – 10pm

Contact: Karin 082 9049577

Disclosure Ranking:2