The Art of It

A family celebration shortly before Christmas gave us the excuse to sample a highly acclaimed local restaurant. Roussouw’s restaurant guide describes it as, “a neighbourhood gem.” Cargills , located in Station Road opposite the Rondebosch Metrorail Station, is a small and intimate restaurant catering to those seeking a superior dining experience. The décor is simple, uncluttered and elegant. A selection of artworks, many for sale, decks the walls. The lighting and colours are soft, creating a relaxed ambience. Its size and popularity with local residents makes reservations essential. The way in which you are welcomed and shown to your table on arrival and the very professional service immediately tells you that this is not an ordinary restaurant but one that takes pride in providing a special experience in the art of fine dining. The menu is small but with enough variety to satisfy most discerning diners. Three of us selected the recommended Camembert in Phyllo ...

About a week ago we played hooky, call it our "staff Christmas outing", and visited the Hillcrest Restaurant on the Durbanville wine estate of the same name. The plan was to do some last minute shopping at the Tyger Valley Centre and then have a relaxing lunch before heading home. Hillcrest Estate is located on the Durbanville wine route, about 20km northeast of Cape Town. It sits high in the Tygerberg Hills with a panoramic views taking in large stretches of Table Bay with Robben Island clearly visible on a clear day. The vineyards stretch in an arc across the hills around the restaurant providing a lush foreground and a delightful country ambience. Hillcrest Restaurant is a popular lunch venue for Capetonians, particularly those living in the northern suburbs. It has a relaxed, informal character with a mix of Mediterranean and local styles. The small menu offers a selection of salads, meat and cheese platters, burgers, sandwiches, daily specials and a selection of d...

Constantia Uitsig is one of those very special places that are probably unique to the City of Cape Town. It's a wine estate producing world-class wines located just 20km from the city, centrally positioned on the peninsula and surrounded by the southern suburbs where we are lucky enough to live. It was originally part of the Groot Constantia Estate and the present homestead dates back to 1894. The farm, now owned by the McCay's, is a favourite spot amongst locals as well as visitors to our wonderful city. It offers a luxury hotel, a spa, three world-class restaurants, stabling for horses, a private cricket oval and a rural atmosphere enhanced by breathtaking views of the vineyards stretching across a valley to the distant mountains in the middle of the bustling southern suburbs. On a recent public holiday we took the short 15-minute drive from our home to the River Café ,located on this magnificent estate, for a sumptuous breakfast. The River Café and adjacent wine shop ha...

Looking to go somewhere new on a recent public holiday we paid a visit to Imhoff Farm and the Blue Water Café. The farm is part of a gift of land made to widow, Christina Rousseau by Baron van Imhoff for her efforts in supplying produce to ships of the Dutch East India Company anchored in Simon’s Bay in the mid-1700’s. The area became known as 'Imhoff’s Gift' and includes the land on which the settlements of Imhoff's Gift, Ocean View and Kommetjie now lie. Today Imhoff Farm has been converted into a commercial centre at which a number of local artists and craftsmen sell their wares. There are shops selling homemade breads and cheese, preserves and pickles and similar farm food products. Activities include pony, horse and camel rides for little kids and big kids and a snake park, which we didn’t visit. The Blue Water Café is a family friendly, relaxed and very casual restaurant. There is an indoor area, a veranda overlooking the Noordehoek Valley and rough ...

Regular readers of the blog will know that we frequently visit Noordhoek Beach, which is a wonderful place to walk the dog and get some interesting photographs. A while ago, planning a family celebration, we thought of going to Noordhoek. Living in Cape Town we have a huge choice of Restaurants. Deciding where to go can be a problem. There are so many options. We often refer to Rousseau’s Restaurant guide, which we have found to be useful and reliable. The guide listed only two restaurants in Noordhoek, neither of which appealed as we wanted somewhere that took advantage of the spectacular surroundings. On previous visits we had seen the Monkey Valley Resort sign but had never been there. Their website listed a restaurant on the premises so we decided to give it a try. The views and atmosphere are breathtakingly beautiful and did not disappoint. You approach the resort via a narrow road under a canopy of Milkwood trees. From the Restaurant you have a magnificent view ove...