With a charming setting in a 19th-century house near Company’s Gardens (founded by the Dutch East India Company to supply its passing ships with produce), this is one of the most reliable and refined restaurants in Cape Town. Try dishes such as teriyaki-style wildebeest with oyster mushrooms and apple-sesame seed compote, and duck breast with pumpkin seed couscous.
Overview
From Andrew Harper
South Africa is deservedly renowned for its combination of abundant wildlife and majestic scenery. A safari will likely be the focal point of your trip, but set aside several days to explore cosmopolitan Cape Town and the lovely adjacent Windelands. Numerous daily two-hour flights connect Johannesburg and Cape Town. The famous Blue Train makes a scenic 27-hour journey between Pretoria (near Johannesburg) and Cape Town. The elegant trains feature dining salons, wood-paneled club cars. Each air-conditioned guest compartment comes with a full marble bath en suite, phone, TV and butler button for drinks, laundry service and turndown. Jacket/tie for dinner. Visit bluetrain.co.za. A moreleisurely butequallyluxurious journey may beenjoyed aboard the nostalgic Rovos Rail, which takes two days and two nights to make the same trip and is pulled part of the way by steam engine. Visit rovos.com for details.
The dry and sunny November-April period is high season in the Cape. This is not the best time to visit Kruger and the northeastern safari lodges, so consider instead one of the smaller game areas in the Eastern Cape.
In the northeastern game areas in and around Kruger National Park, the ideal time of year is the cool, dry season from July to October. During this period the weather is agreeable, the bush has thinned (making game-viewing easier) and the animals are forced to congregate near permanent sources of water. The rainy season from December to March should be avoided (and at its height, the area’s dirt roads are often impassable). From April to July, the bush is lush and dense, and the animals scatter owing to an abundance of water. Anti-malaria medication is advised for the northeastern low veld. Be sure to bring a sweater and insulated jacket for the occasionally chilly dawn/dusk game drives. Visitors to South Africa from December to July should consider a safari in the malaria-free Eastern Cape or the Kalahari Desert.
CLIMATE: Johannesburg typifies the central high veld. The safari area of Kruger/Sabi Sand is in the low veld to the northeast. There, summers (December-March) are hot and wet; winters (June-September) are warm and dry. In the Cape, 1,000 miles to the south, summer is hot and dry, while winter is cool and rainy.
TIME: Seven hours ahead of New York (EST).
CURRENCY: Rand (R). Fluctuating rate valued at R8 = US$1.00 as of January 2012.
U.S. EMBASSY: Pretoria, Tel. 12-431-4000. Consulates: Cape Town, Tel. 21-702-7300; Durban, Tel. 31-305-7600; and Johannesburg, Tel. 11-290-3000.
DIRECT DIAL CODES: To phone hotels and restaurants in South Africa, dial 011 (international access) + 27 (South Africa code) + city code and local numbers in listings.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS: Passport containing at least two blank pages. Visit travel.state.gov, and for travelers’ health information, cdc.gov
GENERAL INFORMATION: Visit southafrica.net before your trip.
Hotels
All recommended hotels in South Africa
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Cape Grace World-class 120-room luxury hotel ideally located in a private yacht basin on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, a short stroll from the revitalized wharf’s premier shops. |
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Dock House Boutique Hotel & Spa Built in 1894 as the private residence of the harbormaster, this pretty sandstone house has been converted into an enchanting property of just five rooms and one suite. |
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Ellerman House Distinguished and luxurious mansion-style oasis overlooking the sea in prestigious Bantry Bay. |
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One & Only Cape Town Exceptionally comfortable and hospitable hotel, with superb amenities and the best view in Cape Town. |
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Grande Roche Eighteenth-century country house hotel (a national monument) on a working vineyard. |
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La Residence Sumptuous Tuscan-style villa-hotel amid a 30-acre wine and olive estate in the Franschhoek Valley. |
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Le Quartier Francais Charming auberge backdropped by dramatic cliffs in the delightful wine village of Franschhoek. |
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Birkenhead House Contemporary and smartly styled sanctuary commanding a sweeping point overlooking Walker Bay, 90 minutes southeast of Cape Town. |
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Kurland Hotel Luxurious country house hotel on a 1,500-acre estate between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean, 20 minutes east of Plettenberg Bay. |
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The Plettenberg Refined luxury hotel capping a panoramic headland in upscale Plettenberg Bay, five hours east of Cape Town via the scenic “Garden Route.” |
Villas
All recommended villas in South Africa
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Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate - The Owners Cottage Discreetly luxurious and superbly staffed Cape Dutch villa flanked by lovely gardens and vineyards on the 65-acre Grande Provence estate near Franschhoek. Franschhoek |
Dining
All recommended restaurants in Africa
Aubergine
39 Barnet Street
Cape Town
8001
South Africa
US$70
Bukhara
Come to this very popular restaurant downtown for outstanding Indian food, excellent service and a courtly welcome from owner Sabi Sabharwal. The tandoori seafood dishes are delicious.
33 Church Street
Cape Town
8001
South Africa
US$50
Caveau
This is a wonderful spot for lunch downtown, thanks to its seasonal contemporary Capetonian cuisine. The menu changes daily, but runs to dishes such as grilled sardines with potato croquettes and spicy tomato sauce, and a delicious raisin-flecked bread-and-butter pudding. It is accompanied by a superb selection of top-notch South African wines by the glass.
92 Bree Street
Cape Town
8000
South Africa
US$35
La Colombe
Of the three superb restaurants at the beautiful Constantia Uitsig winery 20 minutes outside of Cape Town, the one we like best is this pretty blue-and-yellow dining room overlooking a courtyard. The cuisine tends to Asian-inflected Mediterranean-style dishes by new chef Scot Kirton. His menus follow the season, but run to dishes such as scallops and pork belly in Black Forest ham velouté and springbok with spinach, foie gras, figs and potatoes in truffle jus.
Uitsig Farm, Spaanschemat River Road
Cape Town
South Africa
US$130
SALT
This mecca for seafood lovers has a spectacular setting above a boulder-lined shore. Begin with one of the signature starters, maybe snoek (a local fish) and potato samosas, or mussels steamed with fennel and saffron, and then try the delicious Cape Malay-style lobster curry, or the superb risotto with shrimp, chorizo sausage, peas and saffron.
Ambassador Hotel
34 Victoria Road
Bantry Bay
South Africa
US$60
The Test Kitchen
Luke Dale-Roberts spent four years as the much-heralded executive chef of La Colombe. In November 2010, he opened a 30-seat restaurant located in The Old Biscuit Mill, home to an eclectic range of markets, designer stores, studios and galleries. Diners can choose between a formal à la carte dining experience and an informal menu served at a bar facing the open kitchen. Representative dishes might include a starter such as foie gras, Jerusalem artichoke and lemon chicken tree with rosemary streusel and leaves, while a main course could be pan-seared lamb fillets with beetroot and jagermeister jus, braised fennel, sweetbreads and macadamia and cauliflower stuffing.
375 Albert Road
Woodstock
South Africa
US$60
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