Who Needs Skydiving?

By Samay Bansal, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017

I’m not a very religious man but I'm fairly convinced that if heaven looked like the V&A Food Market, going to temple with my mum every Wednesday would seem a lot less inconvenient. In my travels I had experienced food squares and farmers’ markets before, however, nothing had prepared me for the Chelsea Market of the Southern hemisphere. I was happier than a young boy in a candy store.. although, given the amount of chocolate there was, I could have easily been that over-excited child.

All around me were desserts, fruits, pastries, meats, and delicacies of all shapes and sizes. There was a plethora of colour, varying flavours on every surface imaginable, and a very very happy Indian-Singaporean-American boy in the middle of it all. Sensory overload has never felt better.

The first stall I approached was a Hungarian Flatbread store which supplied the keys to my heart: free samples. I tried their pesto flatbread and fell in love for the second time in South Africa. The menu had 4 versions of the flatbread, but with a little convincing I was able to ask them for a ‘half- half’; Slow-cooked Lamb and Smoked Salmon. The flavours paired delectably, there was the right amount of richness from the meat and fish, light flavour from the aioli, and freshness from the rocket garnished over the flatbread.

Onto the next stall; A snack food that brought me back home, samosas! This stall sold samosas with chicken, beef, pork, ostrich, warthog, and the traditional, potatoes. They came in sets of 5, and needless to say, I ordered 10 (at least one of each version). Whilst some were better than others, I had a bite of each and settled on my favourite, the spiced lamb. As the flavour of lamb lingered in my mouth, I walked around the market a little more and spotted the ‘Lamb Rollover’ stall.

This stall sold a cross between a Kathi Roll (an Indian roll consisting of vegetables/meat in a roti) and the Mexican burrito. I had a lamb roll with avocado, fresh tomatoes, tzatziki, cheese, poppy seeds, rocket, and roasted almonds. The roll was definitely over-stuffed and unfortunately, because of how full we were, under-appreciated. We left half of it un-eaten but the chocolate truffle brownie, apple cider, and donuts we had afterwards were the ends that justified the wastage.

I had eaten so much by the end of the afternoon that I feared my friends would need to roll me out of the food market. Again, I’m not very religious but I think I may have found where god spends his weekends. 

Food that makes you feel at home

By Mariana Faggion Nogueria, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017

Cape Town is a westernized city.  Leaving the port, at V&A Waterfront you are able to see all of that. Restaurants of all places: Italian, Greek, Portuguese cuisines, but not even one was South African cuisine. Actually, South African food is very hard to find, maybe because of the English colonization or the touristic kind of town.

The culinary on the city reminded me places like New York or São Paulo, Brazil (where I’ m from). The huge variety of restaurants and the specialization of simple foods restaurants is what make those places singular. For example, on those cities the turning things as s simple burger in a gourmet dish is a trend.  They are not just meat, bread, cheese and salad anymore. Now they come with different sauces, different ingredients, different combinations and an explosion of tastes. They have become a way of chefs use their techniques. In Cape Town, one of my orders was a burger with alligator meat completed with fresh avocado. On the other, I ordered a salmon sandwich that it was tasteful.

Other high point about the city is the seafood. On the V&A Waterfront you are able to get delicious shrimps, fishes, oysters and more. I haven’t had seafood since December in Brazil, so I was craving for it. My brother and I got a plate with a mix of seafood and it tasted just like home.

My food experience was amazing. Adding up to that, I had wonderful wine and coffee, making the overall experience outstanding. The food was amazing and it brought me back home in every sense.

Charming and delicious – three times in a row

By Allison Doucette, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017

“Food you want to leave home for.  Food you feel at home with.”  It says it right on the menu and it is 100% true, as I found out on my three separate occasions.

 The first night I went to Life Grand Café it was purely out of convenience and atmosphere.  The restaurant had décor that I liked and it was one of the first ones I came across.  We were starving and decided to sit here.  We even brought our own wine and they uncorked it and poured it for us.  The food was about a 20-minute wait which seemed like 4 hours because we were hungry but the restaurant was packed so we knew it was something waiting for.  Once it finally came out the table was silent and we only made sounds of amazement because the food was so good.  I chose to have a pasta dish with filet on top and it was amazing.  I had it with my red wine that we brought from a vineyard earlier in the day and I left barely able to move because I was so stuffed. 

On the next night when we were debating where to eat, we thought, why not go back to a place we know is amazing?  They sell their “comfortable classics from the kitchen with a little twist” very well and kept us coming back for more.  This time we sat outside and they even offered us blankets in case we were cold, which we declined but the offer was still there.  This time I had a fetta and butternut squash, brick-oven pizza paired with a strawberry margarita.  Everything was amazing once again and the service seemed a bit quicker this time. 

The third night was when we were truly amazed.  I tried to order a white Russian, which they were unaware of and didn’t have the capability of making, so instead I ordered a whisky and ginger and had to walk them through how to make it.  When I received my drink the Jameson was in the glass with ice and the ginger ale was on the side, an odd way to serve a drink, but it was the best one I had ever had.  I chose to splurge this night and have the Afrikaners beef which was the chef’s cut of beef and melted in your mouth.  I had it with a mushroom sauce and some grilled vegetables. 

This night it was raining so all of their outdoor seating was eliminated, making a very intimate setting and very speedy service due to the lack of customers.  We were able to ask our waiter for recipes, we talked to the manager, and we were able to rave to them about how much we loved their food, which they truly appreciated.  Never did I think I would go to a foreign country and eat in the same restaurant three nights in a row but the Life Grand Café was too good to resist for a second and third time. 

Foodies on Foot

By Amy Squire, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017

I had the chance to experience a lot of great food when I was in South Africa but I think that my favorite time was with the Foodies On Foot program though Semester at Sea.

Our tour took us to the city of Stellenbosch where we started out with a brief history of the city itself.  Next we met a chef who gave us wine from his family’s winery and then made us a beautiful charcuterie platter. It had local cheese, meat, grapes, peppers, kale and bread.

The next place we went to was a chocolatier called Le Chocolatier where we got to sample 3 different chocolates. I got a Crème Brule, a coconut, and a dark chocolate covered cherry. All three were amazing. We then had another wine tasting at a place called Love Wine. The owner of the shop gave us lessons on how to taste the wine by smelling, looking and swirling the cup. We also had little snacks of dried meat that we ate with each different wine we sampled.

Finally, we went to a coffee shop called Blue Crane Coffee where we learned how to make a cold brew and sampled some cakes. Overall the whole experience was delightful and I loved the city itself. I wish I had many more days to spend wander and eating in this little town of Stellenbosch. 

Ostrich in Cape Town

By Abby Coyle, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017

I had never even seen an ostrich in real life, let alone thought about eating one, before going to Cape Town. Now, it might be morbid that I rode ostrich just hours before going to Kloofstreet House where I had an ostrich steak for dinner, but both were an awesome experience. There is an ostrich farm about thirty minutes outside of Cape Town where you can learn about, feed, and even sit on ostriches. It was such a funny activity, and I actually learned a lot. At the farm I learned that ostrich is one of the most nutritional and low caloric meats. When I saw it on the menu at Kloofstreet House, and after hearing the waiter highly recommend it, I knew I had to try it.

Kloofstreet House is one of the best restaurants I have ever been to and I highly highly suggest going there. From the truffle polenta fries to the calamari to the ostrich steak, everything was absolutely amazing. The ostrich steak tasted just like a traditional steak. It was juicy red, tender, and mouth watering. And best of all.. it is healthy! I will definitely be making a trip back to Cape Town, and making a reservation at the Kloofstreet House just for the ostrich steak. 

South Africa- a culinary Mecca

By Cristina Mulder, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017

I do not even know where to being with all the amazing places there is to eat in Cape Town. Lets start with Sunday brunch at Café Caprice in Camps Bay. Start off your day with their signature passion fruit cocktail and your choice of salad or wrap. This is one of those places where you get there at noon and leave after sunset. 

Monday morning you want to start your day with a big, healthy breakfast. Make your way to Clarke’s on Breë Street for a three-egg omelet with a side of bacon and a delicious granola and yogurt bowl. The menu is small, but everything on it is amazing and exactly what you need. If you are in the mood for something sweet, their French toast is a must.

If you are looking for another great breakfast place, Manna Epicure is where you want to go. Located in Kloof Street, this place has outdoor seating with big tables that are perfect for groups. As a starter, the cauliflower pizza and the calamari are a great combination. Then you can make your own omelet, or sandwich, or if you are looking for something a little sweeter, their French toast with banana and bacon will do it.  

Finally, before you leave Cape Town, you have to go to Kloof Street House for dinner. Start off with their signature drink called “the pornstar”, a sweet passion fruit cocktail that is big enough to share between four people. The spinach and feta spring rolls and the polenta fries are great appetizers. Then if you are feeling adventurous, the ostrich is one of their signature dishes that you must try – just make sure you order it medium rare. If you are still hungry and find yourself around the area, Black Sheep, Asoka and Villa 47 are other great restaurants to go at night. There are so many great places to try in Cape Town

Cape Town Eats

By Cristina Mulder, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017

I do not even know where to being with all the amazing places there is to eat in Cape Town. Lets start with Sunday brunch at Café Caprice in Camps Bay. Start off your day with their signature passion fruit cocktail and your choice of salad or wrap. This is one of those places where you get there at noon and leave after sunset. 

Monday morning you want to start your day with a big, healthy breakfast. Make your way to Clarke’s on Breë Street for a three-egg omelet with a side of bacon and a delicious granola and yogurt bowl. The menu is small, but everything on it is amazing and exactly what you need. If you are in the mood for something sweet, their French toast is a must.

If you are looking for another great breakfast place, Manna Epicure is where you want to go. Located in Kloof Street, this place has outdoor seating with big tables that are perfect for groups. As a starter, the cauliflower pizza and the calamari are a great combination. Then you can make your own omelet, or sandwich, or if you are looking for something a little sweeter, their French toast with banana and bacon will do it.  

Finally, before you leave Cape Town, you have to go to Kloof Street House for dinner. Start off with their signature drink called “the pornstar”, a sweet passion fruit cocktail that is big enough to share between four people. The spinach and feta spring rolls and the polenta fries are great appetizers. Then if you are feeling adventurous, the ostrich is one of their signature dishes that you must try – just make sure you order it medium rare. If you are still hungry and find yourself around the area, Black Sheep, Asoka and Villa 47 are other great restaurants to go at night. There are so many great places to try in Cape Town

Experiencing food in South Africa

By Adrian Parker, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017

South Africa was definitely a great food experience for me because of how diverse and fresh the food seemed to be. Being in South Africa definitely felt like I was in America (in more ways than one). They had eggs and bacon for breakfast, hamburgers and fries for lunch, and steak and potatoes for dinner. So, when it came to experiencing new and different foods, I cannot say that I did, but what I did notice was the random and discrete meat options that had for some meals. For example, when they had omelets they would offer the familiar bacon and ham, but they also would have pig kidney or beef liver as an option. I am very used to eating foods like that in my house when my mother cooks, but I have never seen those meat options in the type of restaurants we were in.

Even talking to other students, there was an obvious consensus that South Africa felt a lot like America, so it came as a surprise when they didn’t share the same brands that Americans use. They also lacked the amount of fast food that I was expecting (in the area that I was in which was Kalk Bay). They had ketchup, but not Heinz, they had Cola, but not Pepsi, and so on. At the end of the day I can conclude that South Africa definitely has much fresher and healthier food options that seem to only be a trend in America. I also had the great opportunity to go to the grocery store and cook about half of all the meals that I ate in South Africa. We often cooked eggs with fresh avocado, spinach, bell peppers, and mushrooms. For dinner we would cook spicy jalapeno chicken and beef stir fry that had onions, lemons, bell peppers, and other fresh vegetables that we bought at the local markets. We also had fresh watermelons, bananas, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, and plums!

Food traditions in the townships of South Africa

By Erin McNeill, Semester at Sea, Spring 2017

When my father first suggested we go to the townships for dinner my first day in Cape Town, I was skeptical. In our pre port orientation to Cape Town,  we had been told to stay away from those areas as they were extremely dangerous. My mother was adamantly against it but my father soon convinced me and we headed off.

The restaurant was in a home and our taxis were met by people tasked to guard them while we were inside. There were bars that could be pulled across the front of the door like a jail cell. Still, despite all the uncertainty leading up to the meal, it was the best food I had in all of South Africa. The restaurant was called Mzansi and it was run by a woman known only to us as Mama. She lived up to the name. I have never had a more gracious host. We were served on a homemade buffet. Everything about the place and the people who worked there made you feel welcomed. We feasted on spinach, roasted root vegetables, crispy potatoes, chakalaka (a South African salad or relish), rolled eggplant with cinnamon and stewed meat. Another interesting menu item was Umngqushod,  a mixture of white corn and sugar beans. This dish was pronounced with the traditional clicks found in a few of the languages of South Africa. The spinach was incredible and had more flavor than I expected. We were also given an option for Pinotage wine. Pinotage grapes are native only to South Africa. Everyone’s favorite part of the meal was the malva pudding which is a traditional Dutch dish that has become a staple of South Africa. It is a soft spongy cake with apricot and a dense cream sauce poured across the top. It was truly delicious. Despite how delicious this dish was, something much deeper came from this meal.

There are times in your dining experiences that the atmosphere is more important to the meal than the food itself and this was true of Mzansi. The food was incredible, but the people even more so. She asked us how many of us had been told we would die if we came to the townships for dinner; most of us raised our hands. She said that for the 50 reservations she had had for that night, 15 people had shown up. Sometimes not even that many would. Her restaurant survived thus far due to the efforts of students traveling through South Africa. They fell in love with the food and with Mama and wrote about her on Trip Advisor. Her popularity there boomed with hundreds of five star reviews and recommendations until she was the top of the board. Still, few people seek out this place for fear of their safety. I will also leave my review on TripAdvisor once home in hopes of sending more adventuring food lovers her way.