Cape Town
Western Cape, South Africa
I had a hard time finding things in South Africa when I was there. I really got the feeling that everywhere I went they were still trying to define their identity. Everyone wanted to know what I wanted instead of what they had to offer if that makes sense. Despite all of this I rallied and was able to find out a few things. PS... SA internet is not near as reliable as North American.
I was not able to get anything in Cape Town because I found this all out a little late. However when in Cape Town you need to get a Gatsby. The Gatsby is similar to a sub, some meat and little veg, basically the Paella of subs. Super Fisheries in Cape Flats claims to have invented it after they ran out of fish one day. However when in Cape Town I would recommend going to Miriams Kitchen in St Georges mall downtown. There are apparently better places to go and you could go to Super Fisheries in athlone (just outside Capetown), however Miriams is supposedly the best place downtown.
Also to note, when in South Africa, you need to try springboking (a shooter) and ask for a brandy and coke. One of the staple Bradys would be Klipdrifter and remember the coke doesn’t have fructose corn syrup in it, just real sugar. Real sweetness!
See you at the Two old sport
Durban
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
I didn’t get into Durban proper but I did hear rumors. Apparently the thing to get is called Bunny Chow. There are a lot of myths as to how Bunny Chow started and why, but one of the main ones would be this, according to wikipedia. A restaurant run by people known as Banias (an Indian caste) first created the scooped-out bread and curry dish at a restaurant-cum-cafe called Kapitan's on the corner of Victoria and Albert streets in Durban. The food was a means to serve take-aways to excluded people. During the apartheid regime, Indians were not allowed in certain shops and cafes and so the shop owners found a way of serving the people through back windows, etc. This was an easy and effective way to serve the workers. The traditional Indian meal was roti and beans, however rotis tended to fall apart as a take-away item. So they cut out the centre portion of the bread and filled it with curry and capped the filling with the portion that was cut out.
So lets cut the crap and let you know where to find the best one. Cutting crap however may be easier than trying to find THE place to go to get one of these. Through all of my searching on the net everyone that writes about it says they are all good in their own way. Completely dissatisfied with this answer I have found two that you may want to check out. Britannia Hotel and Goundens Restaurant and TakeAway. The number one guideline however to Bunny Chow is, if you don’t see Indian people frequenting the place of the chow, then that’s all it will be, just chow. No Bunny. Good luck out there fellow bunnyers and chow down!
Chow from the 2
Hout bay
Western Cape, South Africa
If you are in Hout Bay, just South of Cape Town, you need to get some Snoek (Snook), a local fish that you won’t find anywhere else really. However nothing is open in Cape Town and its surrounding areas past 9pm except nice restaurants. So in order to get this most unusual fish you need to go past Mariners Wharf in Hout Bay for lunch on Sunday.
There are actually two places that you can go for this and they are right next to each other. You can go to the original Snoekkies or a place called Fish on the Rocks (which is where I ate). Bring cash and you can get some really nice battered snoek and chips right on the bay. The scenery is wonderful and the snoek is good. It’s a little tough to eat because there are so many bones in it, so take your time with it and enjoy.
Make sure you get some before they are all gone! (seriously)
Snoekered at the 2!