SOUTH AFRICA CULINARY DELIGHTS

On arrival into Cape Town, you will be met and transferred to your hotel for the start of your stay in the Mother City. Your first two nights will be spent in the city centre, on the V&A Waterfront, from where you can step out and wander through the bustling scenes.

Explore the V&A Food Market, hosting over 40 local vendors, or wander along the harbour and eat at the Firefish Restaurant to enjoy mouthwatering seafood. Stop in at the Signal Restaurant at the Cape Grace Hotel, The Pot Luck Club in the Silo Hotel, or Nobu in the One&Only Hotel for classic fine dining experiences in one of the most beautiful cities, or see the entrepreneurial talent of Cape Town’s chefs in the Makers Landing space. Head further into the city to FYN for an uniquely African menu with Japanese aesthetic elements. 

Today, explore further south in the south in the city by checking in to your next hotel in Constantia, for another 2 nights of culinary expertise. The Constantia region of Cape Town boasts not only many more culinary delights, but also an incredibly lush and scenic part of the city. 

Pop round the corner to Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia for a set menu of fine dining with produce from the farms own garden, or head around the mountain to Salsify in Camps Bay, for a dinner at the restaurant owned by the former head chef of the famous Test Kitchen. Visit the South African/Nordic fusion restaurant ëlgr, or head to The Foodbarn Restaurant for a french inspired meal from renowned chef Franck Dangereux. The list of outstanding restaurants in Cape Town is endless, and ever-growing, so we can only recommend that you experience them for yourself. 

After checking out of your Cape Town hotel, head out of the city and into the Cape Winelands, for your two night stay in the heart of Franschhoek. Known as the gourmet capital of South Africa, Franschhoek offers some truly unique and exceptional dining.

The classic fine dining experiences can be found at Le Petite Colombe, Le Coin Français or Le Chêne, while more relaxed dining, but equally delectable food can be had at Chefs Warehouse Maison, Protégé or Pierneef à La Motte. Swing by Boschendal and pick up a delicious picnic basket to enjoy in the expansive grounds, or dine in at the The Werf Restaurant where they operate a farm to fork philosophy, having grown a majority of their food on their in house farm. Similarly, Babylonstoren’s Greenhouse restaurant seats you inside a greenhouse for lunch in the gardens, where you can see where all your food was grown.

Hop on the Franschhoek Wine tram for a tour along the famed vineyards of the region, where you can stop in for a wine tasting, lunch, or a tour around the cellars.

Today sees you heading East, along the ever scenic N2 road to Plettenberg Bay at the heart of the Garden Route. Along the way, you can stop in at one of the many padstalls (farm stall in Afrikaans) for a taste of authentic South African road food.

In the coastal town of Plettenberg Bay, take in the varied local food scene, from fine dining at The Plettenberg Hotel, to the casual outdoor lunches at Enricos, with panoramic views over the Keurbooms beach. You will be hard pressed to find fresher seafood than at Fat Fish, or more flavoursome dishes than at Zinzi’s.

Plettenberg Bay is known as the ‘bubbly route’, for it’s collection of wine farms and their production of some award winning Méthode Cap Classique sparkling wines. Stop in at Bramon Wine Estate for some bubbly and tapas style food in amongst the vines, or Newstead Vineyards for a picnic box style lunch and a tasting of their award winning wines. Carry on down the road to Kay & Monty or Lodestone, for the full Plettenberg bubbly route experience. 

This morning takes you East again to the Eastern Cape, where you can check in to your safari lodge, for three nights of game spotting. A safari is about the animals, the birds, the scenery, the sounds and sights of the bush, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be about the food too. While it’s not the place to go if you are looking for elegant, fine dining affairs, it certainly offers some of the most unique settings to enjoy your meals. An experience not to be missed at a game lodge is the Boma dinner.

A Boma was once (and still is) an enclosed area, used to keep livestock in and predators out, and has long become a part of South African culture where food and drink is enjoyed around a fire with friends and family. Today, it is a quintessential part of most safaris, where guests can enjoy a night in the Boma around a fire with the Braai (South African word for Barbeque) cooking dinner, and the lions roaring in the distance.

You will never want to eat breakfast at your kitchen table again after experiencing a bush breakfast, where the ranger will bring you round a corner and drop you at an exquisite looking spread, for you to feast on while the sun rises. 

After a final game drive and breakfast, drop your car at Port Elizabeth airport in time for your overnight flight to Ireland, via Johannesburg.