Manna Epicure - Chic design

Manna Epicure is on Kloof Street near Cafe Paradiso. The theme of the restaurants are totally different however. Manna Epicure is trendy, the interior of the restaurant is all white with lots of glass and a chandelier (Stark-ish?).

Denise from Freshly Found has more photos of Manna Epicure to give you a sense of the place.

Manna Epicure claims to serve tapas though it was not really what I expected. It was more of a variety of dips (hummus, eggplant, olives etc.) that go with bread and some main courses like sandwiches. I liked that they had a variety of fruit juices and teas that was very refreshing!

Here's my orange avocado soup that was quite yummy!


They also serve great juices and refreshing ice teas.

Chomp Meter: This the place to be seen, and a wonderful place for a light lunch. Decor is trendy and the food is creative.

Manna Epicure
151 Kloof Street
Cape Town
27-21/426-2413

Cafe Paradiso

This is a great place to dine al fresco in sunny Cape Town weather. We kind of stumbled upon this place. I was meaning to take the SO to Manna Epicure instead but it's closed on Mondays! Boo.


(Photo courtesy of SouthAfricaLogue.com)

Anyway Cafe Paradiso was a great find. Definitely a favorite among locals as well because we ran into the owner of the B&B where we stayed here! Purely coincidental, she hadn't recommended this place to us previously.

Cafe Paradiso is on Kloof street (on the slopes of Table Mountain). A short walk way from lots of restaurants and shops. This is where the office workers head for a relaxing lunch. I highly going to HeartWorks a few doors down for handmade African souveneirs. Not the kitschy stuff but nice high quality carvings, ceramics, etc. Very designer looking but at great prices. We chatted for a bit with the owner who travels around Africa sourcing the nicest items from local craftsman.

But back to Cafe Paradiso. Here's the butternut, fig and rice pilaf I got. It was fresh, yummy, and light. Just what I was looking for:


If you are looking for something heavier, they also have a variety of meats, including ostrich and rabbit. There's also a large selection of wines and beers. The style is South African with a French twist. I highly recommend this restaurant for lunch on a nice sunny day. There's seating in a garden setting and just in case you get too hot, large umbrellas.

Cafe Paradiso
110 Kloof Street
Gardens
8001
(Neighbourhood: Gardens / Kloof Street)

Chomp Meter:
Great place for lunch as you tour the Kloof Street area! This was one of my favorite meals of the trip, maybe because it was unexpected and unpretentious. Simple food yet creative and done well. I loved it.

Oh and don't forget to stop by Vida E Caffe for coffee after walking around!

News Cafe - Internet at Last!

News Cafe is another popular chain in South Africa. Apparently they also have stores in Nigeria and Botswana. What I like about News Cafe is that they have internet access and is also open late.

The internet access is not well publicized so you have to ask one of the staff about it. They will give you a card with a passcode which you can use to access the web on from laptop. Each card is good for about 10M of data. Internet access is expensive in South Africa.

Here's the inside of a typical News Cafe. (Photo courtesy of getawayafrica.com):


Chomp Meter: Decent place to stop by for coffee or breakfast or whenever you need to use the internet! They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Typical American type fare. I've only had the breakfast before.

News Cafe locations in Cape Town (Western Cape):

Artscape Theatre
Phone: 021 410 9852
Artscape Theatre, DF Malan Dr, Foreshore

Century City
Phone: 021 551 2225
The Coliseum, Century Way

Cape Town Int.
Phone: 021 934 1341
International Arrivals

Greenpoint
Phone: 021 434 6196
Exhibition Building, Main Road


Table View
Phone: 021 557 6336
1 Beach Boulevard, Tableview

Vida e Caffe - South Africa's Starbucks?

I was surprised to find that there is no Starbucks in Cape Town but who needs mediocre Starbucks coffee when there are a ton of cafes serving awesome coffee!

My favorite South African "chain" is Vida e Caffe.
Vida e Caffe = Coffee and Life in Portuguese. I love everything about it, from the clean design of the store, chill music, to the coffee, the simple menu, pastries and the Portuguese theme.

Very trendy eh?


Vida Caffe serves a variety of coffee drinks including lattes, capuccinos, espressos, frozen coffees, all served with their signature, a small piece of Lindt dark chocolate.

You HAVE to stop by and grab a cup of coffee and a cream filled croissant(carnetti) or egg tart (pasteis de nata).

Chomp Meter: Highly recommended. Definitely stop by at least once!

Their Cape Town locations include:

Camps Bay
Shop 1 Isaacs Corner
55-61 Victoria Road
Camps Bay
Phone: 021 424 5829

Canal Walk
Shop 404 & 406
Upper Level, Canal Walk Shopping Center
Century City, Milerton 7441
Phone: 021 552 3560

Green Point
Corner Portswood and Somerset/Main Rd
Green Point
Cape Town
Phone: 021 434 7266


Kloof Street
Shop 1 Mooikloof
34 Kloof Street
Gardens, Cape Town
Phone: 021 426 0627

Sea Point
Shop 11
Da Luz Mall
Sea Point Main Road
Cape Town
Phone: 021 424 5730


V&A Waterfront
Shop 6100
Victoria and Albert
Waterfront
Phone: 021 425 9440


Wembley Square
McKenzie Street
Gardens 8001
Phone: 021 465 8644

(Lots of touristy locations so you have no excuse not to go!)

See complete list of locations.