Minato Japanese Restaurant in Cape Town

My interest was piqued after reading reviews of this Minato in Capetown.

Minato Japanese restaurant has a cult following. Apparently the owner and chef (Mr Minato duh) has a little bit of a temper. Reservations are always required, and they sit only 35 people a night. You can only order once and don't complain about your food!

We arrived at Minato's with high hopes. The restaurant is in a dingy part of town (near some strip joints). The entrance to Minato's is uninviting. A grill gate with a sign that says "Fully Booked". We were taken inside by a goth waitress that you'd be more likely to see at a bar.

I'm not sure if this is common at Minato, but they didn't have many sushi or sashimi specials the day we were there. We had to order the sushi set. I think the chef expects most people to order the set and is very careful about the amount of fish he orders. For example, we couldn't order tuna ala carte?!

The inside was dark and eclectically decorated with random Japanese artifacts including a white silk kimono.


We ordered some appetizers, including agedashi tofu and a couple sushi sets. The sushi was well cut and the pieces of fish were very generous. All in all I thought it was a pretty decent sushi restaurant though I would have liked to see more creative ingredients and local fish. There was only salmon and tuna the night we were there!



Chomp Meter: Nothing exciting if you have had good sushi elsewhere in the world. However, it might just be the best sushi restaurant in Cape Town, not Benkei.

They also have a fan club on facebook.


Minato's Japanese Restaurant - Cape Town
4 Buiten Street, City Centre
Cape Town
South Africa

Sushi / Japanese Restaurants in Capetown

So sushi is extremely popular in Cape Town. Who would have known! Almost all restaurants offer it, most commonly as an appetizer.

As a sushi snob, I found that the quality of the sushi is not as good as you would get in the U.S. or Asia. The fish is very fresh, but the cuts are not done right. Here's a brief review in general of the restaurants I ate at. If you only have a few days in Cape Town, don't bother with the sushi. Anyway I don't think Cape Town is known for its sushi.


Tank Review
This restaurant is in the recently developed Cape Quarter. It has several restaurants situated in a courtyard and the ambience is nice on a summer's evening.

Tank was more about being seen then the food. The restaurant is interestingly decorated with large fish tanks at the front of the restaurant. The food was somewhat expensive and average. We should have tried one of the other restaurants in the courtyard instead.



The Tank Restaurant | Sushi Bar
Cape Quarter, Cape Town
Phone: 021 419 0007

Benkei Sushi Review
I found this description on Oaktreelodge website.

"In fact, on his recent trip to South Africa, world-renowned chef, Nobu Matsuhisa, rated Benkei Cape Town as one of the top Japanese restaurants in town. Benkei is well supported and very popular amongst lovers of Japanese cuisine. "

They must be kidding right? Anyway I suppose it is "best" in Cape Town and Nobu is rather last year. We went to Benkei it was really just OK. The restaurant wasn't very crowded. I had the chirashi and some sushi. There is also a sushi buffet some evenings if that is your thing.

Benkei Sushi
Shop 3
Paramount Place
105 Main Road
Greenpoint
8001

Minato Japanese Restaurant Review
This warrants a longer discussion. Click on the link for my review.


Willoughby & Co.
This restaurant at the V&A waterfront has gotten some raves for its sushi. I haven't tried it so I can't really comment.

Peri Peri Chicken at Nando's

There are very few Nando's Restaurants in the U.S. so this place is quite a novelty for Americans. Nando's is a chain restaurant from South Africa famous for it's Portuguese themed food, specifically peri peri chicken.

Prices are relatively cheap and the portions are large. You can specify the level of spiciness in their dishes. There's lemon herb, medium, hot and extra hot. I ate here twice while in Cape Town.

I had the peri peri chicken once, the gizzard starter appetizer (I really liked this!), wings, and a stew of some sort that came in a copper pot.

(L) The stew. I recommend sharing this item because the portion is really huge. (R) Peri Peri Chicken


Chomp Meter: It's good but I wouldn't go out of the way to eat there. Nando's also has branches in London, Dubai, and Toronto. But I suppose this is the mother ship!

Nando's
Camps Bay
The Promenade Building, Victoria Road, Camps Bay
(It is on the main street by the beach, you can't miss it.)

SeaPoint
128 Main Rd, Sea Point - next to Engen

One Waterfront Restaurant Review

Photo from the Cape Grace Hotel website.

One Waterfront Restaurant at the Cape Grace Hotel was one of the best places we ate at while in Cape Town. It's more of an upscale experience with attentive service(think white tablecloths) but still very affordable by Western standards.

The style of food is western with heavy South African influence. When I ate there, the menu boasted a variety of game meats and traditional South African desserts like Malva pudding and Koeksisters. Everything we had was well prepared and delicious. The breads were good too!

Here's what I had. A foie pate and South African lamb:


My companions had springbok steak:


Dessert of Koeksisters (L) and a chocolate cake (R)



Chomp Meter: A great restaurant for a nice dinner at the V&A Waterfront with gorgeous views. It's not as centrally located but I think that's perfect since you get away from the crowds. I tried several restaurants at the V&A Waterfront itself like Baia and the food there was mediocre as with most touristy hotspots. It's also nice because you can walk back to the mall after dinner for some shopping.

Some other restaurants I wanted to visit but didn't have the time are Aubergine, Showroom (ex chef from One Waterfront), Five Flies and Savoy Cabbage.

One Waterfront Restaurant
Cape Grace Hotel
West Quay Road, V&A Waterfront
Cape Town, South Africa
Tel: +27 21 410 7100

Cape Farmhouse Restaurant Review

I highly recommend stopping here for lunch enroute to Cape Point.


Cape Farmhouse Restaurant a little further out than Hout Bay and the like but worth the wait. I really like this farmhouse cafe because it is hidden away from the bustling touristy towns. The dining area is set in a garden where you can have a leisurely lunch. Now you're really on vacation!

You dine under the umbrellas in the back. Doesn't it feel European?


The food is simple but fresh and delicious.



This is a favorite spot among locals as well. I spied a couple of South African families having a Sunday lunch with little kids playing in the garden. And you can even say hi to their little mascot. Isn't he adorable?



Chomp Meter: Completely worth a trip. I went to Cape Point twice, stopping by at Simonstown for lunch the first time. I would much rather have eaten at Cape Farmhouse.


Cape Farmhouse Restaurant
The Cape Farmhouse restaurant is 3km from Scarbourgh
at the bottom of Red Hill - Junction M66 & m65.
It's about 30 minutes from Cape Point.

Review of Moyo at Spier Winery (Stellenbosch, South Africa)

Moyo, for lack of better description is a African Disneyland type place in the Winelands. It's one stop shopping if you want to sample a variety of South African dishes, though I have to warn you that they are quite mediocre-ly done.

Tents and people dressed in costumes. Epcot center?


The environment is charming though artificial. There are little tents for couples and a single large one for everyone else. The food here is served buffet style with different stands for different types of meats. You can sample all kinds of game ranging from ostrich to springbok. There's also a variety of salads (think international buffet) and dishes such as bobotie and potjie.

The Buffet Line (L) My Plate (R)



Chomp Meter: Ok if you're short on time and want to sample the various types of local food. I found the dishes rather salty and I don't think they're truly authentic. Probably fun for kids.

Moyo - Stellenbosch
R310 Lynedoch Road
Stellenbosch
South Africa

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

Mama Africa - Touristy but Worth a Trip

Mama Africa is one of those places some may turn their nose at for being touristy but we are after all tourists, let's indulge :)

While in Cape Town, I felt a little cheated initially. The food I'd been eating didn't seem unique to the region. You know basically western. Hey aren't we in Africa? So anyway I was pretty pleased to hear about Mama Africa. Springbok here I come!

We ordered a platter which had a sampling of game meats (kudu, ostrich, crocodile, springbok). My favorite was the crocodile which tasted like a cross between fish and chicken? The taste of the game meats were really strong and I didn't enjoy it as much. Though I later had kudu and ostrich at other restaurants and they tasted better. We also got a potato salad with biltong (South African version of jerky)that's in the photo below.



There's a live band playing and a bar area where you can hang out and meet fellow tourists or locals. The members of the band are young (I was like what's this kid doing here?) but very talented! I loved the music and singing. They also sell CDs of their work.

Mama Africa
178 Long St
Cape Town 8001
South Africa
+27 21 424 8634

Chomp Meter: Don't miss this spot! A good place to try South African specialties. Not the best preparation but serves its purpose. Because they are so popular with tourists, reservations are highly recommended! The restaurant is on Long Street where all the bars are so you can take a walk around too.

(Note though that the area feel kinda seedy but because it's touristy there are lots of cops around)


(Photo courtesy of Yahoo Travel)

Bukhara - Indian Fod in Cape Town

Chomp Meter:
Just a short one. There are lots of rave reviews on various travel sites for Indian food at Bukhara. There is quite a large Indian population in Cape Town so I figured the restaurant should be pretty authentic. I had lunch there one day and didn't find it to be particularly spectacular. IMO If you come from a city that has good Indian restaurants then you might want to sit out on this one.



Bukhara
33 Church Street
8001 Cape Town, Western Cape,
South Africa
+27 21 424 0000

The Cod Father - Unique Dining Experience

Isn't the name adorable? The Cod Father is a trendy restaurant in the Camps Bay area of Cape Town and has been reviewed in many guide books. I was afraid that it would be all hype but our experience there was pretty good!

There is no menu at The Cod Father. After you are seated, your server will take you to the glass cases in front and show you the specials of the night. Every kind of fish, shrimp, and shell fish imaginable. You make your picks and tell the server how much you want. I believe you can get it either grilled or fried. (I don't recall exactly). We chose for ours to be grilled. There's also a variety of sauces you can dip your fish in (peri peri, garlic butter, apricot chilli).

Most of the seafood/fish etc. come from the Mozambique area. For some reason I thought it would be from Cape Town. The selection includes king klip, blue marlin, butterfish, and cape salmon.



The inside of The Cod Father:


We got a seat by the window which was nice. There was a cool breeze blowing into the restaurant. We got oysters for appetizers. They were from Namibia. I usually like oysters but I didn't like these because the taste was really intense (briney and fishy). SO didn't mind them so he was happy to eat what I didn't :)



Here's our main course. We got some Tiger Prawns and a sampling of fish. Sorry it's been a while and I don't remember what we chose. It tasted pretty good though. I recommend getting smaller pieces and sampling more types. You can choose your sides. A carb like rice and veggies.



The Cod Father
37 The Drive
Camps Bay
8001
Phone: +27 (0) 21 438 0782

(You walk to what seems to be the end of the main road in Camps Bay and head up a little hill.)

Chomp Meter: A good choice in Camps Bay for seafood. Many of the restaurants there are more about being seen at than eating with significantly higher prices. Prices at the Cod Father are pretty reasonable. It cost us approximately US$70 for a meal with wine. I recommend calling ahead for reservations especially on weekends.

Jimmy's Killer Prawns - Killah!

After a couple nights of blah food, I was really excited to find Jimmy's Killer Prawns! Prawns / shrimp, especially large ones aren't as common in the U.S. and Jimmy's specializes in this. The shrimp are grilled to perfection with a special seasoning which makes it all the more yummy. The prices are also really reasonable. Approximately 20 Shrimp for US$12.

You can sit outside with Table Mountain in the backdrop at Jimmy's on Kloof street:



We went there twice while I was in Cape Town. *Gasp* What? To a chain restaurant and twice! Another confession, I ordered the same thing again because it was so good. I proceeded to finishing my 20 or so prawns and then sucked on the heads. Yes I know that is unladylike but soo yummy!

In case you are wondering, the dish is Jimmyz's Prawn Promise. Here it is below! This place was also a hit with my fellow diners.



Jimmy's Killer Prawns Locations

Kloof Street
1 Upper Union Street
Corner Kloof and Union
Tel: 021 426 0327

Hout Bay
1st Floor Jamaica Beach
1 Beach Crescent
Tel: (021) 790 2441

Table view
1st Floor Portico Building
Beach Boulevard
Next to KFC
Tel: (021) 557 7449

Chomp Meter: So anyway if you haven't figured this out from the rest of the post, I highly recommend stopping by during the trip. Get your fill of grilled prawns here!

Fun fact: Jimmyz has a branch in Dubai and France!

Ocean Basket - Not worth the trip

Ocean Basket was one of the places recommended by some friends to go for seafood so we headed there one of the nights we were based in Cape Town.

We went to the Ocean Basket at the V&A Waterfront (touristy I know, but we are tourists!) The place was packed for a Saturday night and we had to wait about half an hour for a table.



I would say this place is more of a mid level chain. For lack of a better comparison, the Olive Garden price range, family focused, but for seafood. Their specialty is fried or grilled seafood on a large platter that you can share. If you are Singaporean, it is like Fish & Co which I am not a big fan of.

Our garlic mussel appetizer (32 Rand):


We also got a huge platter to share this included Kingklip (a type of fish from South Africa), King Prawns (yum! which we don't get much of in the US), and calamari. I can't seem to find the photo of our meal so here's one from the Ocean Basket website:


Honestly, it was greasy and we felt grossed out after eating so much. Our gluttony partly to blame.

Ocean Basket Locations
These are some of the more popular ones for visitors:

Ocean Basket V&A Waterfront
Shop 222, Victoria Wharf, The Waterfront, Cape Town
Phone: 021 419 4300

Ocean Basket Kloof Street
75 Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town
Phone: 021 422 0322

Ocean Basket Seapoint
Shop 17, 1st Floor, St. John's Piaaza,Main Rd, Sea Point
Phone: 021 433 0450


Chomp Meter:
Ocean Basket isn't anything special but I suppose it's conveniently located. If you want to get your fried/grilled seafood fix in large quantities. Head here. For similar food and price, I actually preferred Jimmy's Killer Prawns (partly because of the name heehee).

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.

All South Africa Restaurant Reviews

The comprehensive list is below. Or you can view restaurants sorted by location: Camps Bay, Kloof Street, Long Street, V&A Waterfront
, Winelands

Cape Town Restaurants
Benkei Sushi (Green Point)
Bukhara Indian Restaurant (Downtown)
Cafe Paradiso (Kloof Street)
Jimmy's Killer Prawns (Seapoint and Kloof Street)
Mama Africa (Long Street)
Manna Epicure (Kloof Street)
Minato Japanese Restaurant and Sushi (City Bowl)
Nando's Chicken (Camps Bay and Sea Point)
News Cafe (Various locations)
Ocean Basket (V&A Waterfront)
One Waterfront (V&A Waterfront)
Tank Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar (Cape Quarter - Gardens area)
The Cod Father (Camps Bay)
Vida E Caffe (Various locations)

Winelands Restaurants
Le Petite Ferme (Franchoek)
Moyo (Stellenbosch)
Reuben's (Franchoek)

Others
Cape Farmhouse Restaurant (Cape Point)


Sunset at Camps Bay, Cape Town