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TRAVEL / 33
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Left: Access to Beta Beach,
Bakoven
Right: All-day breakfast at
Clarke’s Bar & Dining Room
Right: The Test
Kitchen appetiser
Far right: A spot of
shade outside
The Old Biscuit Mill
Left page (clockwise from
top left): Fresh coffee; bright
Bo-Kaap homes; Saturday
food market at The Old
Biscuit Mill; Bicycle Café
Left page (clockwise from top left): Dana van Leeuwen, Mirjam Bleeker, Mirjam Bleeker, Dana van Leeuwen
Right page: The Test Kitchen (left), Dana van Leeuwen (right)
Bar (at no. 114) pulls in the crowds with Peruvian ceviche and
fresh fish tacos.
On the corner of Heritage Square, Love Thy Neighbour
(at 110 Bree St.) pairs its own craft beers with Mediterranean
meze, grill and souvlaki dishes. A few doors down, the popular
Tapas for 2 set menu at Chefs Warehouse and Canteen (at no.
92) changes daily, with highlights such as tender venison with
rainbow carrots, and Asian duck broth with a kick of chilli.
At the far southwestern end, two adjacent restaurants,
Culture Club Cheese (at no. 215) and Bacon on Bree (at no.
217), dedicate themselves to the finest artery-clogging
indulgences. Caprese toasties, croque monsieurs and triple
cheese omelettes on one side; BLTs, bacon croissants and
bacon-laden Caesar salads on the other.
COOL COLLECTIVE
Just a ten-minute taxi ride from Bree Street, the industrial
neighbourhood of Woodstock used to be rather rundown and
unsafe. But in the two decades since the birth of the
Rainbow Nation under Nelson Mandela, many trendy
boutiques, restaurants, design shops and lofts have appeared,
making it the most happening place to visit outside the CBD.
The first big attraction of the neighbourhood was a cool
collective of creative businesses, coffee bars and art galleries
located in a former cookie factory – now simply known as The
Old Biscuit Mill. Today, it has developed into a major draw
for both locals and visitors. Espresso Lab microroasters brews
single origin-beans from the highlands of Kenya and
Ethiopia, while ceramics studio Imiso, whose designs draw
inspiration from Picasso as well as African scarring traditions,
is an excellent stop for souvenir hunters.
FOODIE DELIGHTS
Across a busy courtyard, chef Luke Dale-Roberts’ The
Test Kitchen has received a string of awards and accolades,
most notably the title of Restaurant of the Year by EatOut,
Africa’s leading restaurant guide, every year since 2012. True
to the restaurant’s name, Dale-Roberts’ creativity roams free
in any direction, combining uniquely South African culinary
traditions with those of Asia – think liquorice-cured Wagyu
biltong (the latter being a spiced dried meat similar to beef
jerky) and twelve-hour smoked trout tartare.
While The Test Kitchen needs to be booked a few weeks
ahead, local foodies find solace in the weekly Neighborgoods
artisanal food market held next to the Mill. Every Saturday, it
offers a plethora of foreign delicacies from Syrian shawarma >
“New trendy boutiques, design shops, restaurants
and lofts make this a happening place to visit”
Where to stay
Cape Heritage Hotel
If you’d like to stay right in the centre of the hustle and bustle
of Bree Street in Cape Town’s fashionable Heritage Square,
this restored 18th-century boutique hotel offers bedrooms
and suites, each with their own unique character and design,
lovely dining and lounge areas, a rooftop hot tub and a
central courtyard shaded by the oldest fruit-bearing grapevine
in South Africa. Room rates start at around 2,100 rand for a
standard double and go up to about 10,500 rand for a twobedroom
executive apartment.
90 Bree Street, capeheritage.co.za
Grand Daddy Boutique Hotel
If you’ve ever wanted to sleep in a vintage Airstream Trailer
(those sleek 1950s chrome caravans) the four-star Grand
Daddy Boutique Hotel has outfitted seven of them with beds
and working kitchens as urban hideaways on its rooftop. The
hotel also has ordinary brick-and-mortar room and suites, all
with flatscreen TVs and air conditioning. There’s something
of a hip, party atmosphere at this CBD hotel, with the outdoor
Pink Flamingo cinema on the roof, and two cocktail bars.
Standard rooms go for about 2,895 rand a night and the
Airstream Trailers cost 4,295 rand per night.
38 Long Street, granddaddy.co.za
Cape Town Lodge Hotel
A less pricey option (starting at 1,070 rand) within walking
distance of Bree Street is the Cape Town Lodge Hotel and
Conference Center, with 123 rooms as well as self-catering
apartments (or lofts) in an urban tower with views on Table
Mountain, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill. A preferred option for
business travellers and conference events, offering corporate
rates and internet access, the hotel also boasts amenities
for relaxing: a rooftop terrace with outdoor swimming pool,
indoor gym, buffet-style dining and funky, colourful décor in
the reception and lobby.
101 Buitengracht Street, capetownlodge.co.za