Vibes at Cape Town Social Club
By Andy Fenner
Raamstraat 27, 1016 XL Amsterdam
BOOK NOW“With great power comes great responsibility”. Sounds good coming out of the mouth of Peter Parker. But…how does it translate into food? Well, you could also make a case for restaurateurs who are taking on the task of using their establishments to showcase a country’s cultural cuisine.
It’s a big task to do it without appropriation. It’s a big task to do it and to stay authentic. It’s a big task to do it and be fully representative.
It’s an especially big task when you are trying to do this in another country.
All of this is important, because the team behind Cape Town Social Club seems to have a way to crack this complex puzzle. Their answer?
Throw some fun at it.
They do this through what they call, “the vibe’. This, itself, is an inside joke and a nod towards South Africa, where “a vibe” really is an all-encompassing descriptor for the way an occasion makes you feel when you arrive. The music is part of the vibe. The setting, too. The cold beer and the hot sun and the sizzle of fat dripping onto glowing coals, as your host grills meat on the braai (pro tip: never call a BBQ anything else in South Africa.)
All of it. Vibe. Vibe. Vibe.
Cape Town Social Club takes this vibe, and polishes it. With a passion for South African ingredients and South African technique, the roots of this tale overlap with Dutch touches. The end result is a seriously impressive restaurant, layered with details found in every bite, and every sip. (The wine deserves a special mention, with some of South Africa’s finest producers being represented in an absolutely STACKED wine list.)
You may not know what biltong is. Nor gooseberry. Nor atchar. Nor rooibos. But that’s part of the fun. Sit back and let a capable team walk you through the South African food landscape. These items do not dominate the menu – instead, they are used as accents to finish off star ingredients like lamb, pork belly, haddock etc. This restraint is admirable, as so many “themed” restaurants err on the side of the storytelling, often forgetting why people are there: to eat delicious and memorable food.
If you want a fine dining experience, without the fine dining pretense that can come with it, consider Cape Town Social Club. Choose from a 3, 5 or 7-course menu and… enjoy the vibe.
Cape Town Social Club
The Space: Casual fine dining.
The Base: €50 – €120 pp
The Face: Young and old, people looking for fine dining without the white linen and silver cutlery.
The Veg: The menu is available as vegetarian, so you still get the full experience.
Opening Hours: Wed – Fri 18:00-01:00, Sat 12:00-01:00, Sun Closed
Images from capetownsocialclub.com, Cape Town Social Club
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