V&A Waterfront kitchens are sizzling this summer

If you’d suggested a decade ago that Cape Town’s Victoria & Alfred Waterfront would be a hotspot for gourmet travellers to the Mother City, I would have snorted into my inner-city bouillabaisse. Back then, it was Bree Street and the City Bowl setting the culinary world on fire.

But, well, here we are: 2024 and the ever-evolving Waterfront has this year welcomed a clutch of new restaurants helmed by some of SA’s most respected chefs.

It’s the culmination of a long-term strategy spearheaded by savvy CEO David Green, who identified key spaces and the chefs who might fill them, and quietly set about adding a new fine-dining string to the precinct’s bow. The La Colombe group, perhaps no surprise, was a first-mover here with the December 2021 opening of Pier, with chef John Norris-Rogers at the pass. And he’s in good company, with a host of fantastic, new restaurants ensuring the Waterfront’s food is now as fine as its seaside locale.

The latest opening comes from David Higgs, who unveiled Marble Cape Town atop the historic Union Castle building in December. Since opening in 2016, Marble in Rosebank has been a hit with hungry Joburgers, and the same winning combination of live-fire cooking, elegant plating and stylish surrounds has been put to good use slap-bang in the heart of the Waterfront. In a nod to the seaside setting, the menu at Marble Cape Town leans more towards seafood and Mediterranean influences — think snoek pâté with magwenya, mussel paella and line fish with roasted fish bone sauce – but the signature lick of smoke and flame remains.

“The concept of live-fire cooking may not be new anymore, but the way we do it at Marble is always a fresh experience,” says head chef Matt van Niekerk. “Fire has a way of bringing people together — it’s where stories are shared, ideas come to life and connections are made.” 

Up the road at the five-star Queen Victoria Hotel, chef Chris Erasmus trades fire for foraging as he serves up an innovative take on hyper-seasonal cuisine. It’s an evolution of the plates he once cooked up at his Franschhoek restaurant Foliage, here given a luxury spin overlooking the V&A. 

“My passion for celebrating organic food, from farm and forest to plate, runs deep,” says Erasmus. “True to its namesake, Terrarium is a space that is built around the concept of regeneration and the commitment to remain close to nature.” 

There’s a daytime menu of small plates (also available at the bar in the evening), but rather set aside time and appetite for the eight-course dinner experience. Here you’ll choose between the Fauna or Flora menu, featuring hyperlocal seafood and meat dishes or plant-based plates.

Down on the water’s edge, chef Ryan Cole — who also helms Salsify at the Roundhouse, above Camps Bay — works alongside head chefs Geoffrey Abrahams and Teenola Govender to create an ocean-inspired adventure at Coy. 

Cole counts generations of fishers in his family, and at Coy the seafood-focused menu explores a diversity of produce and preparations, reviving cooking techniques and shining a light on local waters. Think fresh tuna tartare with caramelised coconut and sugarcane, seared linefish with mussels and askoek, or chargrilled squid brought in fresh from local boats. There’s a compact menu of “two plates” at lunch and dinner; else, opt for the seven-course tasting menu. 

While Coy is a brand-new addition to the V&A, Rooi is the latest incarnation of a dining space that has seen many guises through the years. I’ve eaten at most of them, and Rooi at the One&Only Cape Town is far and away my favourite.

To start, a comprehensive refurbishment by London-based Muza Lab has lowered the ceilings, clad the pillars and added banquettes and booths to give the space an intimacy, warmth and sense of identity it has long been lacking.

“Rooi is a space where guests are surrounded by the Cape’s story,” explains Muza Lab co-founders Inge Moore and Nathan Hutchins. “Each detail of our design celebrates SA heritage, local artisans and the redefinition of traditional dining. The space weaves together natural elements, handcrafted artistry and local influences, harmonising with both the culinary philosophy and the Cape’s dynamic environment.”

That celebration of SA extends to the menu, an à la carte offering subtly weaving in local flavours. That begins on the cocktail menu, where each celebrates the spirit of its namesake: craft gin from the Western Cape, Amarula from Limpopo and agave spirit from the Eastern Cape.

The menu ranges from inventive salads and creative starter plates — don’t miss the “Simonstown Chokka & Chips” — to grills that tap into local producers. Larger cuts, for the table to share, are ideal for festive family gatherings. In the main courses, the local influence really comes to the fore, from traditional lamb shank potjie with krummelpap —of course, given some fine dining flair — to an abundance of Cape Malay flavours. Just one more reason to put the V&A Waterfront top of the menu this summer.