Cape Town's cultural soup has produced a cosmopolitan mix of dining flavours with tastes ranging from North Indian (Bukhara (32 Church Street, +27214240000) and Italian (Mario's (89 Main Road, Green Point +27214396644) to traditional Cape Malay fare (Corner of Wale and Pentz Streets, Bo-Kaap, +27214230850).

Sophisticated dining can be enjoyed at 95 Keerom (95 Keerom Street, +27214220765) in the hub of the city's legal district (it's literally on the High Court's doorstep) while Madame Zingara (192 Loop Street, +27214262458) offers dishes with bold and brave combinations of ingredients. Long Street boasts a host of hip haunts, the trendiest of which is the Long Street Café (259 Long Street, +27214242464).

Traditional African fare is dished up at the Africa Café (108 Shortmarket Street, +27214220221), which offers tastes spanning the length and breadth of the ancient continent from Angola to Zambia.

Smokers will feel at home as Cape Town offers a variety of stylish cigar lounges. Kennedy's (251 Long Street, +27214241212) is the oldest and probably the best while Raleigh's at Cape Town's new International Convention Centre (Arabella Sheraton Hotel, CTICC, Lower Long Street, +27214129999) is as slick and stark as the hotel it serves.

But why eat indoors when you can enjoy Cape Town's gorgeous African sunshine? Make like the locals and enjoy brunch while indulging in some people watching under the umbrellas at any one of the city's cafés. Charming streetside cafés like Café Mozart (37 Church Street, +2721243774), Crush (100 St George's Mall, +27214225533) and Nino's Panini (Shop 6, 98 St George's Mall, +27214242569) offer breaks from the bustle of St George's Mall.

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