Where the All Blacks should be eating in Athlone

The All Blacks have arrived in Cape Town for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, the much-hyped tour that will see New Zealand and South Africa face off in one of international sport’s fiercest feuds. But before the Springboks enter the chat, New Zealand begin their tour with a warm-up match against the Stormers at DHL Stadium this Friday, 7 August.

Until then, the All Blacks will make their home at Athlone Stadium, which is serving as the team’s training base in the Mother City.

Now, what I know about elite athlete nutrition could be written on a really small piece of paper, but I imagine our beefy visitors will be following carefully calibrated meal plans designed for them by highly qualified nutritionists. There will be weighed protein and whey powder and timed carbohydrates, along with your choice of electrolyte sachets. Maybe there will be a little New Zealand tjoppie and a Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc on standby for once the boots have been packed away.

But do those clever nutritionists realise that their squad is training within a solid Damien McKenzie kick from two of Cape Town’s greatest takeaway institutions? Places where there’s enough spice to give Kolisi a shiver, and carbs to make Ox look like a lightweight.

So if (All Blacks coach) Dave Rennie really wants to give his team a fighting chance, I’d suggest they put away the shakes and head across Klipfontein Road. Just, um, keep those mobiles out of sight, please? You might be built like the proverbial outhouse, but this is still mos Athlone.

Wembley Roadhouse

Long before anyone knew about protein shakes and what-not, Wembley was keeping Athlone well-fed. Way back in 1931 Mohammed Eshack Gangraker and his wife Halima opened E.O. Gangraker Stores on Belgravia Road. The shop was later renamed Wembley Stores – at the suggestion of local football supporters – and the business grew under their son Abdullah Gangraker. The Roadhouse followed in the 1970s, becoming one of the iconic takeaway destinations on the Cape Flats.

Captain of the squad here is the Wembley Whopper: a hefty masala-steak sandwich piled into a sesame bun. Add in salad and sauces, and you can forget about trying to eat this politely at the little tables outside the takeaway counter.

But, before they get to the Whopper, Codie Taylor and Co. should get themselves a selection of Cape Malay savouries. Crisp onion bhajias, potato waras, samoosas and koesisters are the go-to order here.

And, for the record, we mean a proper Cape Malay koesister: soft and warm, fragrant with spice, soaked in syrup and rolled in coconut. Not the plaited koeksister you may find north of the Hex River Mountains. They can eat those in Pretoria next week.

To drink? It’s got to be the rose-pink falooda, right?

21 Belgravia Road, Athlone

Super Fisheries

While Wembley brings proper Cape flavours, for a little light carbo-loading their next stop should be Super Fisheries, a quick team-jog west along Klipfontein Road. On the run, someone can tell them that they are on their way to the birthplace of that oh-so-famous Cape Town culinary icon: the Gatsby.

Owner Rashaad Pandy founded Super Fisheries in 1974 and created the first Gatsby by accident a couple of years later. The story goes that he needed to feed workers who had been clearing a plot of land nearby, so he filled a round Portuguese loaf with slap chips, polony and atchar.

Because a local cinema was showing the Robert Redford adaptation of ‘The Great Gatsby’, one of the workers declared Pandy’s sandwich a “Gatsby smash”. Pandy later swapped the round loaf for a long roll that was easier to divide and share, and Cape Town fast-food history was made. Today, you’ll find the Gatsby across the city in countless forms, but there is a special satisfaction in eating one at its source.

For the All Blacks, there is really only one order: the famous Super Fisheries Calamari Gatsby, a long loaf packed with fried calamari, slap chips, salad and sauce. You could cut it into four, but looking at the size of the All Blacks pack, we’d suggest one each is a safe bet. Add a two-litre Jive and they will be properly fuelled up to take on the Stormers. 

Be warned, though: Super Fisheries is no undiscovered neighbourhood secret. The Friday queue stretches down the pavement (use the time to buy a few samoosas from the aunties at their stalls), so they’d best get there early. Just because you have won three Rugby World Cups doesn’t mean you can think of jumping the queue.

63 Old Klipfontein Road, Athlone

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