Local Intel: Karen Dudley's Cape Town favourites

I try to walk my dog Mojo two or three times a week in Newlands Forest, and it’s always a delight to see That Greek Guy, the little barrow at the bottom of the hill. The date balls are buttery and just heaven.

A recent discovery that I’ve made is the Vietnamese coffee from Pho House, a Vietnamese restaurant on Imam Haroon Road in Claremont. The iced coffee is just amazing, really delicious. They do other very good dishes as well.

On Wednesday mornings, a whole string of other people and I stand outside The Local Baker, in Lower Main Road, Observatory, between 9am and 12pm. And when I say between 9 and 12, I really mean you kind of have to get there a little bit before 9 because The Local Baker is so incredibly popular. Warren, I think his name is, he’s so popular that he sells out quite quickly and you just have to be committed to standing in the line. But he’s worth every minute for the cardamom buns, the cinnamon buns, the morning buns, the amazing sourdough bread and all kinds of other pastries and delights.

The Melting Pot in De Waterkant is such fun as well. Also, great drinks and such delicious plates. The menu is not enormous, but it’s just, I think, perfectly done. Everything that you need is right there on that menu. Very delicious and fun. And great views from the rooftop.

Have you heard about Thali Tuesdays at The Melting Pot?

An absolute must are the koesisters from Suraya at 10 Walmer Road, which is down my road here in Woodstock. I, along with half the neighbourhood, and others from other neighbourhoods, stand with our Tupperwares between 7 and 9am on Sunday mornings and hope for this soft, spiced, sweet, coconut-covered piece of heaven. They usually do make it back home with coffee, and it’s just a Sunday morning ritual. It’s a complete delight. And when you’re completely homesick, that’s what you’re hoping for. You’re hoping for a koesister from Suraya.

Farro is one of the leading restaurants in Cape Town at the moment. I think their food is superb. It is simple and beautiful and carefully done, and every plate is really delicious. 

Time Out Review: Farro

A little bit of a surprising bite that I like very much are the oysters at the Mussel Monger and Oyster Bar in the Riverlands Mall. There’s something very nice about being at the Riverlands Mall at sunset because you can see the mountains and it’s really beautiful. The Riverlands Mall is actually so well-appointed, and it has been so considerably designed. 

Time Out Guide: The best things to do at Riverlands

Every Easter, I make a pilgrimage to Olympia Bakery to get their hot cross buns. I think these hot cross buns are some of God’s gifts to us! They’re amazing. I buy a whole lot of them. I stick them in my freezer and then warm them up, maybe gloss them over with another little bit of extra syrup and add wedges of cold butter. And it’s complete joy for me.

Ganesh is a great favourite. It came under new management a little while ago, and they do kind of Southeast Asian dishes that really pop and are really fun. It’s an amazing vibe and also very reasonable cocktails.

Right next door to them is 1890 House Sushi. Reliable, fun and easy. If you just want some sushi, you can sit at the conveyor belt, or you can sit inside the restaurant.

I do most of my shopping at vintage stores. My favourite is Waiting for George. They have two branches, one in Woodstock and one in Harrington Street. Just a really well-curated collection of vintage wear. Otherwise, I go to all kinds of other charity stores for bits and pieces. Another favourite vintage place is Glitterati in the Long Street Antique Arcade. Always such lovely things there. And I sometimes manage to get some lovely clip-on earrings, which are my favourites to collect.

I walk my dog Mojo in Newlands Forest a few times a week. And I also walk at Deer Park and I go up the mountain. Apparently, women over 50 like to walk up mountains, and that’s what I like to do. It gives you vista. You’re either looking at the mountain or you’re looking at the city and the sea, and that’s very important recharging time for me.

Many people don’t know about the Arderne Gardens in Claremont. It’s such beautiful gardens there with some very old and very unusual trees and very well cared for.

I think one of the best pizzas that I’ve had most recently is from the Pizza Shed in St James. I absolutely adore their pizza. The crust is superb. The toppings are amazing. I think it’s really fun. Maybe it’s because it’s near the sea or something, but I just find them really brilliant. Their branch in Bree Street is also great.

Time Out Guide: The best pizza in Cape Town

I buy my spices at Atlas in Wale Street in Bo-Kaap. But I also tend to buy loads of curry leaves, other spices, and pulses from Atlas too. It’s a legendary place. There’s also Spice Emporium in Imam Haroon Road in Claremont, which is fantastic. Amazing spices and alternative deli items, including some lovely syrupy sweets and pistachios.

The place you go to when you are looking for something specific. They are the loveliest people who run the deli, and you can find all kinds of alternative things as well as a great range of cookbooks.

I really like discovering new wine bars where you can just have one or two or three bites along with a delicious glass of wine. I find that that’s the way we actually want to eat more and more rather than an enormous meal. Lunacy, which is in Harrington Street, is my current favourite. I really love their wine and the chef there does very delicious plates, small plates and one or two bigger ones, but really mostly small plates. You can eat there, and you can drink at the bar, and a really, really delicious selection of wines and lovely, lovely people.

Time Out Guide: The best wine bars in Cape Town

I’m a big book person. I’m a big reader. And, of course, I sell my cookbooks. I have five of them. My latest is Upwards, and the one before that was Onwards, of course. And so I’m very connected to bookshops. The Book Lounge is one of my favourites.

Clarke’s Bookshop in Long Street is also an amazing bookshop, with such a unique selection and often curated sections in the bookshop, which shouldn’t be missed.

And then I’m very fond of the Wordsworth in the Dean Street Arcade in Newlands. It’s a small bookshop, but it means that you have real access to the people who have actually read the books and can give you great tips on what to read.

I’m a huge gardener, and so I like shopping for my plants and my seedlings at Hart’s Nursery in Ottery. I love shopping at nurseries. There are other great nurseries about, but I think Hart’s is the most reasonable and most organic.

My favourite shop, possibly in the world. I buy all my vegetables here and the vegetables are so good and so reasonably priced, and Balmoral Supermarket has a reputation for really looking after the community. The vegetables all come from Philippi. I like buying locally, so Balmoral Supermarket is an absolute must.

People are always asking me, Karen, where can we eat your food? You can eat my food, – and it’s really very good – at Vista Bar & Lounge at the One&Only hotel in the Waterfront. I do an amazing menu there, as well as great bar snacks. It’s a great place to go for a drink and have something delicious before you decide to go to dinner or show.

Something that you do not want to miss is my Marble cheese trolley. I curate a cheese course at Marble in Cape Town, which is next-level amazing. Award-winning cheeses, and I pair them with amazing relishes from all over Cape Town, and the aunties in Gatesville and Woodstock. I also make a whole range of amazing relishes and preserves.