The 10 best plates at Time Out Market Cape Town

As much as Time Out Market Cape Town is about the food, you’ll also find a discovery of the Cape’s world-class Winelands on offer. So, while you decide what to eat, start at Culture Wine Bar to catch your breath and discover the vast range of wines hand-picked by owner Matt Manning. His goal is to offer real insight into the evolution of the Cape’s cellars and the depth of local winemaking talent, so you won’t find mass-market wines and supermarket brands on offer, but rather boutique producers and owner-run cellars from a cross-section of the Western Cape’s wine-growing regions. There are more than 30 wines on offer as Taster pours or by the Glass, and dozens more by the bottle. Not sure where to start? Ask the well-trained and friendly folk behind the bar to put together a wine flight for you.

Who doesn’t love a burger, right? At De Vrije Burger chef Bertus Basson serves up his inimitable take on the classic two-hander, with the perfect combo of free-range beef, house pickles and relish, all atop a homemade burger bun. The De Vrije is the classic, but there are veggie and kids’ options on offer too, as well as occasional special releases. The twice-cooked chips are next-level delicious. And you get a soft serve for free.

What to order at a ramen bar? Well, it always pays to start with the classic. And it’s little wonder that the Tonkotsu Ramen from Ramenhead is one of the best-sellers at the Market, come rain or shine. The broth is deep and flavourful, the pork is perfectly cooked, and the ramen noodles are made fresh on the first (and only) Yamato noodle machine in Africa. This bowl would stand up to scrutiny in Japan, so you won’t want to miss out on it in the Mother City.

First things first: are these the best bao in Cape Town? Quite possibly, with chefs Matt van den Berg and Carla Schulze nailing that balance between fluffy-cloud-of-delicious and just enough texture to hold all those tasty fillings together. Ah, the fillings. Now there’s a choice, but at How Bao Now the Flaming Chicken is a winner: a generous slice, perfectly crisp batter, given a hug by the bao and with the flavour-punch of mint, basil and pickled cucumber. And yes, you can choose how hot you like it.

At Barakat chef Anwar Abdullatief is showing diners just how diverse Cape Malay food can be, but he also takes a happy segue into Indian cuisine with his butter chicken curry, served with flaky butter roti and basmati rice. It’s a big hit with Market regulars, but if you’re coming back for a second time, also don’t miss the Masala-grilled tiger prawn in Cape Malay curry sauce, lifted by fresh coriander, lime and sambals.

When you get the basics right you know the rest will follow. Under chef Eugene Smith YARD turns out some of the best wood-fired pizza in the city, and when the humble margherita is the best-seller on a menu that offers a choice of bases, sauces and toppings, you know it’s punching above its weight. While some Margherita variations are served with traditional fior di latte cheese, it’s the Californian style of grated mozzarella and tomato base that keeps the punters coming back.

What started out as a fish slider – inspired by a fish-and-chip shop in the seaside town of Pringle Bay – has evolved into what John van Zyl, owner-chef of The Melting Pot Seafood, calls “the best dish on the menu’. Some diners may disagree (hands up for that squid sando!), but it’s certainly a standout at Time Out Market Cape Town.

Atop blue corn tacos you’ll find two generous fillets of fish, perfectly crispy, with tartar sauce, shredded lettuce and piquant house pickles. ‘But the kicker,’ says John, ‘is a smoked potato mash mixed with a bit of mayo and a few other bits and pieces to make a spicy smoky potato aioli.’ Sound delicious? It is.

Wait, what? The bao again? Yup… diners at the Time Out Market Cape Town obviously can’t get enough of How Bao Now, and the kimchi pork brings the bao back for another turn on this list of top-selling dishes. If I had to choose, the richness of the kimchi pork, neatly offset by the kimchi and punchy herbs, makes this bao outing the best in town. Can’t choose? Just get both. 

Salt, olive oil, quality steak. That’s all Time Out Market Cape Town’s Italian maestro needs to conjure up fantastic fillet at CARNE. Giorgio Nava takes the basics seriously, and the fact his fillet steak fairly flies across the counter is a testament to the quality and flavour on offer. Order the fried baby potatoes on the side, and a chocolate fondant to finish. You won’t be sorry.

A single scoop at Unframed is another of the Market’s most popular orders, but then... why just one? I mean, yes, you could just get the one scoop... it’s the best-selling dessert at the Market right now. But then you’ll be struggling to choose a flavour, won’t you? If you love chocolate, how will you decide between the vegan beetroot, chocolate and ginger, or the salted chocolate? To pick just one would be torture. Take two and thank me later.

Ramen is a big seller in the Market, it’s true, and Ramenhead’s vegetarian Miso and Mushroom Ramen is the bowl to go for if you’re going meat-free. Tempelhoff’s dab hand with stock (even without any dashi) comes to the fore here and there’s no depth of flavour lacking in a bowl flavoured with miso sesame tare, tofu chashu, bok choi, negi spring onions, pickled shiitake, kikurage mushroom, and menma bamboo shoots. There’s also an option for gluten-free noodles too.