Wow, a night to remember indeed! Imagine arriving at a restaurant and being told that you can eat and drink to your heart's content...!
So it was that we dined at the Sidewalk Cafe in Vredehoek one December evening, with Lion's Head framed by the window to our left, and a sweeping view of the city lights from the front. This was my fabulous prize - a dinner for four to the value of R1,500, plus my very own beaded goat!Champagne on arrival, of course. Ordering each of the four fabulous salads on the menu for starters, let's do it! Calamari and prawns as well, why not! Not to mention mains... Kingklip, risotto and fillet steak beautifully matured and gorgeously presented! And a coffee pinotage with the steak, certainly!
As one of a handful of restaurants owned by the magical theatre dining experience of Madame Zingara, I'd entered a competition by writing an 'ode to a goat'! One of three beaded goats sat at three different Cape Town restaurants: Cafe Mozart, the Bombay Bicycle Club and Sidewalk Cafe.
I in fact wrote two such odes before diverting my attention back to work stuff one random Friday morning. Oddly, it was Cafe Mozart and the Bombay Bicycle Club which were 'oded' (along with 'oding' the goat of course!) And yet, it was Sidewalk Cafe where I was invited for dinner!
Now, as I always ponder with non 'SA music in London' posts, what relevance does a restaurant review have on this here blog... and so I've adapted a Shakespeare quote accordingly... 'If food be music to the senses, eat on...'
And so it was that we were awed and delighted with each course, each flavour, each mouthful of amazingness. The ambience was playful, amidst a dangle of hearts and a healthy buzz of laughter and busy tables. Our waiter was wonderful with recommendations, patience and even mid-meal massage!And the best part of all was our very own beaded goat - a life-size African creation of beads and wire! He was utterly adored from the moment of arrival, his very own goat photoshoot, plus nibbles of salads and such throughout the meal (he says he most enjoyed the chocolate brownies at the end!)
As hard as we tried - my mom ordering more prawns alongside her Kingklip for mains, plus my fave white, Haute Cabriere, as well as the Diemersfontein Pinotage - we made a very good dent in the mammoth budget, but didn't quite hit our R1,500 total! (I also had to take a 'goat bag' of steak home with me :)
So... the hugest thank you to Sidewalk Cafe - you were the ultimate hosts and we'll def be back! It was a 'goat' night indeed (Greatest Of All Time!) For an authentic, awesome and quaint dining experience, I urge you to book a table for a bunch or go for a romantic dinner amidst the hundreds of hearts!
Rock on goat odes and amazing experiences!
x
PS: My odes are below for those who are curious:
Oh little African goat made of pride, love and magic,
brought into the mother city by a mystical Zingariagic
(or perhaps a Zingarian, but that didnt quite fit in ;)
Oh how your whiteness reflects beautious light,
and your gruff dangles with delight...
Your belly so round, full of fabulous local cuisine,
Oh how lucky to be a goat on the Bombay Bicycle scene!
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A goat is a-grazing, somewhere amazing...
In the mother city they do roam (its a great place to call home!)
Filled with fabulous spots to drink, dine and eat,
Its the atmosphere that's always a treat!
So get goat savvy... (they say a good goat has a built-in sat navvy!)
...for good food that is! (and who could argue with a goat food whiz!)
Best you get goat-smart...Cos they're all flocking to Cape Town's Cafe Mozart!
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