Lately I brightened up my interior with a few pillows by Unwrapped and even bought a bag, but I’m still craving for more! Mandi Garbman designs all kinds of lifestyle items for in and around the house (fabric, vinyl wall art, bags, cushions, wallpaper, purses and so on) and is influenced by all things rural from the late 1800’s - early 1900’s, such as wild flowers, living off the land and organic fabric. Love it.

Where to buy? Online on her own website, but there are several shops around town that sell part of her collection too, such as I Love My Laundry (about which I will write later) on 59 Buitengracht Street.

Probably the biggest star of the Madame Zingara family. The Bombay Bicycle Club is just madness. Not a single spot escaped the hysterical decorator’s hands and I love the result; from the tiger-in-bed hanging from the ceiling and the car on the roof to the fact that in the BBC it’s Christmas all year round.

The fusion food varies from ‘very creative but please don’t toss these ingredients together ever again’ to truly mouthwatering. But rest assured, a great night out is guaranteed here.

158 Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town, 021 423 6805

A great neighbourhood discovery! In Deer Park in Vredehoek, quite far away from the main tourist haunts, you’ll find this cosy restaurant. 

Crazy but fun owner, super friendly staff, ‘homely’ vibe with a quirky mix of different chairs, lampshades and frames, and great value for money (especially the huge butternut salad!). 

6 Deer Park Avenue West, Vredehoek, Cape Town, 021 801 5799

Although it feels a bit odd nipping fancy drinks at a corner in town that is so connected to children in need, I truly fell for this new cocktail venue, a 2-minute down-hill bikeride from home. 

Why this unusual name? In the early 1900’s an influenza epidemic left numbers of orphaned kids in desperate need of care, which they found at St Paul’s Church on Bree Street. The street perpendicular to Bree is now known as Orphan Street and the orphanage as the St Francis Children’s home that takes care of around 50 boys - a good cause that is supported by Orphanage. The place is decorated with a lot of browns and has a beautiful dark wood bar giving it an old-fashioned sophisticated - yet laid-back -  cocktail bar atmosphere where you can show some dance moves too. Worth trying: the Old Fashioned, the Victorian Margarita and the Dirty Mary that looks like Andy Warhol poured it.

Asoka is one of the first bars I discovered when I came to Cape Town and I still love to hang out here. Why? Live jazz on Tuesdays, the best Porn Star Martini’s êvah (never seen so many guys nipping on a girlie drink), tasty Asian food & tapas, funky interior and plenty of eye-candy since everyone (okay, this can be a little annoying sometimes) seems to have walked straight out of a magazine.

68 Kloof Street, Gardens, Cape Town, +27 (0)21 422 0909

Craving for sushi? Although Beluga is my guilty pleasure almost every Sunday, Takumi is without doubt my personal favorite. Because if you manage to let me make this statement after just one bite (that didn’t even contain fish, the roll was filled with veggies & fruit!), then you’re a true sushi master. And chef Papa San is. 

3 Park Road, Gardens, Cape Town, +27 (0)21 424 8879

Yesss, the quirky Madame Zingara family turns out to have a naughty uncle! A true casanova who loves his ladies… If you’re up for some French cuisine with a twist (meaning: a short-skirted barbie doll pole dancing under your shrimp cocktail) and occasional live music, head for Don Pedro’s in upper Woodstock.  

113 Roodebloem Road, Woodstock, Cape Town

After many fruitless attempts, yesterday I finally managed to arrive at Jason Bakery during opening hours. 

Woohoo what a total shame that I missed out on this place for almost five months. Finally a bakery in Cape Town that knows how to make a real French croissant. And the sour-dough sandwich with poached egg was pretty delicious too. Could I live here please?

185 Bree Street, Cape Town 

A relaxed coffee/breakfast/lunch hangout during daytime and a happening bar at night. Not many spots can pull that off, but The Power & The Glory (check out this ilovecoffee blogpost: great pics!) is super popular at every hour of the day.

And what’s even more amazing: no beer smell in the morning. Cape Town’s creative crowd loves this well-decorated joint and so do I. But don’t ask me why everyone goes crazy for the hotdogs - I’d rather stick to the coffee, lemon-poppy seed cakes and Shiraz…!

Corner Kloof Nek & Burnside Road, Cape Town

One of my favorites in town when it comes to flex offices. If you don’t like to be surrounded by MacBooks (Loading Bay has free WiFi so everyone brings their flashy laptop) you might consider skipping this venue, but please, think twice.

First: Loading Bay serves amazing fresh juices. Seriously. The apple-ginger and the likes are very hard to beat. Second: they sell really, really cool clothes. Way beyond my budget but nevertheless brilliant eye-candy. And third: funny, personal and friendly staff. In a hipster joint such as this?! Yes. The entire team proves that the pretentious attitude that seems to be a fixture in hipster universe is sooooo last year. And I love them for that!

30 Hudson Street, Waterkant, Cape Town

Yesterday, at the Take Care + Adriaan Kuiters store (the perfect Saturday sale by the way: great discounts and free wine or beer every Saturday in April), I bumped into the designer behind the brand MatBlac (probably named Mat) who had a temporary sale here too. 

All products are handcrafted, high quality, eco-friendly and made from pure wool which is imported from Germany. My boyfriend fell for this stunning iPhone sleeve and Mat (?) made me happy by saying that he could design laptop sleeves as well. For some weird reason all 11 inch sleeves have been sold out for months in the entire city and I’m still wrapping my laptop in a scarf, so I hope he’s right. To be continued!

There are 4 ingredients that turn every dinner here into a huge success: the cosy atmosphere, the amazing food, the wine glasses filled to the brim and the great waiter on All Stars. 

Maria’s serves Greek style food and is situated on a lovely square close to the Company Gardens. 

Dunkley Square, Gardens, Cape Town

Good news for fellow Burgermeester fans (for non-Dutchies: the greatest burger joint in The Netherlands): I discovered the Capetonian equivalent, Royale Eatery! The venue is famous for their burgers (they serve over 50 different kinds), an apparently mind-blowing visit from Selma Hayek years ago and - and here comes the main reason for your visit - their fabulous shakes! Truly mouth drooling, as my Capetonian friend kept on mentioning every two minutes, until I promised to order one (and the guy had a point, they are delicious)!

Burger verdict? Sandwich-wise the Burgermeester totally kicks Royale’s ass, but when it comes to flavours Royale puts up quite a fight.

Unfortunately I am not the only one in Cape Town who loves this bohemian burger joint, but waiting in the upstairs bar isn’t at all bad.

273 Long Street, Cape Town

I love it when people are not afraid to quit their job and dive into a new adventure on the other side of the world. Especially when those people decide to bring Holland’s finest to Cape Town! So meet newbees Jonathan & Choi and their Label Orange: a one-stop agent for Dutch contemporary fashion & lifestyle brands, such as Droog, Cowboysbag and Dutchtub. My personal favorite though is this ‘Artists Not Armies’ bag, which I tried to draw (with which it unfortunately pretty much lost its coolness, so don’t let that hold you back ;-)). A simple & strong bag with a simple & strong message: no artist will be silenced by politics and war.

Amen.

Where to buy? At Union Made in Cape Quarter shopping mall, 27 Somerset Rd (shop A02). And if you’re up for a fun read, sign up for the Label Orange newsletter ‘Oranje Boven’!

It’s sooo not cool that I seriously don’t dare to drive our own Volvo, but hey, since last week I’m totally making up for that by riding a bike in Cape Town! After four months I finally got my freedom back. Thanks to Nils from the most amazing little bike shop in town: Woodstock Cycleworks. 

And without knowing I managed to buy quite a collector’s item: a Peter Allan bike. Never heard of the guy, but it might explain all the thumbs up I get on the road… ;-)

99 Sir Lowry Road, Cape Town