Hannah Roberts
Cape Town’s Bo-Kaap is predominantly Muslim, and the signature Cape Malay cuisine combines African and eastern influences. Bobotie is a spicy take on shepherd’s pie or moussaka, a blend of minced lamb or beef and raisins, topped with an egg custard. It is served with yellow rice, almonds, coconut and banana slices. Chutney is an essential part of the experience.
The area’s tightly packed cottages, painted in bright acid colours such as hot pink and burnt orange, rise up the lower slopes of Signal Hill, part of Table Mountain. The multicultural Bo-Kaap was settled by the descendants of Malaysian and Indonesian slaves originally brought to the country by the Dutch East India Company in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Bo-Kaap Kombuis is a family restaurant that does one of the best versions of bobotie, accompanied by a glass of falooda, a refreshing mix of rose syrup, tapioca seeds and cow’s milk.
7 August Street
Photographs: Getty, Dreamstime
