Madame Zingara combines circus skills with burlesque and vaudeville to create an unforgettably decadent night out.

One of the shows  (image courtesy of Madame Zingara)

A gourmet delight
And while the show alone might be worth the price of admission, the food is not an afterthought. Actually, with dishes like Zingara’s legendary chilli chocolate fillet on the menu, the meal is almost as dramatic as the performers on stage.  Madame Zingara also boasts extravagant cocktails and a meticulously chosen wine list.

It’s not common to find food this imaginative combined with thoroughly skilful and well-considered performances. The effect is almost overwhelming – to enter Madame Zingara’s ornate velvet tent is to travel to another world through a whirlwind of bohemian magic. And everyone is in character – even the waiters turn out to be performers. In fact, some people find interacting with their waiters the most entertaining part of their evening.

Dazzling detail
The attention to detail is striking, from the décor to the costumes, from the stage make-up to the set design. And if all that leaves you feeling too plain, you can even buy fancy dress from the Bijoux Boutique – and really be part of the action.

The menu tries to cater for everyone, with vegetarian options and consideration for special dietary requirements.

And the fun doesn’t end with dinner. The shebeen drinks area outside means that you can get up from the dinner table and party the night away.

Madame Zingara’s Love Magic Tours is in Cape Town until August. Prices vary depending on where you choose to sit, with tickets starting at R300. This includes the show and a five course meal.

Call the Madam Zingara box office to make a reservation on 021 001 3366.

The Taj Cape Town is located close to Cape Town’s varied and interesting nightlife. The well-informed staff at the Taj Cape Town are happy to keep guests up-to-date on the latest events.

Mint, an all-day dining restaurant located at the exclusive Taj Cape Town hotel, offers innovative local and international fare. The Father’s Day special includes a delightful three course menu, complemented by Taj’s characteristically warm Indian hospitality.

Dine in style

The restaurant’s elegant show kitchen allows diners to catch a glimpse of the chefs at work preparing the day’s fare. Mint is situated in the old Reserve Bank building in the Cape Town city centre. This restored historical landmark offers old-world charm combined with cool contemporary flair. Weather permitting, sweeping double-volume glass doors can be opened to create a charming inside-outside dining experience, lending a cosmopolitan ambience to the occasion.

The men will be greeted with a complimentary Jack Black beer upon arrival, and the table d’hôte will cater for even the most discerning palate, showcasing some of Mint’s finest offerings. The menu consists of gourmet dishes with unusual culinary twists. Choose from three options per course, and sit back and enjoy the relaxed yet sophisticated ambience of Mint.

Booking details

Impress your dad by booking a Father’s Day celebration at Mint!

• R240.00 per person
• Half price for children under the age of 10
• To book, please email Kerry at mint.restaurant@tajhotels.com

Nobu’s food is best described as new-style Japanese and, while that may seem cold, we can assure you that it is anything but. In fact Nobu manages to be consistently delicious.

Dining at Nobu is an experience so it can get a little overwhelming if you have no idea what to expect and no guidance. For this reason we thought we’d take this opportunity to give you a few of our local tips.

Nobu is not a starter, main and dessert kind of restaurant instead it is multi dish, multi course extravaganza. At Nobu we always find that it is best to order for the table. This allows everyone to experience everything – so dish envy is completely eliminated – and it also gives you the chance to work your way through the menu; and this is definitely a menu you’ll want to work your way through.

Through our own trial and error we’ve discovered that the very best way to experience what Nobu has to offer is to let their skilled maître d’ do the ordering for your table. In this way it’s much like our Bombay Brasserie when put your dining experience in our hands by opting to go with our chef’s suggestions.

If you do decide to go with this option, when you dine at Nobu, it is best to be upfront with the maître d’. Let him know if there are any ingredients you are allergic to or anything you just don’t eat. But, again in our experience, it is worth going to Nobu with a completely open mind and palate … because when you do you’ll enjoy a dinner at Nobu that is a meal you remember and talk about for years.

Nobu is open for dinner from 6pm – 11pm. To book call + 27 21 431 5111.

We want to ensure that everyone who’d like to experience the Taj Cape Town restaurant offerings, over the 2010 World Cup, has the opportunity to do so. For this reason we are now taking bookings for that period.

If you’re a local – or a visitor – and you’d like to join us for a meal, or series of meals, over the 2010 World Cup please give us a call +27 21 819 2000. We’d really like to make sure that everyone who’d like to dine at the Taj Cape Town, over the 2010 World Cup, has the opportunity to do so.

We look forward to seeing you in less than a month!

Mint Mother’s Day menu

Treat Mom to a dining experience with a difference. The menu consists of gourmet dishes with unusual culinary twists. Choose from three to four options per course, and sit back and enjoy the relaxed yet sophisticated ambience of Mint. The menu also includes tasty vegetarian selections. The starters, mains and desserts have been carefully selected to please any palate.

Enjoy your meal under the trees of St George’s Mall or catch a glimpse of chefs in action beside the impressive open plan show kitchen. A glass façade offers city views and the restaurant boasts a floor to ceiling wine wall. Mint is family friendly and you will feel right at home in this intimate three-level eatery.

Mint is situated in the old Reserve Bank building in the city centre. This restored historical landmark offers old-world charm combined with cool contemporary flair.

Booking details

Impress your mom by booking a Mother’s Day celebration at Mint!

• R230.00 per person
• Half price for children under the age of 10
• To book, please email Kerry at mint.restaurant@tajhotels.com

Enjoy a special family celebration in the heart of Cape Town. A sumptuous meal, warm atmosphere and good company, what better way to spend Mother’s Day?

According to our hamburger experts the four best burgers in Cape Town can be found at:

• Beleza– insiders tip: ask for the Nikki Burger (it’s a bacon, cheese and chilli burger that’s not on the menu but it’s excellent).
• Café Caprice – insiders tip: really enjoy the setting. Caprice is located just opposite Camps Bay beach and this means that you get to enjoy your burger with a large side of people watching.
• Royale Eatery and Royale Kitchen – insiders tip: Royale (located at the top end of Long Street, probably Cape Town’s most well-known and loved street) has great décor and good burgers. Their milkshakes are definitely worth a try!
• Hudson’s Burger Bar – insiders tip: Hudsons (situated on Kloof Street, opposite the Lifestyle Centre) offers an excellent selection of burgers. The vibe is as cool as only Kloof Street can be.

Let us know if you have any more burgers that we should add to our Best Burgers in Cape Town collection.

It is the sixth consecutive year Le Quartier Français has been placed in the top 50 and the second consecutive year for La Colombe.

[insert names] placed in the top 100.

It’s fantastic that these two local restaurants have once again been recognised as some of the best in the world. Congratulations!

Recently we took a midday stroll through the Company Gardens and ended up at Mint for a light summer lunch and both were excellent. The gardens were full of people enjoying their lunch break and children on their way home from school. It was so full of life, laughter and happiness that we arrived at lunch in the best mood. No parking grumpiness or midday traffic stress.

Could you ask for a better Friday? We think not!

Just how many artisan coffee shops – charging at least R20 for a flat white – can Cape Town support? We’ve noticed that coffee roasting and hotels seem to be the two most popular, or at least fastest growing, sections in Cape Town.

We’re not complaining, mind you, because we happen to like both coffee and hotels. We are just wondering if – in the long term – Cape Town can support all this coffee and all these rooms?

On the plus side Deluxe, the coffee showroom and roaster, just up the road from us is excellent. They don’t do food, they don’t do tea; instead they do excellent coffee and brilliant fresh juice. What’s more their flat white is only R10, which is half the price of everywhere else, and it’s as good  – if not better – than some of the more well known roasters.

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We are looking at branching out and trying some new coffee places – where do you recommend we try for our daily fix?

We enjoyed reading Jamie’s review so much that we just had to share it with you. If you’d like to read Jamie Who’s review of the Twankey please click here.

The Statue that sits above the entrance to The Twankey. It also happens to be the statue the seafood, champagne and oyster bar is named after.

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Restoring the Taj Cape Town property has been a big job and we are delighted that all aspects of it are now complete and 100% ready to go.

The Twankey seafood, champagne and oyster bar is located on the corner of Wale and Adderley Street in the Cape Town City Centre. It is open from 10am till late (11pm and beyond) Monday to Saturday and it is set to take the Cape Town luxury bar scene by storm.

If you’re in the Cape Town city centre pay the Twankey a visit for your morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, after-work drink(s) and those evenings where you’re looking for some good fun, laughter, great food, wine, spectacular cocktails, excellent seafood and unforgettable music.

We hope to see you at the Twankey soon.

Mint is located on St George’s Mall and diners who want to engage with the pedestrian hustle, without immersing themselves completely in the bustle, can dine on the Mint veranda (porch) under the umbrellas. For guests looking for a more tranquil experience the Mint interior – decorated in calming greens and blues – allows diners to watch the city pass by through the large glass doors that lead onto St George’s Mall.

The food, at Mint, is excellent (even if we do say so ourselves) and the constantly evolving menu has something for everyone.

If you’re looking for a light lunch we suggest ordering two dishes from our starters section. Presently our asparagus trio and the tuna are both exceptional!

For a more substantial meal all the Mint main courses are all well sized and, when coupled with a starter and a dessert, they will leave even the hungriest patron satisfied.

If you live in the Cape Town city centre, and you’re looking for something different to do over lunch, why don’t you take a relaxed amble through the beautiful Company Gardens and join us for lunch?

To book call +27 21 819 2000.

If you’re a cyclist we’ll forgive you for only visiting after the race. However if you’re a supporter – and we know there are quite a few of you heading this way on Friday, Saturday and Sunday – there is really no reason not to indulge in our three superb Taj Cape Town restaurants.

All our restaurants are so unique that you could easy have breakfast in Mint, lunch at the Twankey, a spot of tea in the lounge (which used to be the old Reserve Bank hall) and dinner at the Bombay Brasserie all on the same day. Delicious and far less painful than spending hours in the saddle!

To make a booking call us on +27 21 819 2000.

Judging from the review Chef Caro thoroughly enjoyed her Bombay Brasserie experience.

Below are the provisional Bombay Brasserie and Mint menus. Please bear in mind that they will be changing slightly. When this happens we will update them here, on the Taj Cape Town blog, and on the Taj Cape Town website.

Both restaurants are open to the public and we’d love to have you join us for breakfast, lunch or dinner – at Mint – and dinner at the Bombay Brasserie.

For further enquiries, or to book, please contact us on +2721 819 2000.

Bombay Brasserie Menu – February 2010

Mint Menu – February 2010

Over the last few weeks we’ve focused a great deal on our three dining options: The Bombay Brasserie, Mint and The Twankey Seafood, Champagne and Oyster Bar. We’ve highlighted their history, their design and their décor but, up until now, we haven’t mentioned the food. That all changes today.

Last week, at a warm-up Bombay Brasserie dinner, we experienced just how the Taj Cape Town’s Bombay Brasserie menu and various dishes captivate a diner’s taste buds. The Bombay Brasserie offers guests Indian cuisine as they’ve never experienced it before. In fact every dish we sampled left us speechless (in a good way).

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Hopefully we’ll see you in the Taj Cape Town and the Bombay Brasserie soon.

It now looks like this:

At this rate you’ll be joining us for a lazy lunch or and a delectable dinner in no time.

This week we are introducing journalists, friends and some Cape Town locals to the very special Taj Cape Town and its unique city-centre offering.

The Twankey Seafood, Champagne and Oyster Bar team were in early Sunday morning to ensure that come Monday (today) everything was just right.

Two months ago it looked like this:

A month ago it looked like this:

In our next post we’ll show you what it’s looking like now.

A month ago the show kitchen was being fitted and the walls painted.

It’s now come so far we need to dedicated an entirely different post to it. See you on Monday with the latest Mint photos.

A month ago it looked like this:

Tomorrow we’ll show you what it looks like now.

Just over two weeks ago we posted about the Bombay Brasserie progress we’d made and used this picture:

Here is a more recent Bombay Brasserie picture, of the same area, taken just a few days ago:

The Bombay Brasserie – modelled on its namesake in London – will treat guests to the finest Indian specialty dining. Here mouth-watering meals will be skilfully prepared using traditional ingredients, creating some of the finest Indian cuisine outside of India.

The Bombay Brasserie – located in the Cape Town city centre on Wale Street – will be a combination of contemporary design and the elegant opulence of the old Reserve Bank. High ceilings will create a sense of space, without detracting from the exclusivity and intimacy of the experience. The luxurious décor will complement the existing heritage pieces and create a rich atmosphere, a wonderful stage for the highly acclaimed menu.

At the Bombay Brasserie all dishes will be a delicate melody of flavours, a taste of modern fine-dining Indian fare.

The Bombay Brasserie in the making.

Less than one month ago the Mint show kitchen looked like this:

The Mint show kitchen now looks like this:

Things – at the Taj Cape Town – are really starting to take shape.

Mint will specialise in innovative international and local fare. Here diners can expect to find a menu that consistently tempts their senses, taste buds and appetites.

This surprisingly intimate three-level restaurant will have a spectacular open-plan show kitchen, allowing guests to glimpse cuisine being created. An impressive floor to ceiling wine wall, an informal wine tasting nook and a mezzanine level (perfect for private functions) all adding to the ambiance. A ceiling-height sliding glass façade, opening onto St Georges Mall, will allow Mint guests to experience outdoor under the trees.

Mint’s setting and tasteful décor will create a relaxed atmosphere where every guest feels at home.

This will soon be Mint's show kitchen.

Mint’s a la carte menu and light meals are ideal for business lunches, dinners and celebrations.

This commitment, to preserving and improving on what already exists, is what the ground floor of the old Temple Chambers (BOE building) – in the Cape Town city centre – has experienced. It has been restored to remarkable condition and – when the Taj Cape Town officially opens its doors – it will be the home of The Twankey Seafood, Champagne and Oyster Bar.

The Twankey Seafood, Champagne and Oyster Bar is a rare find. Flowing champagne and local wine, the freshest seafood tapas, elegant décor and sublime local music tell an unforgettable Cape Town city centre story.

The large street-side windows will create a unique viewing room for The Twankey guests. While its interior, all plush comfortable décor and soulful music, will effectively distinguishes it from the lively city bustle that lies street-side of the glass. Its design and central location will give diners the opportunity to indulge in delicious champagne and South African wine, delectable seafood tapas and other seafood delicacies, while watching authentic Cape Town pass them by from the best seats in the house.

The Twankey will be open from mid-morning and serves light breakfast snacks, pastries, coffee. For lunch and dinner – and everything in between – speciality seafood dishes are served as tapas. An express lunch – a light selection of hot and cold seafood tapas – is also on offer for the time constrained.

It really has got a great selection of pieces from the original structure. These include beautiful marble detailing and wood-paneling. All of this, coupled with the exceptional food and trademark Taj service, adds to the The Taj Cape Town Bombay Brasserie dining experience. It’s going to be unforgettable.

Work presently underway in the Taj Cape Town's Bombay Brasserie

The Bombay Brasserie Indian specialty restaurant is unlike anything presently on offer in Cape Town. The Bombay Brasserie’s dishes are not all about heat or sauce; instead they’re a delicate melody of flavours, a real taste of modern Indian fare.

Mint, the Taj Cape Town’s relaxed all-day dining restaurant, will showcase innovative international and local cuisine. Its main features – apart from the consistently tempting menu – are the open-plan kitchen (making it possible for diners to sneak-a-peak at their meals being prepared) and the floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors opening onto St Georges Mall. These doors, when open, create a seamless indoor-outdoor dining experience.

The final dining experience on offer – at the Taj Cape Town – is the Twankey Seafood, Champagne and Oyster Bar situated on the corner of Wale Street and Adderley Street. Here flowing champagne, fresh seafood, elegant décor, wrap-around glass windows and background jazz tell a glamorous story. Twankey guests can spend an hour, an afternoon or a whole day sipping on something delicious, snacking on delectable seafood tapas and watching the Adderley Street bustle pass them by.

Behind the scenes at Mint. In the background you can see the floor-to-ceiling glass façade that opens onto St Georges Mall.

That means we’ve excelled for 107 years in the notoriously competitive hospitality industry – which is a remarkable achievement, even if we do say so ourselves.

As a brand the Taj has seen some fantastic things and lived through inventions that have forever changed the way the world works. Over the course of the 107 years we, at the Taj, have had to learn to adapt to the changes, without losing the charm and magic that makes every one of our hotels so spectacular.

At the Taj Cape Town we plan on tackling the fine art of blogging in the same manner the Taj group has always handled changed, by taking it in our stride.

We believe that blogging will allow us to share what we know makes our Cape Town city centre hotel so unique and spectacular.

Over the course of the next few weeks, months and years you can expect – through this blog – to be included in our whirlwind Cape Town adventure.

Welcome to the Taj Cape Town.