Wakame and Green Point Stadium

Wakame and Green Point Stadium

At least one of our UK readers in particular will immediately recognise the inside of Wakame, a popular tapas and sushi restaurant in Mouille Point, located very close to the Green Point soccer stadium. In fact, the stadium is precisely what you can see brighly lit out in the darkness.

While we were enjoying really (very) good sushi, I watched welding sparks dropping to the ground from the structure in the distance. It would seem the stadium's construction workers are putting in some serious overtime to catch up after last week's wage dispute.

A killer restaurant view – Wakame in Mouille Point

The view from Wakame in Mouille Point

We met up with friends for drinks and a light lunch at Wakame, a multi-level restaurant in Mouille Point, on Sunday. By multi-level I mean that they have a traditional restaurant on the second floor of a three-storey building, with a more casual tapas restaurant and bar on the top floor.

The view that you see here is of the outside lounge area and Table Bay. If you look very (very) carefully, you'll also see Robben Island on the left side of the photo. We enjoyed an assortment of tapas, from calamari to prawns, and lamb chops to chicken wontons. After spending some time inside, munching on our meal, we ventured out onto the deck to relax with a good cup of coffee. All things considered, it was a great experience. Well done, Wakame, and thanks to Beverley and David (who were visiting from the UK) for introducing us locals to a darn fine restaurant!

Unconventional sushi chefs

Unconventional sushi chefs

Kerry-Anne recently bought a two-for-the-price-of-one Wakame sushi voucher from Twangoo, and graciously invited me to tag along to enjoy a sushi platter. Wakame's one of our favoured restaurants in Cape Town (Mouille Point, to be exact) so we were bound to enjoy the delectable treats prepared by what, we assumed, must be the best Japanese chefs in the country.

However, what I discovered was that the sushi chefs weren't Japanese at all. Even though the sushi was cut to precision, kept its form impeccably (even after being manhandled by my chopsticks), and tasted exquisite - it turns out that they were crafted by the very-black-and-decidely-not-Japanese gentlemen on the right of this photo!

Congrats to Marius for, in my last post, guessing correctly that the lights were from Wakame. :)

Drinks at sunset

Wakame's drinks deck

Cape Town has a way of looking beautiful and stormy at the same time. The angry dark clouds in this photo rolled in below the beautiful pink and blue sky, creating a perfect contrast.

Though slightly on the expensive side of average, Wakame more than makes up for it by having this awesome deck - perfect for sitting outside and relaxing while chatting with friends and enjoying a couple of drinks.

Also, I'm not particularly fond of sushi, but I have to admit that theirs is pretty good. Although for most people it's the raw fish that puts them off sushi, for me it's a combination of the seaweed and the rice - and Wakame's rice seems far more palatable than any other sushi rice I've tasted. :)

Cape Town opera shows with Encore

Opera Shows

We were invited to the launch of Encore, an "opera appreciation club" created by Cape Town Opera to promote opera (and other performing arts) among 20- and 30-somethings. Don't you think that the posters for "Dead Man Walking", "Cunning Little Vixen", and "Requiem Mass" all look enticingly appealing?

We spent the evening listening to several young, stylish and talented singers and musicians perform in a style that I'm not accustomed to, and while I'd have to admit that I'll never be a opera junkie, the performances were pretty darn good and definitely worth making a part of your "night on the town".

Joining Encore is a matter of paying a R100 fee per year, which gives members access to several benefits - you can read about them right here. If you'd like to go out regularly, have the chance to dress up a little, enjoy some sophisticated entertainment, and perhaps meet other young people with similar interests, give it a try - I think it's certainly worth the R100.

Worldwide Photo Walk, Cape Town

Nelson Mandela

As many of you will probably know, today is Nelson Mandela's ninety-first birthday. Co-incidentally, it's also the day on which groups of photographers took to the streets of their towns and cities armed with cameras, to take part in the second global Worldwide Photo Walk.

After our late night at Wakame, I momentarily regretted signing up for the walk, as it meant getting up in time to meet the rest of the group near the planetarium in Cape Town at 8am. But somehow I dragged myself out of bed, drove through to town, and met up with a group of about 20 photographers. We spent the next two to three hours walking the streets of Cape Town, spending quite some time in the well-known open-air St George's Mall. In retrospect I was glad that I didn't bail on the outing - the weather was fantastic, the other photographers were friendly and fun, and there were almost too many great opportunities for photos.

We'll be posting more of the photos from the walk over the next few days; but for now, let me close by wishing you, Madiba, a happy birthday and brilliant next year!

And sometimes it’s the big things :)

Table Mountain after sunset

There are so many fantastic sunset spots in Cape Town: Clifton 4th Beach, Summerville in Camps Bay, Signal Hill, Table Mountain itself, Scarborough, upstairs at Wakame in Mouille Point, Blouberg Beach (which is where today's photo was taken), the top of Tygerberg Hill, Lovers' Lane... if you live in the city, or have been here, which is your favourite? And yes, I know, that's like asking you to name your favourite dessert - but give it a try anyway.

As much as I love all the other spots, I'd have to say that the two most spectacular sunsets I've ever experienced were the two I watched from the top of Table Mountain. Clifton 4th Beach is a close second, though, and a bit more accessible, to be fair. :)

Night-time view of Beach Road in Mouille Point

Beach Road in Mouille Point at night

On Wednesday we showed you the view from Wakame; this photo was taken from the same section of the restaurant (the upstairs bar area), but facing in a slightly different direction (looking up Beach Road, towards the lighthouse and Sea Point). And it was at night, of course. ;-)

We don't often find ourselves in this area on a weeknight, and so we were very surprised to see just how busy this part of the Atlantic Seaboard was. We had to drive around the block quite a few times to find parking - pretty impressive, considering it was 8pm on a Thursday...