Thai Green Curry Paste: Why Making It Changes Everything
Learn to make authentic Thai green curry paste from scratch — fresher, more complex, and surprisingly achievable with the right technique.
⏱ 7 min read
Essential Dishes
The dishes every curious cook should know — a starting point, not a complete list.
The Philosophy
The braai is more than fire and meat — it's democracy in action. Everyone gathers around it, regardless of background, and the designated braaier is given both respect and merciless criticism in equal measure. Food in South Africa is the most reliable bridge between its divided history.
Michelin Recognition
Where the guides point — and why these restaurants matter beyond the stars.
Test Kitchen
📍 Cape Town
Luke Dale-Roberts's Cape Town flagship — consistently rated among Africa's best restaurants, a tasting menu that draws on every strand of South African food culture (Michelin doesn't cover South Africa yet)
La Colombe
📍 Cape Town
Constantia wine estate restaurant with French-South African technique and a tasting menu that uses the finest Cape produce — one of the most beautiful dining rooms in the southern hemisphere
Marble
📍 Johannesburg
David Higgs's wood-fire restaurant in Johannesburg — South African ingredients cooked over fire, the braai tradition elevated to fine dining
Local Favorites
The places locals actually go — no guide required, just a willingness to queue.
Hussar Grill
Grill📍 Cape Town / Johannesburg
South African steak institution since 1964 — aged local beef, proper chips, and a wine list that showcases what the Cape produces. The benchmark South African grill.
Bo-Kaap Kombuis
Cape Malay📍 Cape Town
Cape Malay cooking in the colourful neighbourhood that gave birth to it — bredie, bobotie, and koesisters that taste like they've been made by the same family for generations (because they have)
Gatsbys, Cape Town
Street food📍 Cape Town
The Gatsby — a Cape Town creation: a foot-long bread roll filled with chips, masala steak or calamari, and sauce. Incomprehensible to outsiders, indispensable to Capetonians.
Chefs Worth Knowing
The people who shaped this cuisine — and continue to define it.
🔥
Luke Dale-Roberts
Chef of The Test Kitchen, South Africa's most acclaimed chef
Built South Africa's most decorated restaurant from scratch, drawing on every food culture in the country and applying techniques he gathered working in Asia and Europe. Made Cape Town a dining destination.
Find recipes & articles →🔥
Margot Janse
Former chef of The Tasting Room, Le Quartier Français
Put the Cape Winelands on the international fine dining map. Her work with local Franschhoek ingredients and her hospitality ethos influenced an entire generation of South African chefs.
Find recipes & articles →🔥
Siba Mtongana
South Africa's most famous TV chef, "Africa's first lady of food"
Has done more than anyone to bring South African and broader African food culture to international television — her show has aired in 165 countries, and she's brought the braai to living rooms worldwide.
Find recipes & articles →From the Cuvvo Kitchen
Recipes and techniques inspired by South African cooking.