Out on The Town

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Last night a few friends and I visited The Eastern Food Bazaar in Cape Town City. It is just down the drag from the majestic City Hall and on the right. This dinner destination was high up on my list of ‘must visits’ and so I was thrilled that this was the choice of our food destination.

We arrived after 6.30 and met one of the women who was already there. The way the Bazaar works is there are at least 5 different choices of food type. One chooses the meal for the evening and then all visitors order and pay at a central till after which you return with till slip in hand to collect the meal.

This is both a take away spot and a sit down meal. The delicious food on offer ranged from stuffed Shwama with Falafel and Humus  through to Chinese food and then on to Tandoori type meals and finally resting , for me and indeed most of us, at the Indian Curry spot.

Each spot has a small selection of food and incredibly reasonable prices . It was a gastronomical delight. I chose a Chicken Tikka Misala which came with piles of rice and some other, non – descript green, hottish stuff and also we bought naan and Roti.  All this and a water came it at a meager R40. I was thrilled!!

We all took our meals and went upstairs to a very Easternly decorated spot to relax and enjoy.

Our fellow customers where from all walks of Cape Town life. Many foreign Africans joined the queues in search of cheap, hot, good food. As typically Eastern, Indian  music blared from the make shift speakers and people mingled back and forth  deciding and ordering. It was a noisey hub bub and new and exciting experience for Cape Town. We definitely felt as if we had stepped out for the night, into a different part of the world.

Cape Town City centre is a strange beast in the dark. The beautiful buildings are difficult to see clearly and yet bits of them spring out in the shifting light. The streets are full of trolley people and business people pushing there wares down the road, on the way to safety after a long day of selling. The poor and the homeless come out too. They are more forceful and far braver than in the suburbs. I guess , to survive, you just have to be. No one would care anyway. They demand food and step up really close so as to be ‘ in your face’ with ‘ pathetic talk, often drunken and slurred. These are the nights and times of Friday in Cape Town City.

After a filling meal we decided to set out for coffee. We landed up at a spot called Roxies . A blast from the past. We were seated up the most narrow stairs I have ever been on and we have been some places. One of our friends is blind and she was totally amazing. Through the throng of people at the food bazaar and navigating the streets and pavements and then finally up and down these scary stairs. She was totally calm and trusting and awesome. We all settled on something Kalua or something yummy. It was fun. The bathroom at this spot was something to behold. The restaurant was situated in an old and beautiful house. It had wooden floorboards and a whole bathroom with bath still in tact. The room had been decorated 20 years ago. It was home to half mannequins filled with tattoo and crazy , wild hair. It was home to the legs of the other mannequin  . half floating in mid air, surrounded by fake flowers. The walls were covered with old news paper and comic strips and old theatre adds of days gone by. Some was beautiful while other parts were simply tired and sad. It was strange to wee with all these fake folk staring. It felt like a death scene from a modern movie.

We traveled home after a wonderful and fun evening together. A great bunch of fun and funky friends. What a blessing!!!