Warren Mendes grew up in a house where dinner could be curry one night, lasagne the next and a smoky braai at the weekend. “From as early as I can remember, food was always at the centre of fun,” he says. His mum kept the food coming from the kitchen while his dad tended the fire. “As soon as I smelt the braai starting as a kid, I knew I was going to eat well.”
That appetite for flavour, fun and the stories behind a meal is what Warren brings to the new 12-day Signature Series tour with Miguel Maestre. Follow their lead from the spice-filled kitchens of Bo-Kaap to the Cape Winelands and coast, with exceptional dining experiences at restaurants hand-selected by your hosts along the way.
Start with the spice in Bo-Kaap
“Spice,” Warren says, when asked what flavour takes him straight back to South Africa. Masala, he explains, underpins dishes such as Cape Malay curry and bobotie, building depth and aroma. It doesn’t have to mean intense heat: as Warren puts it, Bo-Kaap’s food is “packed with flavour”.
On this Signature Series, a neighbourhood walk and hands-on cooking class will bring those flavours to life while in Cape Town. Join Warren, Miguel and local cook Zainie Misbach to make masala, roll roti and prepare samosas, dhaltjies and Cape Malay chicken curry. Then take your place at the table and taste what you’ve made.
Warren calls Cape Malay cooking experiences “a must in the Cape” – a chance to learn about the place, its history and its people through food.
Follow the fire to a Franschhoek braai
A braai is more than putting meat on a barbecue. Warren remembers his dad starting the fire early, building coals while food kept coming from the kitchen. The smell of wood smoke meant the weekend feast was under way.
At KOSÉ in Franschhoek, Warren has chosen a braai-to-table dinner that brings everyone together around the fire. Watch boerewors – a coiled sausage seasoned with coriander and other spices – and tomahawk steak cook over the flames, then tuck in with chakalaka on the side.
For Warren, that sense of gathering is central to South African food. “Behind every recipe there is a story,” he says, “and it is always centred around sharing and generosity.”
Taste the balance of sweet and savoury
South African cooking often plays contrasting flavours against each other. Warren loves the way chutney or banana salad can accompany a spicy curry, adding sweetness that tempers the heat. “Where there is salt there is a hint of sugar and where there is sugar there is a hint of salt,” he says.
He also points to bobotie as a favourite: spiced minced meat baked beneath a golden egg topping, with raisins often bringing a little sweetness to the savoury filling. It’s one example of the layered flavours that make South African food so distinctive.
Let Warren’s restaurant picks set the pace
A good meal can tell you something about the place you’re in. Warren has hand-selected many of the restaurants along the tour route, including Chefs Warehouse at Tintswalo Atlantic and Perlemoen Seafront Restaurant in Hermanus.
In Knysna, the food experience moves onto the water: taste oysters during a sunset cruise on the lagoon, one of the itinerary‘s Signature Highlights. Each stop offers another perspective on South Africa’s coast, with Warren’s choices guiding you from one table to the next.
Take your time in the Cape Winelands
Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are two of the Cape Winelands’ best-known towns, set among vineyards and mountain scenery. The region is known for its food as well as its wine, with local produce a big part of the experience at the table.
On the Signature Series, Warren is especially keen to share the Cape Winelands with travellers. “Some incredible wine is produced there in the most magical setting,” he says, adding that the region’s focus on “great food and produce” makes it a highlight whether or not you drink wine.
At Lanzerac, pair wine with chocolate. Then, at Rickety Bridge, taste different wine components before creating, bottling and labelling your own blend with the estate’s wine team. Lunch among the vines rounds out your time here.
Come hungry – and leave room to return
Warren and Miguel are good friends who’ve cooked together many times. “I think there can never be too many cooks in the kitchen,” Warren says. “We have a good dance and balance in the kitchen.” He hopes everyone comes hungry – and ready for the stories and recipes he’s keen to share.
His advice for a first visit? “Remember this is a place you will visit over and over again, so don’t try and rush and do it all in one trip.” Think of this tour as an introduction to South Africa – and a reason to come back for more.
Discover South Africa
Feature image: Toby Murphy.
