Cape Town - In all the years I’ve been doing these Holiday EsCape Times stories, I’ve not once ventured out to Table View and beyond.
Last week that changed.
The catalyst was the MyCiTi bus. I use the service to commute daily, and think the routes to Camps Bay, Sea Point and the V&A Waterfront are a gift from the tourist gods. The buses have been running to Table View and surrounds for quite some time, with the recent extension to Melkbosstrand, and I thought it was high time I gave it a try.
So with no research whatsoever, I embarked on a journey. Destination: Catch-22 Beachside Grille & Bar.
Okay, there are pros and cons to this situation. That it took three buses and nearly two hours to get there – not so good. And to think many people do this on a daily basis just to get to work and back. At least I had an incentive. As a holidaymaker it’s fine if you have time on your hands, but it’s not the most scenic of routes; from the Civic Centre to Milnerton is all through the back roads of Paarden Eiland (visitors, that’s an industrial area).
And Sunset Beach? Nowhere near the beach.
The positives are that it was stupidly cheap – less than R10 one way – and no traffic hassles. The biggest advantage (and this one is for you, Myra from Sea Point) is that once I got where I was going I could drink as much as I wanted without worrying about driving home. And since where I went was Catch-22, which has a fabulous cocktail menu, this was strongly in my favour.
Gone are the days when I would try to cram in as much as possible in one day. That rarely works out well, it’s more exhausting than relaxing, and frankly, it’s not a holiday vibe. I had toyed with the idea of exploring further – the bus continues to Big Bay and beyond – but my source told me that the extent of the attractions, besides the beach, was shopping, eating and drinking. Two out of three were being taken care of at Catch-22, so why go any further?
The restaurant has a location to die for. It’s across the road from the beach, with a wraparound balcony which provides an excellent view of the sea and the famous picture-postcard angle of Table Mountain, flanked by Devil’s Peak, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill. Just imagine the sunsets.
Owned by the Katz family – Ivan, Janine and daughter Gabbi – there is a personal approach. Many customers are regulars and are treated like friends. Very sociable.
When I got there, the temperature was about 10ºC cooler than in the City Bowl. I had broken one of my two cardinal rules: always take a jersey, even if it’s hot. The other rule is always take sunglasses even if it’s not sunny. You never know when you are going to need these things.
At Catch-22 they take care of both; a turquoise blanket was placed gently over my chilly shoulders by a considerate waiter. And they have sunglasses for sale.
Hosted by the beautiful Gabbi, I gave that cocktail menu a good go – I love the names like Pretty Flamingo (and I love pink drinks too), Mermaid Martini and Tipsea Gypsy. Another new one coming up this week is an orange and Amaretto mojito – “a sweeter mojito”, says Gabbi. It rhymes if you say it right. Maybe it rhymes after you’ve had a few.
I also tackled a lemon jam jar, which comes in three other flavours/colours too – pink, green and blue. I’m not sure what was in there, but I can safely say that all the cocktails contained alcohol.
We feasted on a sushi platter, panko-crusted calamari with peanut dipping sauce, superb chilli poppers, and squid. Later we skipped across to the beach where I frolicked in waves that splashed up a lot higher than I expected, then buried my toes in soft white sand. It was a lovely afternoon. - Cape Times
l Catch-22 is on the corner of Porterfield Road and Beach Boulevard, Table View (Marine Circle bus stop). Telephone 021 557 7449.
l Some Holiday EsCape Times activities are sponsored by the suppliers.