One can develop a hearty appetite after a busy day of safariing for Sri Lankan elephants in the wilds of the Udawalawe National Park. Fortunately, our tour had that covered. Near the southern entrance to the park, not far from the Udawalawe Dam and Udawalawe Reservoir, is an amazing piece of architecture that houses a fantastic pottery studio and a wonderful restaurant featuring authentic Sri Lankan food. That means this food is heavy on rice, curry, sambols (spicy Sri Lankan condiments), vegetables, fruits, chicken, fish, and the occasional red meat (beef, mutton, pork). The full name of this place is Craft Tunnel – The Potter’s Retreat. Here is it’s location in relation to the park:
Craft Tunnel – The Potter’s Retreat at Udawalawe National Park (Google Maps)
Much of the Craft Tunnel structure is open-air, and it does indeed have a tunnel-like appearance once you step inside:
Craft Tunnel – The Potter’s Retreat
The studios, kitchen, offices, and restrooms, may be enclosed, but when I say that much of this place is open-air, below is what I mean. This is what you see when looking beyond the areas shown above:
Craft Tunnel – The Potter’s Retreat
And if you’re in the mood to shop, there is some truly fascinating pottery to be had. Little wonder why this place bills itself as “an authentic fusion of Sri Lankan traditional art and the world of modern Studio Ceramics.”
Craft Tunnel – The Potter’s Retreat
Since this lunch was included in the price of our safari, we didn’t even look at the menu. Instead, the wait staff just started bringing out food. And more food. And more food. We couldn’t keep up, and there was quite a bit left over at the end of the meal. Here’s a photo gallery/slide show of our feast:
On this, our first visit to Cape Town, South Africa (we’re going again later this year), we dined at several establishments. Two stood out among the rest. So, today I’m presenting a Fun Food Friday two-fer. The first restaurant featured in today’s article is Mama Africa, on the corner of Long Street at Pepper Street. Mama Africa pecializes in native African cuisine with an emphasis on wild game — crocodile, eland, kudu, ostrich, springbok, and even zebra. For the less adventurous, fish, chicken, lamb, and oxtail. Want to see the menu? Here you go:
Mama Africa menu Page 1
Mama Africa menu Page 2
The restaurant decor is charming, the staff friendly and helpful, the food delish, and the menu extensive. The only downside is that it’s on the expensive side. But Mama Africa is well worth at least one trip for dinner. You may even enjoy it enought to go back a second or third time. We almost did, until we stumbled upon today’s second restaurant (more on that shortly). First, before we get to what Ursula and I dined upon, let’s look at the interior:
Ursula and I are big believers in trying the local cuisine. As such, we opted for game meat. Ursula’s choice was springbok, a type of antelope. I had the ostrich, as our waitres informed us that it would be a more moist meat. She was right. Ursula’s springbok was tasty, but the meat was dry. We both agreed that the ostrich was the better dish. Now for a look at the food:
If it appears that I’m giving Mama Africa short shirft, it’s because the next eatery is the one both of us most highly recommend. Meet Quay 4 Restaurant & Tavern, located on the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. And when I say this place offers up views of the waterfront at least as good as the food and prices, you can see why below. Those white squares are outdoor dining area umbrellas:
As to where this is in relation to the rest of V&A Waterfront, below is a wider view. The Quay 4 is in the upper left quadrant. Swing Bridge and the Clock Tower District are upper center.
Quay 4 Restaurant & Tavern
The entrance to Quay 4 isn’t particularly difficult to find on Dock Street, but you will have to watch for it:
Quay 4 entrance
After you pass through the opening above, continue toward the back. Along the way you’ll pass some large posters depicting the menu:
Quay 4 Menu 1
Quay 4 Menu 2
You’ll even pass by a poster showing off Quay 4’s daily specials. And whereas R149 (South African Rand) may sound steep, that works out to just over $9.00 USD:
Quay 4 daily specials
Because of the views and the moderate temperature this day, we opted to sit in the outdoor “tavern” rather than head upstairs into the “restaurant”:
Quay 4 outdoor “tavern”
Ursula is ready to peruse the…
… Quay 4 menu
Ursula is a sucker for seafood chowder, and I enjoy it as well. So, we both opted to start with a sampling, which turned out tasty but which doesn’t quite compare to our favorite — Glacier Brewhouse in Anchorage, Alaska. Nevertheless, Quay 4’s was worth the price of admission; R75 ($4.54 USD) gets you this:
Quay 4 seafood chowder
Quay 4 seafood chowder
For our mains, Ursula opted for this tasty piece of fish, for which she was given a choice of seasonings (if I recall correctly, she went for a cajun flavor), and a salad with ranch dressing:
Quay 4 cajun-style fillet with salad
I was in a fish & chips mood, so that’s what I ordered. Quay 4’s “secret batter” rendered the fillet light, airy, and, most importantly, crisp. The fries fresh from the fryer and were equally tasty.
Quay 4 Fish & Chips
How good was Quay 4? Good enough that we went back, and good enough that we’ll give another try when we return to Cape Town later this year. Although next time I think we’ll try the main restaurant rather than the tavern. For the latest Quay 4 menu, head on over to these links: Quay 4 Tavern Menu; Quay 4 Upstairs Menu.
Today’s article concludes our 2025 visit to Cape Town, South Africa. From here we boarded a cruise ship and headed north, so next week I’ll be showing you our first cruise destination — Walvis Bay, Namibia.
If you’re not that hungry, or if you’re just looking for something light to hold you until dinner in the main dining room, head on up to the Jaz Celebrity’s Sun Deck for an early afternoon snack of sandwiches and sweets:
Jaz Celebrity Sun Deck snacks — Sandwiches and cheese rolls
Jaz Celebrity Sun Deck snacks — Cake slices and cookies
And, of course, don’t forget the views that come with the snacks:
Jaz Celebrity Sun Deck view
The main dining room is quite the affair — elegant and enticing. Here you can see some of the various buffet-style food stations in the background:
Jaz Celebrity Main Dining Room
Yes, here you’ll self-serve at the buffet stations. But don’t think that means you’ll be missing out on some great dining. There are stations for bread, cheeses, fruits, olives, etc. But don’t fill up on that. Awaiting you are stations serving main courses of lamb, chicken, fish, and a plethora of vegetable dishes — both main and sides. The plated food you see in the following photographs are from our first day, and the menu changes daily.
Jaz Celebrity Main Dining Room
The cuisine if very cosmopolitan. You might find anything from blackeyed peas to tomato and mozzarella (Caprese) salad:
Jaz Celebrity Main Dining Room
A separate pasta station is a nightly fixture, but the choices vary daily. You get to select what you want with your pasta, and a chef whips it up while you wait:
Jaz Celebrity Main Dining Room
Next week we start our tour, beginning with Aswan.
Decisions — Murder in Paradise
The Globe — Murder in Luxury
