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Southern Africa

The Southern African hot list
February 2025

Southern Africa • Insider guides • The Southern African hot list February 2025

What we’re loving in February 2025 (and you will too)

Stay informed and stay inspired! The Southern African hot list is your monthly dossier of what’s shaping the cultural and creative landscape across Southern Africa. From smart new openings and design-forward projects to events worth pencilling into your diary, we spotlight the ideas and initiatives that matter. Whether you’re a local with a keen eye on your surroundings or a traveller seeking authentic inspiration, this is your curated guide to the things that are getting our attention (and deserve your’s, too).

Top photography courtesy of Bakkrans

Edge: Cape Town’s coolest summer pop-up

Edge is a nomadic restaurant concept that brings exciting pop-up dinners to the culinary scene in South Africa and they have now found a summer residence at Vue Shortmarket – an exciting new inner-city bar and restaurant. The pop-ups are led by Chef Vusi Ndlovu and his partner Absie Pantshwa. The pop-ups celebrate African food heritage and culture through creative cooking. You can expect a selection of Edge favourites, the focus is firmly on cooking the very best of Africa’s ingredients over fire and presenting them with contemporary flair. The menu will consist of a five-course tasting menu and a selection of small plates – perfect if you prefer a shorter, more informal experience.

Edge
108 Shortmarket St
Cape Town
South Africa

Photography courtesy of Edge

Bakkrans: go off-grid and experience the wilderness

Located in the heart of the Cederberg Mountains, Bakkrans offers an off-the-grid retreat for those yearning to disconnect. Turkish-born Cape Town resident Ozzy Yerlikaya is the one who brought these beautiful mountain stone cottages to life. Staying at Bakkrans gives you access to a 6,000-hectare reserve with mountain hikes, scenic drives, fossil hunting and ancient rock art exploration. The cottages also boast eco pools – the perfect spot to take a dip, enjoy a drink and get lost in the unbelievable wilderness surrounding you.

Bakkrans
Cederberg
South Africa

Photography courtesy of Bakkrans

Investec Cape Town Art Fair: a celebration of contemporary art

If you love art, mark your calendar for the 12th edition of the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, a premier event showcasing contemporary African and international art, taking place from 21-23 February 2025. As Africa’s largest art fair, you can expect over 120 exhibitors – this is a platform for galleries, collectors, curators and artists from around the globe to create connections at the forefront of contemporary art. Investec Cape Town Art Fair has proven to be the place where the fast-growing African art market and the international art world meet – and it’s an event in Cape Town that is not to be missed this February!

Investec Cape Town Art Fair
Cape Town International Convention Centre
Convention Square
1 Lower Long Street
Cape Town
South Africa

Photography courtesy of Investec Cape Town Art Fair

Roodehek: there’s a new hip street in town

There’s a new street in town bringing even more excitement to the ever-evolving Gardens neighbourhood in Cape Town. The area around Roodehek Street has a rich history that goes back centuries, with food production and making being a consistent theme from the 18th century through to today. Today the area is home to a diverse mix of businesses, residents, studios, cultural institutions and emergent activity – and Roodehek Street is the latest hotspot. With some local favourite spots like The Dog’s Bollocks restaurant calling this street home, it’s easy to see why this street is emerging and quickly becoming one of the must-visit streets in Cape Town. Some exciting spots to check out on this street include Crossley & Webb, Flour Market bakery and the very interesting Minimalist Wines.

Roodehek St
Gardens
Cape Town
South Africa

Photography courtesy of Flour Market

Terre Paisible: relax, revive and rejuvenate in Franschhoek

For a rejuvenating escape, visit the Terre Paisible Medical Spa, offering a range of holistic treatments designed to promote well-being. The spa’s setting at the gateway to the Franschhoek Valley provides awe-inspiring views, making it a special place to recharge and reset. This synergy with nature is captured in everything grown and done at Terre Paisible. In keeping with the estate’s name, peaceful land and the ethos of cultivating beauty through nature, Terre Paisible Medical Rejuvenation and Spa is the go-to destination for cellular regeneration and extending your health span, a first-of-its-kind in South Africa. The spa and treatment rooms are designed to be a sanctuary of relaxation and the interior design, crafted by the renowned Tristan du Plessis Studio, harmoniously blends refined aesthetics with tranquillity.

Terre Paisible
Vigne d’Or
R301
Franschhoek
South Africa

Photography courtesy of Terre Paisible

Cape Town Furniture Week: a contemporary furniture event not to be missed

Design aficionados will love Cape Town Furniture Week, an event that highlights the city’s innovative furniture design scene. Cape Town Furniture Week is a 4-day festival for contemporary furniture, lighting and homeware in the heart of the city. The third annual edition of Cape Town Furniture Week takes place from 19 to 22 February 2025, featuring open showrooms, special exhibitions, talks, factory tours and other events. The exhibition programme takes place across multiple showrooms and locations across 5 walkable design districts in central Cape Town. This is a fantastic chance for any design lover to learn about new products and ideas, network with other professionals in the field and have discussions about design, craftsmanship, innovation and sustainability.

Cape Town Furniture Week
Cape Town
South Africa

Photography courtesy of Cape Town Furniture Week

The Conservatory Restaurant: sizzling new summer menu

Situated within the Cellars-Hohenort Hotel, The Conservatory Restaurant offers a dining experience that harmoniously blends classic and contemporary cuisine and their new summer menu is bringing some exciting new flavours to Cape Town. You can look forward to innovative dishes like the tempura prawn laksa with rice noodles, grilled Karoo lamb loin with pumpkin tart, harissa, rapini and carrots and even a traditional Cape Malay bobotie with steamed white rice, minted pea samosa, cumin roti and sambals. The one we enjoyed the most – the aged Boland double-baked cheese soufflé starter with juniper-infused cheese sauce.

The Conservatory Restaurant
The Cellars-Hohenort
93 Brommersvlei Rd
Constantia Heights
Cape Town
South Africa

Photography courtesy of The Cellars-Hohenort

Southern Guild exhibition: exploring These Four Walls

Southern Guild is presenting an exciting exhibition running from 14 November 2024 to 6 March 2025 – These Four Walls is a solo exhibition by Lagos-based painter Ayotunde Ojo. The exhibition features a series of works Ojo completed during his residency at Southern Guild’s GUILD Residency in Cape Town earlier this year. Depicting loved ones and friends as his subjects, Ojo captures them engaging in everyday activities within layered compositions, offering you a glimpse into intimate moments of domestic care, leisure and being. Ojo’s paintings, characterised by their muted tones and contemplative subjects, invite you into a serene and introspective world.

Southern Guild
Silo 5 V&A Waterfront
Cape Town
South Africa

Photography courtesy of Southern Guild

Honest Chocolate: a chocolate lover’s dream

Kalk Bay now has a new chocolate hotspot. Honest Chocolate has found another home in the south and we’re so here for it! You can now get your chocolate fix while enjoying the coastal beauty and laid-back charm of Kalk Bay. Before opening their raw chocolate shop in Woodstock in 2011, Honest Chocolate founder Anthony Gird and his partner Michael de Klerk started their chocolatey journey selling handmade raw cacao bonbons at farmers’ markets, health shops and alternative-food stores around the country. When the raw-chocolate bean-to-bar artisanal workshop took off, the next part of their dream was to open a sit-down café with the same ethos. Today, Honest Chocolate is loved by many for their quality chocolate treats – and the new Kalk Bay café surely doesn’t disappoint with the variety of chocolatey goodness!

Honest Chocolate
52 Main Rd
Kalk Bay
Cape Town
South Africa

Photography courtesy of Honest Chocolate

Nobu: new chef, bold flavours

Renowned globally for its fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisine, Nobu Cape Town, situated within the One & Only Hotel, continues to impress under the leadership of the new head chef Nicky King. Chef Nicky King was born and raised in Cape Town, throughout her journey, she has worked on international cruise ships, in five-star hotels and even on the Thames River. She learned the many secrets of the culinary arts and developed her signature cooking style during this international experience before returning home to Nobu Cape Town, where she has spent the last seven years perfecting the art of Japanese cuisine. Anticipate innovative new creations that honour the Cape’s local agriculture, including sustainably sourced seafood, indigenous botanicals and the region’s most renowned wines, as well as new takes on well-loved classics like miso black cod and King Crab Amazu Ponzu.