Page 99 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2020 South Africa

V & A Waterfront
With Table Mountain as a backdrop, the V & A
Waterfront is a magnet for tourists and locals alike
seeking lively shopping, dining, entertainment and
people watching in a historic setting cooled by bay
breezes. This thriving retail, business, residential
and hotel complex is part of a working harbor that
dates back to the 1600s and is named for Queen
Victoria who sent her second son Prince Alfred to
Cape Town in 1860 to mark the start of construc-
tion to create a safe year-round harbor for the
city.
This 300-acre complex that includes the Victo-
ria Wharf Shopping Center, 80-plus restaurants,
an aquarium and museums was a 20 minute walk
from our hotel, but we found it easier to navigate
when we arrived by Uber at entrances near the
mall. From there, we mingled around sunny
squares with crowds watching street performers,
sharing snacks from food stalls or quaffing craft
brews in open-air pubs.
Always in search of souvenirs, we explored the
Waterfront’s many traditional and contemporary
artisan shops housed in the Watershed, Water-
front Craft Market and Alfred Mall gallery. The
nearby Red Shed is home to scores of vendors of-
fering African art and crafts, jewelry and home
decor while the V & A Market on the Wharf show-
cases fresh produce and light fare perfect for
lunch or a shopping break.
Learn more about the area and landmarks like
the Clock Tower and Cape Wheel on twice daily
walking tours. Or take in views from harbor tours
that also leave from this working port. Ferries also
depart from the Nelson Mandela Gateway here for
tours of Robben Island, when the late South Africa
president was an inmate for 18 years.
Evenings with glowing sunsets and twinkling
lights reflected on the water draw locals and visi-
tors to dine. For dinner one night, we waited in line
for a table at Willoughby & Co., a favorite for Japa-
nese fusion seafood ranked among the city’s best.
Tucked inside the shopping center, the bustling
restaurant more than made up for its lack of a har-
bor view with friendly service, affordable wine list
and tasty seafood.
If you go: https://www.waterfront.co.za/

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