Clarke's Bar & Dining Room is an enduring favourite daytime spot for me. It's a cool, easy spot for a coffee, breakfast or a solo lunch. If I lived in the city, I'd probably prop up their counter on many nights too. Their burgers haunt my dreams, although anything you care to order at that counter is likely to be perfectly executed and delicious. On this episode, I chatted to Lyndall Maunder - creator and owner of the Bree Street stalwart, fashioned in the style of an American diner.
Look out for the new 'Takeaways' segment at the start of the show which is a 5 minute sprinkling of things we like featuring lifestyle writer Kimberley Schoeman. The segment is sponsored by Yardstick Wines who've come on board to help me continue the work of documenting the craft and thoughts of our chefs and food entrepreneurs.

• On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
• Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
• All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited

At the water's edge, amid the bustle of a working harbour, Chef Ryan Cole has opened a gorgeous little restaurant simply called COY. While the location is in the heart of the V&A Waterfront, midway between Time Out Market and The Cape Grace, it is also aloof. Isolated from the foot traffic and bustle of the precinct, unassuming but beautiful, COY sits at the entrance to Robinson Dry Dock, the oldest operating dry dock in the world.
Well known for his innovative menus centring African ingredients and techniques, Chef Cole is exploring the coastline of Africa - through his cooking - from its southernmost port where diners have a view of both Table Mountain and the comings and goings of commercial fishing boats and luxury yachts alike.
I don't mind suggesting COY (like Salsify) is set to be one of the great restaurant experiences of Cape Town, if not the world. Meeting with him for the second time on the show produced an absolutely fascinating conversation with a chef I greatly admire.

COY Restaurant, V&A Waterfront
Book at COY with Dineplan

• On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
• Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
• All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited

Lindile Ndzaba is a young man I admire tremendously. He has built a wine brand with nothing but an idea and his drive to do something extraordinary in his community. Khayelitsha's Finest Wines started as a project to bring decent wine to his neighbours 'elokshini', in the sprawling township of Khayelitsha outside Cape Town. Working in the city, exposed to fine wines in his role as a front-of-house staff member, he was frustrated by the shoddy wines on offer in the taverns and eateries around his home.
Working in his spare time he learned about wine and started seeking out unique and interesting wines he could bottle under the KFW label. It's been a long and hard journey, juggling his dream with a full time hospitality position in Cape Town, but it really took off when he was able to resign and focus full time on KFW in 2021.
He's just returned from a trip to the USA where he was promoting KFW and I managed to sit him down for a chat about the road he's walked.

Khayelitsha's Finest Wines
Thumbnail portrait by Brandon de Kock

• On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
• Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
• All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited