You cannot travel to Cape Town without joining a plant-based pop-up dinner with Green & Vegan Cape Town. Once a fortnight (please consider this as you plan your trip) Patrick and Karen create a multi-course vegan meal including a trio of desserts and a vegan cheese platter at their home in Greenpoint, Cape Town. This is not only a great way to eat delicious vegan food, but to meet locals and tourists as everyone comes together to share this eating experience and good conversations. Singles, couples, visitors – all welcome.
Green & Vegan Cape Town invited me to join on of their recent events and this is what the evening was like.
As you arrive in the cosy home that Patrick and Karen open for you, you receive a warm and friendly welcome plus a welcome drink that can be enjoyed as a cocktail or mocktail. Don’t worry if you are arriving as a single (like me). All participants gather in the lounge and mingle. Within minutes of arriving at the venue, you’ll find yourself in a good conversation with a local or a tourist. The long and beautifully decorated table seats about 18 people and it’s always full house when Karen and Patrick work their magic in the kitchen. Just keep in mind that Green & Vegan are not licensed so – please bring along your own juice, beer or wine – whatever it is you drink. NO corkage fee charged.
Patrick and Karen work out a seating plan and I met the most wonderful people around me. There you sit with total strangers, having dinner and good conversations that don’t only involve vegan topics. It was lovely to witness, that the table became ‘alive’ as soon as all the guests took their places, immediately chatting to one another. To my surprise it was very easy to talk to the people that were seated opposite or next to me. Random questions like “where are you from” etc. got the conversation going and I soon found out that the lovely couple opposite me was travelling to South Africa all the way from the States, Pittsburgh.
Let’s talk food
The menu (priced ZAR 399.00) looked promising and Patrick and Karen didn’t disappoint with their culinary art.
Our dining experience started off with a rich red pepper mousse and crispy bread. The starter was delicious and the seasonal salad surprised with its flavours.
Between the courses I continued the interesting conversations with the people around me and couldn’t believe that most guests didn’t follow a vegan lifestyle but had a big interested in plant-based foods or suffered from various food allergies. The second course, an aubergine & tofu lasagne with seasonal vegetables was a favourite amongst all diners. The lasagne was healthy, gluten-free and yet an explosion of aromas and flavours, keeping it authentic Italian style.
The portions may seem small at first glance but trust me, they are very filling and you’ll have plenty of space for dessert. On that note, let’s talk vegan vanilla panna cotta served with raspberries. I loved that the panna cotta wasn’t too creamy as it mostly is in its original version. It was a light yet pleasing dessert and the perfect end to this dinner experience.
The trio of desserts also boasted heavenly chocolate brownies and the most delicious hand-made chocolate truffles.
Let’s not forget the famous vegan cheese board here. To actually end off the amazing multi-course dinner, Patrick and Karen served a beautiful plant-based cheese board with all the trimmings. Some of the cheeses were home-made and some store-bought, served with figs, crackers and preserves. I easily could live on this cheese board and my favourite was the homemade cream cheese and almond baked cheese.
Now that you’ve made so many new friends, it’s not easy to let the conversations go and this is the moment where Patrick and Karen offer free coffee or tea. Some guests might have to leave earlier than others, but it gives you an opportunity to mingle again and chat to people from Brazil, Sweden and so on.
I sincerely hope, that I can encourage you to make that booking with Green & Vegan Cape Town. Vegan or not, tourist or not, you’ll fully enjoy this unique dining experience and the chance to meet so many different people from all around the globe. In a world full of hate and bad vibes, it was beautiful to see that about 20 strangers can sit at one table, enjoy dinner together and have nice conversations over a couple of hours. You’ll leave Patrick and Karen’s home full of delicious vegan food but also full of love and positive energy.
Contact:
If you’d like to join a vegan pop up dinner with Green and Vegan Cape Town, please follow this link and see the events page for upcoming dates, menus and bookings: https://web.facebook.com/GreenandVegan13/
*Disclaimer: I was hosted by Green & Vegan Cape Town to one of their events. Thank you Patrick & Karen for a wonderful evening.
Photo credits: Green & Vegan Cape Town