Cape Town Social Club is a fine-dining South African restaurant in between Amsterdam’s Jordaan (pronounced your-don) and het Centrum (the center). The narrow entrance opens up to a small yet inviting deep blue dining room, with an open kitchen and quaint bar. The blue is complemented with gold lamps, wooden details and plush cushions, giving the dining room a welcoming mystique. You’d never know you are just a couple blocks from Leidseplein – one of Amsterdam’s most touristy squares. Coincidentally, the Cape Town Social Club also shares a wall with a quirky well-loved beer bar, De Zotte. The perfect place to continue the fun after your meal.
Dinner at Cape Town Social Club
We went for dinner at Cape Town Social Club at 7 pm on a Wednesday. There was only one other table, so we got the royal treatment. Though from reviews, royal treatment is the norm at Cape Town Social Club.
The host greeted us warmly, explained the concept and offered bubbles or a cocktail to start. He continued to guide us throughout the 7-course set menu. He explained each dish with ease, offered a wine pairing and always allowed us to try before we buy.
Drinks at Cape Town Social Club
To begin, Mike ordered a Thai Lychee Cocktail. Me, a glass of bubbles that would pair well with the first course. I didn’t love it so much, too sweet, so they brought me a different one instead.
The Thai Lychee Cocktail was my second favorite cocktail of the year, a surprise standout. The only better one was the Matcha Whiskey drink I had in Glasgow at Chateau-X back in January. The scent was familiar, like that of Thai curry – and arguably the flavor wasn’t all that different from curry either. Yet for some reason, it worked. Not too sweet nor too spicy – balanced and bold.
The 7-course set menu
Rather than fuss over the entire menu and spoil the surprise, I’ll highlight a few favorites. We dined in the late spring, so this was the Spring / Summer menu. At the time, they were still fine tuning some of the dishes and welcomed any feedback we had.
My favorite dishes at Cape Town Social Club
The most surprising dish was the pilchards in tomato sauce. One, because we were playing a guessing game to determine what pilchards might be, and two because of how delicious it was. Unbeknownst to me, pilchards are sardines. Apparently the smaller fish are known as sardines and the larger ones as pilchards. In South Africa it’s common to serve pilchards with a tomato sauce and cornbread, or as they call it, mealie.
Interestingly, this dish reminded me very much of a warm summer lunch on the beach in Sardinia. The thin white fish paired with the light tomato sauce and the moist buttery cornbread with a crunchy top and velvety center was my favorite dish of the evening. I could have eaten an entire loaf of that corn bread.
My other favorite was the very first course, the sea bass ceviche with Tiger’s milk, an herb creme and chives. I always love the zestiness of a Tiger’s milk and this one did not disappoint. It was an excellent transition from the decadent foie gras amuse bouche.
A few dishes highlighted a local wild garlic from the Amsterdamse Bos. Our host even told me how to go find some in the Bos myself. And we couldn’t get enough of the crunchy homemade focaccia bread with smoked butter.
Mike’s favorite dishes at Cape Town Social Club
Mike’s favorite was the pork belly with seasonal broad beans, fennel and tarragon. I’m not the biggest fan of pork belly, it tends to be too fatty. This worked out in Mike’s favor. He got to eat mine too. Though I could not finish mine, the decadence and richness was just right for Mike, and he claimed, cooked to perfection.
All in all, Cape Town Social Club, hidden just out of the limelight, should definitely be added to your must-try list. Not only was the food delicious, but it was a fun evening with friendly hosts and plenty of new flavors.
Looking for more great restaurants in Amsterdam? Start here.
