Food24 eats at… Table Thirteen

Table Thirteen in Greenpoint, Cape Town serves the kind of food your mother cooked when you were growing up. If she cooked beautifully that is. Home cooking equals serious comfort food and that’s what you get here.

The owner Lara O’ Sullivan changes the menu daily and is influenced by what is in season, in the fridge, and what mood she is in. She is a self-taught chef and you can taste the love she spins into the food.

The setting
The decor is chic; you could be in a Parisian salon or a TriBeCa café. Mismatched chairs are paired with cool marble top tables. The service is friendly and efficient.

The food
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better homemade muesli, served with fresh fruit, yoghurt and honey.

The food is homemade on site by Lara herself and there’s usually a game pie and a hearty soup on the menu. The salads and vegetarian options are particularly good and the sandwiches are gourmet all the way.

They do a ridiculously tasty slow roasted lamb pie which is served with a sweet potato, tamarind and pomegranate seed salad and another favourite is the warm chicken salad with artichoke, aubergine and feta, served with a coriander relish.

For dessert there is a selection of homemade tarts and cakes – look out for the chocolate and orange pastry cake, which will have you going back for more.

Private dining
Table Thirteen doesn’t open to the public at night, but you can take along 10 – 40 of your best friends and take over the restaurant for the night – a brilliant idea for a birthday or anniversary. You can plan the menu in advance to your own requirements and fill the restaurant with your friends and no one else!

Perfect for
A first date, girlie lunch or when you feel the need for real food.