Magical Meals with Madame
Mention “Madame Zingara” to most Capetonians and they immediately think of the bohemian restaurant of the same name that sadly burnt down several years ago. Mention “Madame Zingara” to people around the country and visions of mirror tents, circus performers and magic instantly spring to mind, since this is the legacy of Madame Zingara’s touring Theatre of Dreams. In recent years, however, Madame Zingara has returned to her roots and opened up a number of charming, quaint and quirky restaurants in the Mother City, all infused with the kind of magic, sparkle and sense of fun that the company has become known for.
Café Mozart
Madame Zingara clearly has a love affair with Cape Town, and in particular with its many old buildings and much loved landmarks. Café Mozart, situated in the heart of the Cape Town CBD, is just such a place, and has been serving coffees and lunches to the inner city crowd for close on four decades.
When Madame Zingara took over the restaurant last September, however, they breathed new life into this inner city institution, and transformed what was once dusty and antique laden into a bright and inviting place that begs to be enjoyed and explored. Outside, tables lounge under the flower strewn trees of the pedestrian walkway and invite people strolling past or browsing at the adjacent antiques market to rest awhile in the shade, and indulge in a cup of coffee and a sweet treat. Wander inside, and they may be tempted to stay a little longer, thanks to the bustling vibe of the open kitchen and the gourmet delights of Café Mozart’s “table of love” – a delicious buffet of fresh salads and breads – perfect for a leisurely lunch or a healthy take away.
But it is up the steep stairs of this narrow historical building that one really discovers the Madame Zingara magic, as you emerge into a room reminiscent of granny’s old dining and sitting room. Complete with a 12 seat wooden dining table, and sideboards and bookcases filled with fascinating bric-a-brac that looks like it represents the spoils of a lifetime of travels, you can’t help feeling that an elderly – and rather eccentric – relative is about to pop through the door and regale you with tales of their life over a pot of tea!
Tall tales aside, the wonderfully interesting Café Mozart waiters and waitresses do a good job of filling the eccentric relative role, and they are an integral part in creating the magic of Café Mozart – or indeed any Madame Zingara enterprise. Manager, Peta Synnot-Marzetti, explains: “I think it’s all about creating a beautiful space for people to enjoy and combining that with great service and interesting people… As you will notice, a lot of our staff, are very interesting human beings!”
A superb collection of exotic teas completes the Café Mozart’s quirky vibe, since they are served in the restaurant’s eclectic collection of whacky and kitsch teapots, perched on a doily covered tray.
Bombay Bicycle Club
Those who love the wild and bohemian side of Madame Zingara’s Theatre of Dreams will feel very much at home at The Bombay Bicycle Club. It is a hedonistic evening hotspot that is so wacky it even comes with its own elaborate and farfetched history. Indeed, the members of the The Bombay Bicycle Club (supposedly the “oldest gentleman’s club in the world”) claim to have been “instrumental in the building of the Eiffel Tower, the calamity of the leaning tower of Pisa, the placement of the Statue of Liberty (and) the kissing of the Blarney Stone”. That is if the menu (which is so small that patrons are given a magnifying glass when they arrive to make ordering easier) is to be believed.
It is, however, easier to swallow this tall tale, if one looks at the wonderfully eccentric décor of Bombay. Bicycles hang from the rafters outside and an old steel bed supporting a gigantic beaded and bedazzled tiger is suspended from the ceiling. Every available surface, nook and cranny is crammed with a motley assortment of wonderfully kitsch items, from old tennis rackets and china dolls to Mexican sombreros and children’s games. It is a mad collection of discarded childhood items and souvenirs that could very well be the by-product of the extensive travels of the gentleman’s club members.
Indeed, everything about Bombay encourages you to get caught up in the fantasy and throw caution to the wind for the evening. This includes indulging to the full in Bombay’s decadent menu, which includes such Madame Zingara favourites as slow cooked springbok shank, and sticky Bombay ribs, topped off by rich malva pudding for dessert. These are all served (along with a wickedly good selection of cocktails) by glittery eye-shadowed waitresses who add to the fun factor. “Bombay is fun, loud and brash,” says Manager, Jo Hook. “And the whole idea is that your waitress becomes part of the experience.”
That said, you are very likely to end off your evening of decadence having shots at the bar, partying with the Madame Zingara staff (who certainly know how to get a party started), and swinging from the ceiling – literally, as this may be the only place in the country where you can choose a table where all the seats are swings! But that’s just the kind of wacky thing one has come to expect from the creative inner workings of Madame Zingara.
The Sidewalk Café
If Bombay is all about the wild and hedonistic, The Sidewalk Café is more for the gentle soul and represents “the yin and yang of Madame Zingara”. Perched on a hill in Vredehoek with sweeping views of Lion’s Head and Robben Island, The Sidewalk Café is another much loved local landmark that has benefited from the loving and inspired touch of the Madame Zingara team.
Decked out in cool, calm colours, with kitchen utensils and photos hanging from the walls and ceiling, The Sidewalk Café has a summery beach cottage feel to it. This which is accentuated by the loads of light that spills into its many windows, as well as by the friendly staff. Indeed this is the kind of place that hums with families out for a late lunch, girlfriends gossiping over tea and students busily typing away at laptops, making the most of the restaurant’s many plug points and free wireless. Like all of the Madame Zingara enterprises, the menu is a tempting mix of South African favourites and intriguing exotic dishes designed to set the taste buds tingling.
Fans of The Theatre of Dreams may be disappointed not to find trapeze artists hanging from the ceiling or contortionists twisting themselves into pretzel shapes on the Sidewalk Café tables. But as patrons soon discover, the magic of Madame Zingara has much less to do with theatrics than it has to do with friendly people and a welcoming vibe.
“I think it’s a combination of the right people, the right food and the right décor which creates a kind of atmosphere. But the people are what definitely make it,” says Maree Mirkovic, the Manager of The Sidewalk Café. “We want people to feel included as soon as they walk through the door, to feel part of the family. And we achieve this due to the fact that we don’t have a high staff turnover at all, and we all stick together because we all really enjoy what we’re doing. Working for Madame Zingara is really very special.”
Luckily for the rest of us, Madame Zingara likes to share the magic, so the next time you are in the Mother City, make a plan to pop into Café Mozart for a spot of tea, The Sidewalk Café to take in the view over lunch, and then party your socks off with the gentlemen of The Bombay Bicycle Club. It promises to be a magically bohemian experience that you are not likely to forget.
Madame Zingara is also the proud owner of Café Paradiso, another well known Cape Town dining destination, the White Rabbit Laundry and the newly opened party shop, This is Not a Post Office. For more information on these, The Theatre of Dreams and the restaurants above, visit www. madamezingara.com.
Story by Nicky Furniss
