I wasn’t around at the time, but there is something incredibly cool about New York movies I’ve watched based in the 1950’s. I’ve always loved the vibe. The post-Capone era, when TV had just come about and James Dean was doing his thing. But most of all, I dig the restaurant vibe that one sees in those old black and white films. With hat racks at the door and Frank Sinatra playing in the background. That is what I was looking for, and that is just what I’ve found. For you. For us.

 

 

I had heard about Boo Radley’s Bar and Bistro from a friend and I called them up to see if they were open. They were. I tingled with excitement and booked a table for me and The Muse. I was dying to see what a character from the book To Kill a Mockingbird reincarnated as a restaurant, looked like!

When we arrived I was finished! It wasn’t the checked floor, or the marble bar (with hooks!) and beveled mirrors. Nor was it the hat rack at the entrance. It was the BOOTHS! My God, they’ve got BOOTHS! I’ve been looking for a Cape Town restaurant with PROPER booths for most of my existence. And they’re the real deal – with real leather. Oh my!

 

Yes, you CAN be here

Mmmm, booths and cafe chairs..

Stop it now..

Yip, they fucking nailed it!

I got the following from their PR people. Check it out:

 

Taking its cue from New York’s bistro-bar culture; newly opened Boo Radley’s offers a shot of nostalgia and a spoonful of style to Cape Town’s City restaurant offering.

The 50-seater assembly of leather banquets, café chairs and glossy wood tables are offset by a black and white checked floor and ceiling to street level windows. Palm fronds, leather-bound encyclopedia sets, heady black and white prints and a bluesy soundtrack set the scene for intimate dinners or jovial group gatherings.

An unfussy menu inspired by the famed grill rooms of cultural centres such as Paris, New York and Chicago, offers prime meat cuts, half free range chicken, seafood and pasta dishes. Staples include the mussels (served steamed in white wine, marscapone cheese, garlic and herbs), prawn cocktail (a pre-nouvelle cuisine classic served with avocado all year round), mac+cheese pot (a more-ish must), lamb cutlets (served with mushy peas), Bouillabaise (classic French seafood soup) and crème brulee ( a perpetual crowd-pleaser).

A lunchtime sandwich menu makes for a swift but satiating office escape and the old fashioned lemonade will wash that down nicely.

Boo Radley’s is owned by friends and business partners Jay Haupt and Alex George who are the duo behind Long Street’s Julep Bar. This is their “grown-up entertainment spot”, with junior partners Matt Finch (ex Ginja and Yum, Johannesburg as chef) and Conrad Joubert (ex-Julep as GM) bringing further enthusiasm and experience to the party. Naturally cocktails are a speciality but they are classics not contemporaries – although their famed Mojitos are very much on the menu.

Boo Radley’s forms part of a new stable of art, culture, food and entertainment venues on the city block that is bordered by Castle, Long and Hout. Central to this development is The Grand Daddy Hotel and The New Space Theatre. Boo Radley’s extends this creative experience with their own regular live music and a part-time staff of actors, comedians, performers and students. Boo’s theatre meals are precisely timed to ensure you make your show but return for coffee and desserts or a slow bottle of wine. Alternately, come post-theatre and enjoy a leisurely supper.

 

Hey! Can you cope?

Using a mouthful of my unbelievably fresh linefish, I managed to leverage a slice of the Muse’s lamb cutlets which, as they say in the classics, “melted” in my mouth. As mentioned in the blurb, they’ve NAILED the “unfussy” food vibe, giving healthy portions and not trying to be clever with terms like “fusion” and sports car bills.

 

The Linefish

The Lamb Cutlets

It’s pretty tricky deciding on where to go out in Cape Town and we’re always looking for something new that isn’t trying to be clever. We normally choose from a list of three safe options. Well I’ve just added a fourth.

I’d advise you to get in there quick! – before it becomes Cape Town’s hottest ticket and you have to book a week in advance! The vibe is also so set for Winter. I had visions of the rain pouring outside, with gangsters and starlets dancing away next to the bar inside; pearls and lace STREWN everywhere! It’s so the vibe I’ve been looking for.

Go there now and if it is not awesome, I promise to sort it out for you.

Better yet, Why don’t you be smart and jump on their intro special they’re running for the rest of April?

Bring three guests or more to lunch* or dinner at Boo Radley’s and you, as the host, will receive your main meal on the house.

Click here to download the voucher , which you must print out and present to your waitron on arrival.

Boo Radleys is open, Tuesday to Saturday (Closed Monday evening), lunch and dinner (10 am -2am last kitchen orders 11pm).

62 Hout Street
Cape Town
021 424 3040

www.booradleys.co.za

 

ps. Did I mention they’ve got Jack Black Beer on tap?