The other day, as we hopped into the car with the purpose of heading out on an unofficial date night, my boyfriend and I realised we had made a mistake: we hadn’t yet decided where we were going.

Terrible!

As with most couples, where and what to eat is one of those common, stubborn questions that often arise, and this time it didn’t end as well as we were hoping.

You see, I was in a mood for something interesting, something I had never tried before, but every restaurant we thought of offered their own “unique” version of either burgers, pizzas, etc.

So boring. We ended up going to our usual spot, because Googling “interesting restaurants in Cape Town” just didn’t work.

But then Timon came along.

I was a little unsure what the experience would be like when I was tasked to pick a guru and ask a range of questions, but I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised.

As my conundrum involved restaurants, I went for Dax Villanueva, a Cape Town restaurant critic who, with 20 years of experience, had me sold. Preparing my set of questions in advance shortened the time, so once he accepted my chat request we were off.

You can find Dax’s profile here, in case you were wondering.

First up, I asked about the three best seafood restaurants in the CBD as that’s me and babe’s next mission.

This was his answer:

Simple, right? Sure, but I wanted more.

My next question was a little more challenging: I wanted to know what Dax had in mind when it came to restaurants in the CBD that offered something a little different from the usual burger / pizza/ something Asian option.

His answers? Boy, was I pleasantly surprised:

After that I said my thanks, we said our goodbyes, and with one quick tap the chat was over. I was billed, and Dax had money in his pocket.

It was all very painless.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: there are websites that offer these very same suggestions. But to be honest, we all like a personal recommendation and, rather than scrolling through EatOut’s seemingly endless list of new Cape Town spots, or asking friends over WhatsApp to pick their brains for your benefit, a quick chat with someone who actually knows what’s up put my mind at ease.

Looking for some restaurant insight? Dax is available for a quick chat here.

Thankfully, Timon doesn’t only offer restaurant ‘gurus’ like Dax; others include musician Jack Parow, banting know-it-all Nick Charlie Key, world cup-winning captain John Smit, DJ Euphonik, supermodel Tracy McGregor and so many more.

You can download the app via Google Play or the App Store, and once you are in you will probably never run anything by anyone else again. Not even Google.

I mean, who needs friends when you’ve got Timon?