Hemelhuijs, which means something like “heavenly house”, is a creative oasis in the heart of downtown Cape Town. The place is all about esthetics—the restaurant sells upscale home ware and décor items, and the emphasis on style comes through strongly in the beautifully prepared food and drinks. Food is plated on artisan ceramic crockery (also for sale) that adds a really nice touch.

The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch only and closes in the early afternoon. I stopped by for a weekend lunch with a friend. Coffees were delicious and served in beautiful hand-made mugs, and to start the meal, the waitress brought a tasty thick, sweet bread to dip in fragrant flavored oil. For the main course, I tried the white pepper fried calamari served with a peanut and ginger dipping sauce; an apple, lettuce, and coconut salad; and crispy potato wedges. My companion had an open faced lamb burger with potato wedges. Both were really delicious. Then, for dessert we couldn’t resist sharing a big pink slice of the waitress recommended pinotage and raspberry cake. Pinotage is a variety of red wine, so the cake had a very interesting flavor, yet was really good, especially the butter cream frosting.

Everything about the menu and food is a little bit different, which is really nice if you’re an adventurous eater, but those with more traditional tastes might not appreciate it as much. For example, one interesting touch is that the table salt is black. We were told it was Himalayan sea salt infused with charcoal to aid digestion. It was very visually appealing sprinkled over the dishes, but not quite as delicious as normal salt, in my opinion, because of the charcoal flavor. It’s interesting nonetheless, and Hemelhuijs is definitely an experience worth pursuing if you get the chance.