When you tell people that you work for Eat Out, the majority assumes that you’re eating out at restaurants all the time. While it’s not exactly untrue, and more true for some members of the team, the more accurate assumption would be that you eat all the time. All the time. And cook, and talk about it, and shop for it.

Eat Out editor-in-chief Anelde Greeff is no exception. These days, she spends more of her time talking, reading, shopping and cooking food than eating at restaurants. Especially since she discovered the wonder that is Harvest of Hope’s weekly delivery of organic fruit and veg.

But when she’s not in the kitchen (strategically avoiding the insanely sharp new Wusthof chef’s knife from YuppieChef), she loves eating out. She consciously tries to go to new places every time, but have a little weakness for the fish tacos at a certain tapas restaurant at the Biscuit Mill. We pushed her to reveal her other favourites too.

My favourite place for…

Pizza

I recently watched a sitcom where one of the characters (in trying to figure out his brand new girlfriend) said something to the effect of: “Well, she’s human, so she must like pizza.” I’m also human, but I’m also wheat-intolerant, which means that going for pizza is a calculated affair. My failsafe option (mostly for takeaways) is Da Vinci’s on Kloof Street, and I also recently discovered that the Tuscan-style lamb pizza at Woodlands Eatery (aka the best pizza in Cape Town) is available on a wheat-free base. Happiness.

Burgers

As above, the wheat-free issue does hamper things a bit. But Hudson’s on Kloof offers a great solution and very many options. So does Royale in Long Street. I should probably confess that I very, very rarely cheat with a proper fast food burger on a white wheat flour bun. But I have a weird soft spot for those tiny cheeseburgers at McDonald’s… (Terrible. I should be fired, I know.)

Sushi

Without a doubt, Willoughby’s at the V&A Waterfront. Two words: rainbow reloaded.

Mid-week dinner

Chef Pon’s Asian Kitchen will win every time. Their Mongolian lamb (which I actually mostly replace with beef) is phenomenal. I’m normally very judgmental of South Africans not wanting to share their Asian food in restaurants, but this is about the only exception I’ll make. It’s too good to share. I savour every little morsel. Another mid-week favourite is El Burro.

Weekday breakfast  

Jason, Dear Me and Birds Boutique Café are all favourites. When I don’t have time to sit down, I’ll grab a latte. With coffee shops I’m not so loyal – I’m trying to work my way through all the freshly roasted offerings in town.

A lazy Saturday morning brunch

Hemelhuijs does amazing eggs Benedict – with asparagus when it’s in season. The coffee is also really great. When in Stellenbosch, I head straight to Schoon de Companje for the scrambled eggs (soft and creamy) on rye. I’m hoping to go there again soon, as they’ve just started selling cronuts!

Sunday lunch with friends

These days, lunches with friends are kid-filled events. Running-kids-filled events. So space/entertainment is always a consideration. We don’t have any children of our own, so my deal with friends is always that the food must be excellent – I will not go to a Spur before the little one with the Red Indian headband running over the tabletop shares my DNA. Recently, I had great Sunday meals at the Greenhouse at Babylonstoren and Café Paradiso.

A romantic dinner

I can’t stop recommending The Pot Luck Club. Nor can I stop going there. To me it has everything I want from a restaurant: fantastic views, gorgeous furniture, great service, a wonderful selection of wine and cocktails and, yes, insanely delicious food. I can write a tome on the food, but will stick to recommending the fish taco and beef short rib. If you’re feeling less romantic, go there too. With a few friends around the table, you’ll be able to order more tapas and taste more of the phenomenal cooking.

A blow-the-budget celebratory dinner

The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Francaise is my idea of a worthwhile blow to the budget. Margot Janse is a genius and totally deserving of the current chef of the year title. It’s inspiring how she uses the season and the country’s best ingredients to create artworks on a plate. And I love the coconut ice cream especially, as it’s served in a ball of coconut sugar that shatters into shards when warm caramel is poured over it.