Latin American food is all the rage – from chilli poppers and empanadas to frozen margaritas and nachos – so we were delighted to see a brand new South American restaurant opening up in Cape Town’s city centre just two weeks ago.

Migdalia Bellorin opened up Orinoco to showcase Latin American street food. Born in Venezuela, Migdalia came to South Africa six years ago, and has been running a catering company ever since. Aside from the Venezuelan influence, Migdalia’s cooking is also inspired by the food of Mexico – where she lived for seven years, and trained to be a chef – and a research trip she took through Argentina, Chile and Peru. She tells of working in local markets and navigating mountain villages to learn from locals how to make everything from ceviche and pisco sour to chicha, the potent Peruvian maize beer.

Food
Simple, delicious Latin American street food. The menu changes daily, and features everything from hearty Colombian stews and soups to empanadas from Argentina and ceviche, the national dish of Peru. For breakfast, try one of the open sandwiches or go Latin with the huevos a la Mexicana (scrambled eggs with tomato, chilli, onion, coriander with tortilla and refried beans) or the Venezuelan shredded beef, black bean and fried egg arepa (an unleavened corn bread popular in Venezuela and Colombia). Choose a selection from the range of spectacular salads for lunch. These change daily and range from fabulous grilled brinjal to roast vegetables, quinoa and bean salads. A daily serving of meat, tacos or fried empanadas (Argentinean pies) are also available for a small extra charge. For dessert, try the perfect lemon tart, or opt for something a little more adventurous with Migalia’s sweet mielie cake flavoured with orange.

Drinks
The wine list may be short at only four wines, but our office is abuzz with people praising the juices. Try the perfectly balanced spicy Orinoco with mint, pineapple, chilli and cucumber, or opt for something a little stronger like an authentic Peruvian pisco sour or margarita. Coffee comes courtesy of Peacock.

Mood
Informal and friendly.

Service
Staff are still a little uncertain on the menu, but as the restaurant has just opened this is to be expected.

And…
Orinoco opens at 8am – so it’s a good option for breakfast in the city. Lunches are served both eat-in and take-away, and on Friday evenings, the restaurant stays open a little later for tapas and cocktails.

By Katharine Jacobs