Gone are the days when the only vegetarian option on the menu was a wilted side-order of vegetables of the day. In the first of two articles, Graham Howe picks five of his favourite restaurants on the Cape Peninsula which cater for vegans and vegetarians.

The authentic menu at Addis in Cape on Church Street (021 424 5722) caters for vegans, vegetarians and non-vegetarians. Vegetarian fare is a tradition of Ethiopia’s Coptic Christians who call it “fasting food” – and never eat meat on Fridays and festivals.

Instead of cutlery, use the specialty injeera – indigenous bread made from fermented rice flour – to mop up the spicy fare. Eat with your hands and explore the tactile feel of finger foods. A starter of crispy kategna is enough for many to share – coated in delicious berbere (an aromatic, spicy masala) and kibe (a spicy clarified herbal butter) and dipped into zesty azifa – an exotic paste of lentils in olive and mustard oil. 

We also enjoyed four divine vegetarian dishes (pictured) spread on an extra-large injeera with vegetable pickle – misir wot (lentils in a rich sauce), kike alicha wot (chickpeas in a chunky stew), a mushroom stew and shiro wot (a spicy vegetarian paste). The fare is dark and aromatic, the flavours are earthy and robust with a sweet, spicy aftertaste. We finished with a glass of tej (Ethiopian honey wine) and herbal tea.

Office workers can seek refuge downtown over a healthy lunch at Portobello (021 426 1418) at 111 Long Street. This friendly little vegetarian venue serves a vegetarian buffet with vegan choices of health sandwiches, salads and quiches – as well as wholesome breakfasts with tofu and soya sausage. The fresh juice bar makes divine soya milk smoothies and vegetable juices plus organic coffees/teas and herbal teas.

Talking tofu, a vegan inspection of the kitchens of Simply Asia gave this noodle bar the thumbs-up for a satisfactory separation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian food preparation. I enjoy their vegetarian menu as an alternative to the greasy fast food of other franchises. The mah-khuer tao-jeow (menu item no 408) – brinjals, tofu and mushrooms in bean paste with garlic, chilli and basil will wake up a jaded palate.    

Lola’s Café (021 423 0885) at 228 Long is a landmark for nighthawks and party animals who veg out over vegetarian fare, sexual innuendo and loud club music. The service can be slow but the fare is worth the wait. Vegetarians can carbo-load on vegetarian pastas until midnight – when the cook turns into a pumpkin. Sage on Hatfield (021 461 7868) is a good daytime vegetarian/vegan venue which celebrates “raw day” on Wednesday and holds an organic market every Saturday morning.

Graham Howe is wine and food editor of Habitat, a reviewer for Eat Out and a well-known gourmet columnist who writes Eating Ethically for the Cape Times.