Underground restaurants, food trucks and pop-ups have become a trendy alternative to traditional dining out, and the Mother City’s food scene in particular is exploding with innovative concepts that celebrate local chefs, fresh organic produce and the spirit of community. We list five unique dining experiences to check out in Cape Town.

Be Part of the Mystery

Lente Keyser is the brain behind the Be Part of the Mystery murder-mystery dinner parties. These fun and frivolous supper events invite guests to wine and dine at a restaurant while engaging in a mysterious plot. Book a spot (for a minimum of two people) and you will receive a package with information about the storyline, your character and the dress code. These parties typically run from April to October, but due to high demand, they will be hosting a James Bond-themed event entitled ‘Big Apple, shaken not stirred’ on 27 February 2015 at the Cape Town Club. For more information, call Lente on 084 993 8040 or email her at lente@bepartofthemystery.com.

Murder Mystery. Photo courtesy of Murder Mystery Dinner Parties.

Outlandish Kitchen

Your host, Jules Mercer, brings the farm to the fork and then back to the farm by hosting wholesome dinners on gorgeous farms around the Cape. Local farmers and artisans supply the fresh produce and Jules whips up meals to be enjoyed at long dining tables. Some of her faithful suppliers include Adamskloof, Bontebok Ridge, Creation Wines, Glenoakes, Richard Bosman, Spier, Usana, and Camphill Community Hermanus. This unique dining experience takes place every few months, the most recent being the Glenoakes Banger Bash on Thursday 29th January 2015. Visit the Outlandish website, http://www.outlandishkitchen.com/bookings, to book your spot at the next dinner.

Outlandish Kitchen. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Slippery Spoon

The Slippery Spoon is a conceptual pop-up dining event that takes place at different locations once a month. Headed up by chef Johnny Hamman, who also runs the Slippery Spoon Kitchen catering business, each event and menu is unique and inspired by the theme of the evening. Tickets to their latest event, ‘It’s a wedding, but no one’s getting married’, are already sold out, but keep your eye on their Facebook page for news about their upcoming ‘dinner for rebels’ supper in February. Alternatively, you can reach Johnny himself at johnny@nothambutman.com.

[spasie]

This underground restaurant celebrates South Africa’s top chefs and rising stars with weekly dinners at their location in Church Street. On Wednesdays they host an invitation-only private event where guests can enjoy gourmet grub from the El Burro food truck, drinks from the bar, and entertainment like live music, board games or art displays. There is a catch, though – only those in possession of a special vintage pocket watch will be granted entrance. The team at [spasie] originally handed out ten pocket watches at random, with each one granting the recipient and four of their friends entrance to the event. After the event, the watch is passed on to a new person for the next event. Thursday and Fridays are a more formal dining affair, featuring a new guest chef every week, such as Craig Cormack, Nicholas Charalambous, Hayley Weston and Brad Ball. Thursday and Friday evenings are open to the public and cost R650 per person. Visit the [spasie] website, http://spasieunderground.com/, or email speaktospasie@spasieunderground.com for more information.

Spasie. Photo courtesy of Angelique Smith Photography

Third Culture Experiment

The Third Culture Experiment supper club offers a space for young professionals to connect over a gourmet three-course dinner. Organisers Nobhongo Gxolo and Hlumela Matika saw an opportunity to create a unique experience where people with different backgrounds and mindsets could meet, eat and be merry, and since June 2014 have hosted seven get-togethers and secured a Spier Wine sponsorship. The team usually hosts supper club on the second Saturday of the month; the next events are scheduled for 14 February and 28 March 2015. The February menu features dishes like creamy mushroom and thyme phyllo parcels; chicken roulade on a bed of sweet potato with bean salad and chilli peanut sauce; and homemade watermelon and mint sorbet. The experience costs between R150 and R200 per person depending on the menu. Email thirdcultureexperiment@gmail.com to book your spot.

ThirdCultureExperiment – photo by Obakeng Moroe

Please tell us about the cool, non-traditional supper experiences in your city in the comments section below.