A spread of seafood dishes and beautiful beach views await you at Café Orca, says Eat Out critic Thulisa Martins.

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Fast facts

Cost: Average main meal R150
Serves: Bistro-style seafood
Best for: Relaxed lunch and dinner in a comfortable, beautiful setting with awesome views
Star ratings: Food 4, Service 4, Ambiance 4

Food

Guests can pick from a sizeable selection of starters, which includes grilled calamari with pesto cream, feta and couscous; chicken livers; spicy shrimp with Cajun butter; and Asian noodles. The local mussels come highly recommended, beautifully plated in a creamy garlic-and-white-wine sauce with a garnish of micro herbs. For the oyster lovers, the shells here are served with an Asian dipping sauce and horseradish cream. For a light option, Orca also offers a selection of traditional salads such as Caprese and Greek.

 

 

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No matter whether the line fish of the day is something like bluenose or dorado, opt to have your fresh catch done in a Moroccan style. The fish is flaky and cooked to perfection, smothered in a creamy harissa sauce that lifts the dish, and comes topped with sweet rosa tomatoes and capers for a good salty dimension. Another dish to consider for mains is the Fisherman’s Platter, which features tender sole, juicy prawns, calamari tubes, vegetables and great chips, which are soft and creamy on the inside and crisp on the outside.

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For carnivores, the only option is the beef fillet Florentine, comprising of beef medallions served with spinach, pepper sauce and balsamic tomato.

Desserts are not on the menu, so ask the waitron what’s available. Café Orca boasts about the dessert made especially for the eatery – it’s a triple layer of indulgence with vanilla custard, chocolate custard and caramel-mousse custard. The owner also makes a moreish amaretto dessert with a crisp biscuit layer at the bottom and dark chocolate, which is served with a mini wafer cone filled with chocolate ice cream and toffee ice cream.

 

 

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Drinks

Guests can choose from a selection of coffees including Jamaican coffee and West Coast coffee. The wine offers good value for money. Well-known MCCs such as Graham Beck and Villiera will start you off, and there is a selection of good local favourites such as Klein Constantia, Durbanville Hills, Babylonstoren, Pierre Jordan, Warwick Wines etc. Port, sherry and basic beers and ciders are also available.

Service

The service is very friendly and professional, from when telephonic reservations are taken until you leave the restaurant. Waiters are well informed and speedy, and the affable owner checks on guests to make sure they’re happy.

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Ambience

The best views of the beach lend a holiday vibe to proceedings, but Café Orca is quiet and family orientated. There’s a shaded deck, and wooden tables and chairs are paired with old photographs on the walls and a blue-and-white colour palette for a rustic beach-house feel.

Eat Out critics dine anonymously and pay for their meals in full. Read our editorial policy here.

Have you visited Cafe Orca recently? Write a review before 31 August to put them in the running for the seafood category at the 2017 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Best Everyday Eateries. Write a review now.