Wolfgat, a 20-seat restaurant outside Cape Town, is leading the way in a time of drought (@IshayGovender), For Saveur Magazine, Oceans Issue, 2018 In a dry place. The salty tang of fresh kelp lifts on a crisp breeze, across the cream-colored sands of Die Krans in Paternoster, once the lookout for fishermen monitoring [...]
Ishay Govender-Ypma dines with Slow Food founder and president Carlo Petrini in Paternoster, and holds back on the big questions. Inevitably some of the big answers reveal themselves over delectable skewers of springbok with wild rosemary. Written for Taste Magazine Springbok with wild rosemary It was a moment meant for the [...]
Zayaan Khan, image by Ishay Govender-Ypma Food activist, seed librarian and community-driven leader, Zayaan Khan is changing the foodscape from the ground up. Written for Kulula's inflight magazine, Khuluma, 21 June 2017 Food As Sustenance, Knowledge, Life “Try this,” Capetonian Zayaan Khan (32) says, a headscarf draped loosely bandana-style over her cropped [...]
Yum Cha! Yum cha, or dim sum as it’s known in the West, refers to the act of taking tea. Here’s a countrywide dim sum restaurant round-up to satisfy your cravings for these moreish bites. Dim Sum Restaurants in South Africa, written by Ishay Govender-Ypma (@IshayGovender) for Financial Mail. Dim sum has its roots in the [...]
Photo taken by Hein van Tonder The Test Kitchen and Quintonil, both highly ranked on the World’s 50 Best restaurant list, recently hosted a collaboration dinner series. Ishay Govender-Ypma chatted to the chefs. Quintonil and Test Kitchen Collaborate for Mail and Guardian. (@IshayGovender) “Are those the escamoles?” I ask the waitress, in a [...]
Bree Street has, over the past five years, become the restaurant/bar/fun street in Cape Town. It's tough to pick, but these are five of my favourites. Do you have any must-visit spots on Bree? Read about the transformation on Bree Street for Business Day Chefs Warehouse & Canteen Chefs Warehouse with my friend Linda [...]
A foraging walk with Loubie Rusch of Making KOS teaches the importance of learning about local plants and how to grow them to sustain us - Kalk Bay, Cape Town. For The Times, 19 January 2016. At The Studio in Main Road, Kalk Bay, an unexpected art installation is spread across a beautiful weathered wooden [...]
Summer in South Africa means platters of crayfish and local oysters, and glasses of local Chenin Blanc enjoyed by the water’s edge. *Olive Magazine asked me for my top ten defining Cape Town bites....not an easy ask. Out in Dec 2015 issue* Prime Position Luke Dale-Robert’s The Pot Luck Club, headed up by rising star Wesley [...]
Show Me the Way to the Next Corner Store - Cape Town, South Africa The small, independently run Cape Town Corner Stores are a dying breed, and those that still exist, do so valiantly and against the odds. Ishay Govender-Ypma shares the stories of seven local old stores, institutions to their loyal customers. For High Life, [...]
Want to know where to stay, what to eat, where to shop and what to see? Here's insider's guide to Cape Town. For Singapore Priority Magazine. STAY: Ellerman House Serene Ellerman House, one of Cape Town’s swankiest addresses, is sparkling after a property-wide refurbishment. The décor reflects aquatic blues and greens, an enviable and relevant art [...]
Ishay Govender - House & Leisure Magazine This spice-loving Cape Town travel, food and culture blogger keeps sriracha on hand for ‘flavour emergencies.' Ishay Govender-Ypma. For House and Leisure Magazine, August 2014. Her background might be in commercial law but wanderlust and a deep love of food led Ishay Govender-Ypma to turn these affections into a full-time occupation. The Cape Town-based [...]
Pop-Up Restaurants in South Africa - how the concept evolved and where it is today. Plus a list of must-try pop-ups
Urban food foraging and why it's catching on. Meet Loubie Rusch and Charles Standing. For SAA Sawubona inflight mag.
Inside the Bo-Kaap Kitchen - The Cape Malay Plate The pretty pastel houses of the Bo-Kaap in Cape Town offer more than the perfect backdrop for photographs. Inside the walls of the homes live the Cape Malay people whose history and recipes have influenced the religion over centuries and remain well preserved today This article [...]
Truth Coffee Shop in Cape Town - steampunk meets the future, with excellent coffee
How to pick just five? Getaway Magazine (March 2014) asked me to narrow it down to five - these are my picks for cooking classes worth travelling for.
Revival of Interest in South African Township Food - Kasi Cuisine For SAA Sawubona February 2014 With the emergence of a greater street food presence in South African towns and cities, a spotlight has been shone on the original foods of the townships, ‘kasi’ or ‘loxion’ food. Tourists, local and foreign are flocking back to [...]
In line with the trends in cities in the U.S and U.K, a proliferation of smartly designed food trucks have appeared across Cape Town, and street food, normally in abundance in the townships, has made a slow crawl into urban areas. I investigate the state of street food across the city.
Is it Halaal? The Gap in the South African Restaurant Market This piece was written for Mango Juice Inflight magazine, November 2013 Notes: this is a complex, multi-layered issue that I investigated over two months. The piece is not meant to be technical and needed to be brief. The more academically accepted spelling halaal is used, though [...]
Department of Coffee - on Coffee, Culture and Community. A story of taking a chance and innovation in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
