Woodstock Market is to Capetonians what Borough Market is to Londoners. With better weather and tasty wine from the vineyards just down the road, Woodstock might just have the edge over Borough.
A Cape Town Improvement District
On arriving in Woodstock, it’s hard to imagine that the district is home to Cape Town’s yuppie foodie market. A run-down, old industrial district, Woodstock is one of the city’s improvement districts. Companies are being encouraged to set-up business there, with the aim of improving both the residential and commercial prospects of the area.
The appearance of Woodstock Market in an old Victorian warehouse and the Old Biscuit Mill is a sure sign that regeneration at work. Local producers and artisans set-up their stalls at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning, safe in the knowledge that they’ll be doing business with hordes of the wealthier Capetonians from across the city.
Pockets of Woodstock are starting to emit a feeling of the same vibrancy and some also attribute this to the fact that the district managed to avoid the apartheid regime’s Group Areas Act, meaning that the area was always racially mixed. Unfortunately, and similar to the V&A Waterfront, the racial mix is not so apparent at Woodstock Market at this point in time, where the clientèle are overwhelmingly white and middle class. Capetonians are acutely aware of the fact themselves but seem to find the ambiance of Woodstock Market addictive and they make no secret of the fact they are hoping to spot the models, sportsmen and other Cape Town society celebrities.
Woodstock: The Market
The sky-lit Victorian warehouse that greets visitors on arrival is grandiose and impressive and the stalls selling handmade trinkets and fresh produce to take home are cute and inviting. The cheeses, jams and freshly-baked bread are tempting, if on the pricey side. A small slab of buffalo mozzarella costs 50 Rand, as do six oysters (not including the champagne they insist goes with it). But it’s walking through the building to the courtyard, set in the Old Biscuit Mill, where the action is really happening.
Food stalls line the always busy, covered courtyard, serving up an international array of cuisines for guests to tuck into for lunch. Greek is popular with South Africans and the ‘Touch of Greek’ stall at Woodstock is out of this world. Run by a Greek family, who cook all the food right in front of you, it’s Greece on a plate – and affordable too. A chicken souvlaki served in a pitta with salad and tzatziki costs just 30 Rand. ‘The Frying Dutchman’ next door serves Poffertjies – mini pancakes with a dusting of sugar – for just 25 Rand and the doughy treat makes for an indulgent, if naughty, dessert. There are also Indian curries, Hungarian goulash and German sausages (although not as good as those served in Paulaner Bräuhaus) on offer from the other stalls.
Woodstock Pizzas
Woodstock is infamous for its original pizzas. Served on a wooden chopping board, the thin pizza crust is cooked but the toppings are all raw, and include those posh pizza favorites – parma ham, avocado, parmigiana and rocket galore. For 100 Rand, the pizzas are not really worth it. Sitting on the bales of hay to eat whatever the chosen food is however, worth it, although the tables are possibly a bit more practical.
South African Wine to Wash it Down
Stopping at the Lazanou organic vineyard stall on the way out cannot be avoided. Continuing the foodie morning with a case of wine for the afternoon, to precede the obligatory night out on Long Street? It’s what Saturdays are for.
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