You eat Cape Malay food at Bo-Kaap Kombuis, a restaurant on the slopes of Signal Hill with views across to Table Mountain. The kitchen makes samosas, curries and bobotie daily from scratch, following traditions that owners Yusuf and Nazli grew up with in this neighborhood. They train their staff in these methods — some arrive with no kitchen experience and leave able to run their own places.

The dining room takes in the mountain and the city below, with the brightly painted houses of Bo-Kaap just outside. The menu holds the dishes that define Cape Malay cooking: bredie stews, fragrant rice, spiced minced meat under egg custard. International chefs have come to learn from Nazli, and the kitchen has appeared on international food shows.

What makes the food here is the same thing that shaped Bo-Kaap: generations of home cooks passing down methods, and a community that welcomes everyone. The restaurant sits where it does because this is where the cooks live.