Food Lover’s Eatery – The Towers, CBD

Updated: 28-03-2019

Shopping is as much about the experience as it is about the things you buy. At Food Lover’s Market Towers Eatery, they have taken this principle to heart, re-creating the ambience of an old-fashioned marketplace in a modern theatre-of-food setting. Visiting their store is truly is an experience like no other.

The Towers Eatery in the city’s foreshore boasts a fully halaal offering in their upstairs section where you can enjoy a variety of halaal meals. Seating and drinks is downstairs in the main eatery. Official coffee partner Seattle Coffee Company can be found on site as well for a great cuppa.

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HOUSE REVIEW

Venturing to the Cape Town CBD in the middle of the week is a not my favourite thing to do. Mostly because of trying to find parking. It’s bad enough there’s so little of it to go around. And lately you practically have to take out a bond to pay for it.

So when I tried out the Food Lover’s Eatery at the Towers building recently I was really chuffed, and guys, I mean really chuffed to discover you could park inside the building if you wanted to shop or eat there. Granted, it was 8 floors up, but that’s better than trying find a space in the urban jungle at the bottom. This Food Lover’s Eatery is like a little mall, with their fruit and vegetables and food section downstairs, a Seattle Coffee Co across the foyer, an Angelberries froyo next to that and a raw juice bar around the bend. And the main attraction, the fully halaal food section upstairs.

We popped by on a weekday around 11am and they had just started putting out the lunch buffet. The setup is canteen style but split into sections. One doing fish and chips, one fried chicken, one doing middle eastern like shawarmas and kebabs and the last a grills section doing beef and chicken burgers. Opposite these counters were a lunch buffet and salad bar where you could help yourself to whatever was on the menu for the day.

We opted for a Steak Roll from the Grill Shack and a beef Shawarma from the middle eastern section. And then I turned around and spotted some yummy looking salads and just couldn’t resist trying 2 small portions of a butternut and beetroot salad and a baby spinach and couscous salad loaded with almonds and sunflower seeds. Of course the salads were meant to offset the fries that came with both our meals, ahem…

My steak roll was freshly prepared on the grill in front of me. An unexpectedly thick cut of beef was placed on the grill and I was asked how I would like it. Medium to well is my usual choice. I waited a few minutes while my meat was attended to and grilled just right. When the griller was happy with the doneness he painted it liberally with prego sauce and added it to a roll with some salad and a generous portion of chips. At R57.90 this was a very generous meal especially considering the size of the steak. We collected the shawarma after choosing the various fillings to go with it. It was also a large portion with chips at R48. We popped our goodies in a basket and took it downstairs to pay.

Of course we would have had to walk past the confectionary counter at the bottom of the escalator. I’m certainly not known for my heroic resistance, so as you can imagine, our basket got just a little bit fuller. The bakery section downstairs also had a halaal certificate on the wall. I picked out some giant cookies, a fancy hedgehog cupcake for my kiddo, a lemon tart and pecan nut pastry for later. There is also a sushi bar downstairs. After enquiring I was told that the vinegar used in the preparation of the sushi rice contains alcohol. So you may want to avoid the sushi bar.

We went to the counter to pay for our bounty. It’s also the only place you can weigh what you have chosen. The downside to this is that you don’t know what you’re going to pay until you’re at the teller. The food prices are reasonable though and definitely cheaper than restaurant prices.

The seating available is outside the building. Modern wood and steel tables and stools with lots of greenery and a great city view. It was cold though so we opted to eat inside at the tables by the juice bar. We got some coffees from Seattle and tucked in. Zulfi thoroughly enjoyed his shawarma, it was full and tasty. My burger was way too much for me and I took half home. I felt the steak could have marinated in the sauce rather than just being added on after. It would have given the meat a bit more punch. The chips were crunchy and well seasoned.

The offering here is convenience food. It’s casual and quick and great for a break away from the office or if you’re in the CBD and need to catch a quick bite. What I like is that you can also buy portions from the buffet to take home and serve for supper. I spotted Chicken Stir Fry, lamb Curry and even Akhni. Great options for those nights when you’re working late and still need to feed the family.

Find them on the foreshore Monday to Friday from 7am to 6pm and and Saturday 9am to 6pm.

Reviewed: 3 October 2018
This is a sponsored review. All opinions are expressly my own.