From the moment I arrived at Ellerman House, the experience at Curate felt like a journey, one that began not with a flourish, but with quiet, considered elegance. Greeted at the front door by our server and escorted through the property’s refined interiors, we were gently guided downstairs into the heart of the Wine Gallery, where Curate now resides.
Our coats were taken with a gracious ease, and we were soon handed a welcome cocktail, a smoky, herbaceous blend that echoed the restaurant’s richly layered interiors. With its warm wood panelling, low lighting, and hushed acoustics, the space envelops you. It’s less a dining room and more a cocoon; a place where you are not just seated, but held.
Helmed by Head Chef Kieran Whyte, Curate is Ellerman House’s elevated ode to fine dining, a place where Southern Africa’s culinary heritage is honoured with precision, creativity, and a deep sense of place. The multi-course tasting menu unfolds with quiet confidence: dishes that are restrained in presentation yet expansive in flavour, each telling a nuanced story of land, culture, and season.
Each course reimagines traditional South African fare, from mgwenya to pap and chakalaka, that speaks both to memory and modernity. At every turn, Chef Whyte reveals an ability to balance innovation with reverence, drawing you into the narrative behind each plate.
The wine programme, as one might expect in a venue housing a 10,000-bottle cellar, is exceptional. Guided by the informed and passionate in-house sommelier, we embarked on a pairing journey that included rare vintages and single-vineyard selections, each one thoughtfully matched to enhance the flavours on the plate and showcase the depth of South African winemaking.
Curate’s setting, designed in collaboration with sculptor Angus Taylor, is a visceral reminder that this is more than a meal; it is an intersection of food, art, and terroir. With stone, glass, and wood woven throughout the space, you’re never far from a moment of visual surprise or tactile contrast.
In a city already celebrated for its gastronomic innovation, Curate at Ellerman House arrives not to compete, but to contribute something singular: a deeply immersive experience that redefines what it means to dine out in Cape Town. At once intimate and grand, humble and ambitious, it is a restaurant that doesn’t just serve food, it curates memory.
