Cape Town’s food scene is getting a taste of Durban with the arrival of AWÉ, a new street-food concept from award-winning chef Ismail “Fish” Amos and the team behind The Wiggle Room. Trading at Time Out Market Cape Town from October 2026, the concept brings the spice-rich flavours and generous spirit of Durban’s food culture to one of the city’s busiest culinary meeting points.
Named after “awe”, the distinctly South African greeting that can mean anything from hello to yes to good, AWÉ is built around the idea of bringing people together through food. At its heart is Amos’s personal connection to Durban’s culinary traditions, shaped by growing up in Newlands East, where Tamil, Cape Malay and German food influences formed part of everyday family life.
These were not flavours he discovered later in his career, but the food he grew up eating: his grandmothers’ cooking, family kitchens and the familiar aromas and stories that accompanied them. At AWÉ, those memories meet the techniques and experience he has gathered as a chef, resulting in a concept that celebrates both personal history and the diversity of South African food.
“I grew up eating Durban food, and it was always food you shared. Cape Town has given me so much over the years, so it feels right to bring a bit of home to a place where people from all over the city come together. AWÉ is my way of cooking those memories with everything I have learnt since,” says Chef Amos.
AWÉ is the latest collaboration between Amos and John Paul Jones, founder of The Wiggle Room, and forms part of the wider WiggleVerse, a creative world where food, music, art, design and hospitality intersect. Their Bree Street restaurant, The Wiggle Room, was named Concept Restaurant of the Year at the 2026 Luxe Restaurant Awards. Known for serious cooking in a relaxed, playful setting, the team now brings that same sensibility to a more casual format designed for quick meals, lively surroundings and sharing.
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Caption: Chef Amos and John Paul Jones, founder of The Wiggle Room
For Time Out Market Cape Town, the arrival of AWÉ adds another perspective to a line-up celebrating the cultures and cuisines that shape the country’s food scene. The Market brings together chefs and food concepts under one roof, giving visitors the opportunity to explore different flavours in a shared space.
“AWÉ brings a flavour to Cape Town that’s not easy to find. There aren’t many places where you can experience authentic Durban-Indian flavours, and we’re excited to allow both locals and international visitors to discover something so rooted in South African culture. Chef Amos brings real personality to his food, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him and his team to the Market,” says Russ Meyer, General Manager of Time Out Market Cape Town.
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Caption: AWÉ brings a flavour to Cape Town that’s not easy to find
The permanent culinary line-up includes CARNE, How Bao Now, Kapoochka, NØSH CAFÉ, Opá! Greek Street Food, Ramenhead, Sushiya, The Siba Deli, Una Más Taqueria, Unframed Ice Cream, YARD and Zuney Burgers, alongside Cultivar Wine Bar. AWÉ joins this mix with a distinct Durban identity and a story grounded in family, memory and cultural exchange.
For visitors, the new opening offers a chance to experience a different regional flavour of South African cuisine without leaving Cape Town. And for Amos, it is an opportunity to bring the food that shaped him to a new audience, one shared meal at a time.
For more information, visit Time Out Market Cape Town or follow @timeoutmarketcapetown on social media.
Credits
Images: Supplied
For Time Out Market Cape Town, the arrival of AWÉ adds another perspective to a line-up celebrating the cultures and cuisines that shape the country’s food scene. The Market brings together chefs and food concepts under one roof, giving visitors the opportunity to explore different flavours in a shared space.
“AWÉ brings a flavour to Cape Town that’s not easy to find. There aren’t many places where you can experience authentic Durban-Indian flavours, and we’re excited to allow both locals and international visitors to discover something so rooted in South African culture. Chef Amos brings real personality to his food, and we’re looking forward to welcoming him and his team to the Market,” says Russ Meyer, General Manager of Time Out Market Cape Town.
The permanent culinary line-up includes CARNE, How Bao Now, Kapoochka, NØSH CAFÉ, Opá! Greek Street Food, Ramenhead, Sushiya, The Siba Deli, Una Más Taqueria, Unframed Ice Cream, YARD and Zuney Burgers, alongside Cultivar Wine Bar. AWÉ joins this mix with a distinct Durban identity and a story grounded in family, memory and cultural exchange.
For visitors, the new opening offers a chance to experience a different regional flavour of South African cuisine without leaving Cape Town. And for Amos, it is an opportunity to bring the food that shaped him to a new audience, one shared meal at a time.
For more information, visit Time Out Market Cape Town or follow @timeoutmarketcapetown on social media.
Credits
Images: Supplied
