The problem with a lot of the markets out there, is that they feel copy and paste. You seen one, you seen ’em all. Boring. Maybe it’s because they’ve been around a while; maybe it’s because they have food, music, clothing, homeware and more; maybe because they are run by magical people – I dunno. But I can (and did) spend the entire day having the best time at the Bay Harbour Market in Hout Bay.
From sushi to burgers, pizzas to dim sum. Lamb shanks to Middle Eastern delights. Rolls, omelettes, baked goods, seafood, biltong, chilli poppers and more. You can find everything under one roof. Add to that two fully stocked bars, live music and a sunny outside area – and you’ve got yourself a good time.
Bay Harbour Market Hout Bay review highlights
To start off we got our hands (read: mouths) on some delicious Fiery Ginger Ale while we walked around deciding what to nosh on. We snacked on mixed platter (R60 for a combo of 6) from Tao’s Dim Sum – the prawn dumplings were the business. I struggled to share a platter of some of the freshest oysters that I’ve had in quite some time (+- R20/30 per oyster, based on size). They also make a mean spicy seafood stew that smells heavenly – next time.
After another Fiery Dragon or two – you know, to stay hydrated – we moved on to something a bit more substantial. First up was the ever-so-tender leg of lamb and salad plate from The Lamb Man (R90), who also makes slow roasted lamb shanks (R130), lamb ciabatta (R70) and Venison Pies with mash and gravy (R40). Then we tried a a mixed platter from Tunisian Delights. The dolmades (R15 for 2) were phenomenal, but I was disappointed by the dry, flavourless ostrich pie (R30).
If you can even believe it, our bottomless stomachs were still hungry. We headed over to Zoop, who I have used as a hangover cure once in the past. For future reference, the Thai Chicken soup (R60) AND the baby marrow soup (R50) are both healers.
I’m going to shift blame entirely here. The people I was with wanted something sweet. So who was I to stop them? Off we trotted to the Waffle stand who have partnered with Ice Dream next door. We had a waffle with Nutella and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for R50. It wasn’t my cup of tea (slice of waffle?) as the ice cream was quite icy, not creamy, but the kids were going wild.
And finally, because enough is never enough, I needed some treats to take home with me. First off, what’s visiting a market without getting your hands on some biltong? I got the chilli beef, which I may or may not have finished it when I got home that evening. I find a lot of biltong places add too much salt when they make chilli biltong, but not this one, it was delicious.
There is also a stand that sells products at really great prices! From salts and spices, to olive oils, vinegars and sauces. I spotted garlic infused olive oil for only R25 a bottle! That’s a steal.
The Bay Harbour Market is one of those markets where you can spend an entire day without getting bored. The clothes, the jewellery, the live bands, the foooood, they have everything to keep all members of the family happy.
Check them out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a really, really good time.
