The Nines; wow, what can I not say about The Nines. It was such a great dining experience that I went there twice while in Cape Town, and its delivery was equal on both occasions. I went to The Nines as a party of five on Tuesday, October 3, 2023 on a chanced walk-in; fortunately, they accommodated us warmly and we were given a table out on the balcony area.
It is clear that most ideas pertaining to The Nines were skilfully thought through before implementing; first and foremost, it is on the ninth floor of a building, which validates its name, and high up enough to even claim “cloud nine” as a gesture. We accessed the restaurant via an elevator from the ground floor, one that as soon as the doors opened, we were hit with an ambience of classy vibrancy, and a smiling greeter, who gave us two seating options, indoor and outdoor; we chose outdoor on the balcony where we were overwhelmed by the offering aerial view of Cape Town and some of its surroundings.
The view is an added treat to the dining experience.
We were assigned Table 53 and Tendai, as our waiter for the evening; Tendai had a calm mannerism and friendliness about him, and throughout the evening, it was fair to say that we made a new friend through meal deliveries and small chit-chats.
Maybe it was the mood that opened up our appetites, because we did not hold back when it was time to order.
1 litre Still Water, 4 Crispy Prawn Starters, 1 Blue Bay Mussel Starter, 2 Guava Spritzer, 5 Iconic Strawberry Bulls, 2 Virgin Strawberry Daiquiri, 1 Roasted Chicken Breast, 1 Side Fries, 1 Grilled Fillet, 2 Braised Beef Ribs, 1 Grilled Ribeye, 1 Virgin Mojito, 1 Nines Chocolate Sundae, 2 Vanilla Cheesecakes and 2 Apple Crumbles were what we had and devoured every bit of it.
Three days later on October 6, 2023, we made a reservation and were back again at The Nines. This time we dined inside, Table 17, and was assigned Eva and Tat as our waiters; it was extremely busy on the Friday, thus although pleasant, we didn’t bond with the waiters as we had done before with Tendai. Still, giving credit where it is due, the male waiter of the two was very engaging and even suggested that we try the Roast Baby Kingklip fish and so, we did.
5 Iconic Strawberry Bulls (again), 2 x 1 litre Still Water, 2 x Today’s Bread, 1 Amber’s 48 Hour Rage, 1 Beef Burger, 1 Grilled Ribeye, 2 x Roast Baby Kingklip, 1 Strawberry and Yogurt Tart, 2 x Apple Crumbles and 2 x Nines Chocolate Sundae completed our dining experience, the second time at The Nines.
If there are any negatives, I would have to say that Table 17 is located near a sliding door to the balcony, which was used by some of the patrons, who constantly left it open, and on a cold evening, such as this evening, the air bothered us and I had to close the door myself on one occasion, other times, the waiters noticed it opened, and closed it immediately. The second negative would be the toilet near the outdoor seating area, although very clean and adorned in pleasant fragrance, it is small, aligning with the size of an aircraft toilet / WC.
“Would I return to The Nines, if ever in Cape Town again?” Absolutely, yes!
© Ian T. Sebàs 2023
Bleeding Pen 