Sundays are always an awkward day for me. Half weekend, half the-day-before-Monday, I often feel caught between starting to relax and the anticipation of the upcoming work week on Sundays – unless I have something planned to distract me, a day mission, lunch with the family, or a raging hangover that completely dulls any future thinking beyond recovery.
This is why I love markets, especially Sunday ones. I think it’s because they’re the perfect combination of day mission, lunch and draught beer, with the added benefit of variety and overwhelming choice. Sadly, I’ve been missing out on weekend markets for a long time, not since I became jaded with the prospect of finding parking outside the Neighbourgoods Market.
Until today, when I was invited to go to the Bay Harbour market in Hout Bay. It took me a while to find it, not actually having the intelligence or foresight to find out exactly where it was beforehand. After making a wrong stop at the colourful Lions Club Craft Market on Hout Bay Main Road, I eventually made my way along the harbour road towards Snoekies though, but not before I made another wrong stop at the harbour parking lot.
After many delays and phone calls, I eventually made it to the right place, a warehouse just before the end of the road that would lead you to a portion of Snoekies fish and chips. Once inside, eventually, we quickly made our way past the jewellery and clothing stands to nap, one of the two coffee stalls, for a well-deserved cappuccino. After that, we took a walk past all of the stalls to decide what would be the best food option to spend our money on.
We decided on salmon eggs benedict from the seafood, oyster and champagne stall, since I have recently developed an obsession with hollandaise sauce, which I now know is really just a deliciously fatty mix of butter, egg yolks and vinegar/lemon juice. The portion was small, only half an english muffin’s worth of starch, but it was tasty. A prelude to more stall wandering, two custard pasteis de nata, and two failed consecutive attempts to score a mini baked cheesecake and slice of lemon meringue from nap.
The vibe was busy but laid back, and since we were able to secure half a table underneath the twisted wood chandelier and actually sit down, it was exactly the kind of Sunday experience I was looking for. Especially since our table was only a short awkward leg-lifting climb and a few steps from the Keg King stall, where I had both the Darling Slow Beer lager and a 550 ml bottle of their Native Ale, recommended by the barman Martin, who shared my enthusiasm for dark beer and Dublin-brewed Guinness.
If there hadn’t been an FNB ATM conveniently within sight I probably would have left earlier, but I didn’t, and we stayed until mid afternoon,when people began to drift off and do their final food-finding circuit. I missed out on the pancakes, sauerkraut and well-stocked breakfast fry-up table, all of which I look forward to going back for. That and another look/laugh at the quirky and cleverly up-cycled Barbie leg toilet roll holders in the women’s bathroom.
How to get to the Bay Harbour market
If you’re coming from the Southern Suburbs, head towards Hout Bay on either Constantia Main Road or Rhodes Drive, and carry on past Constantia Nek to Hout Bay. Continue straight until you get to the circle, then take a right and follow the signs to the harbour. Carry on straight until you can see Snoekies to your left. The market is in a warehouse just before the pier area. If you are coming from Camps Bay, drive along Victoria Road to Hout Bay, and then follow the signs to the harbour.
All for a good cause
I didn’t know this until I visited their website, but the Bay Harbour market is actually a social investment project with the aim of uplifting the local community by providing subsidized opportunities for previously disadvantaged families. For more information visit the Bay Harbour website.
Contact
Bay Harbour market
Tel 082-570-5997
Email [email protected]
Nap Lifestyle
Tel 021-790-1478
Email [email protected]
Hout Bay is definitely a must-see if you plan to spend a perfect weekend in Cape Town.
Once you are done shopping be sure to grab a bite to eat at any of the great Hout Bay restaurants.
Click here for accommodation in Hout Bay.
