Awé Cape Town! A Taste of Durban has Arrived at Time Out Market Cape Town
Durban flavour has landed in Cape Town at Time Out Market Cape Town. Chef Ismail “Fish” Amos and the team behind The Wiggle Room have launched Awé , a new street-food concept now officially trading at the much-loved indoor market. The award-winning chef brings Durban’s spice-rich, generous flavours to the market, offering a taste of the city’s distinctive culinary culture right here in Cape Town.
Named after “awé”, the unmistakable South African greeting that can mean anything from hello to yes to good, the concept is built around the idea of a meeting point.
For Chef Amos, the story starts in Newlands East, Durban, where Tamil, Cape Malay and German food traditions were part of everyday family life. They weren’t influences he discovered later in his career, but food he grew up eating; his grandmothers’ cooking, family kitchens, familiar smells and the stories that came with them.
“Durban food was what I grew up eating, 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 venture from Chef Ismail and The Wiggle Room founder, John Paul Jones, and forms part of the wider WiggleVerse, a creative world where food, music, art, design and hospitality meet. The Wiggle Room, their intimate evening restaurant on Bree Street in Cape Town, was named Concept Restaurant of the Year at the 2026 Luxe Restaurant Awards. It is known for serious cooking served in a relaxed, playful setting. Awé brings that same approach to quick, casual street food made for sharing in a lively, open 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 Ismail 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.
Time Out Market Cape Town brings together some of the city’s best chefs and food concepts in one place. Awé joins a line-up that celebrates the many cultures that make up South African food, giving visitors a new reason to visit and a new dish to try.
Time Out Market Cape Town is located in the Old Power Station Building, Building 19, Dock Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. The Market is open Sunday to Wednesday from 11 am to 10 pm and Thursday to Saturday from 11 am to 11 pm, with coffee and breakfast from 8 am daily.
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