‘Bustronome’: On Board Culinary Cruiser, Cape Town’s Luxury Double-Decker Restaurant Bus
Forget rotating restaurants, forget out-there aesthetics and forget dinner theatre. The most unique restaurant in Cape Town is on four wheels. On paper, a restaurant bus might sound like a strange concept. But, once you’re on board the penny drops — the idea of combing a luxury liner bus tour of the winelands with refined dinning is nothing short of inspired. It’s a simple concept, but so genius; take an ordinary double-decker tour bus, convert it into an upscale moving restaurant and offer a sightseeing tour of the Cape winelands. It’s such a glaringly good idea that you wonder why no one has done it before.
Of course, you have to consider the logistics. How do you safely serve food on a moving bus? How do you stop glasses from spilling? How do you stay on schedule with the Cape’s unpredictable weather?
Fortunately none of these factors deterred the Culinary Cruiser team who have perfected the concept to ensure every guest experience is memorable, and wholly unique.
The five-course dining tour invites you to board the sleek black bus at a winelands location and prepare for a fine dining journey through the landscapes of the Western Cape aboard a retrofitted double-decker coach. Every few months the offering changes with the menu featuring celebrated chef collaborations, carefully curated wine pairings, and breathtaking views.
Chapter One of the moving restaurant sees guests aboard being treated to the Salt Road Menu in collaboration with acclaimed chefs Craig Cormack and Beau du Toit. The menu takes the shape of a 5-course journey celebrating rare mineral salts, fresh Cape seafood, and locally sourced winelands produce paired with reserve wines.
The Culinary Cruiser’s signature Clarence Drive route whisks guests through the Cape Winelands through False Bay and on to Rooi Else before journeying back for a different viewpoint of the dramatic route. The signature route enables guests to follow one of the world’s most spectacular coastal roads as it winds between towering mountains and the dramatic waters of False Bay.
Our tour starts at Ken Forrester wine farm, but since visiting, the Culinary Cruiser now operates out of Spier wine farm with wine pairings during the meal featuring four Spier wines in place of the Ken Forrester varietals we’re having with our meal. The idea of rotating wine farm collaborations for the pairing is an inciting prospect for wine lovers who may want to visit the Culinary Cruiser more than once.
Come with me to dine aboard the Culinary Cruiser
I’m not sure what to expect boarding the luxury restaurant cruiser for the first time. I walk the red carpet to the bus doors, a glass of Ken Forrester bubbly in hand. Stepping onto the bus we’re ushered past the galley kitchen, which takes up the entire bottom floor of the bus, and upstairs to the dining area, where there’s seating for 32 guests in a mixture of two and four-seater tables.
Attempting to recreate the atmosphere of an upmarket restaurant on the top deck of a bus is no easy task, but the designers have done an admirable job. The decor is elegant and inviting, and the large luxury liner windows help to create a feeling of generosity of space.
You may think eating a meal on a bus would be quite challenging but, if anything, it’s a better experience than some traditional restaurants – the gleaming wooden tables don’t wobble; the booth-style seats are generously padded and comfortable; and the table layout has been thoughtfully considered with a place for everything, and everything in its place.
Our elegantly-attired servers start things off with the bread course of Rye Sourdough with cultured butter and black lava salt followed by the offer of a glass of Ken Forrester Reserve wine. For teetotalers there are plenty of soft drinks available to enjoy with the meal. Not a drop of either is spilled thanks to an ingenious table-mounted plastic storage rack which provides a secure safe haven for glasses, cans, and wine bottles.
It’s quite an experience to glide around the winelands and past the dramatic coastline while a succession of excellent dishes emerges from the kitchen downstairs. With this moving tour you get the opportunity to enjoy an ever-changing view, each more exciting than the next. One minute you’re soaking up the beauty of the winelands and the next you’re dining alongside the ocean, with the coastline unfolding beyond your window.
The third course of Ceviche with mango, jalapeno and avocado was a real menu highlight for me, followed by the unmissable Slow-Braised Beef Short Rib and Smoked Salt for mains. The tender roast de boned beef short rib served with pommes Anna, glazed baby onion, pickled mustard, asparagus purée and grilled asparagus is a must-have for meat lovers who enjoy a hearty meat dish.
An excellent Dark Chocolate Tartlet dessert rounds off the menu with all the guests sated, quenched and already making plans to do it all over again very soon.
How to book a Culinary Cruiser experience
The moving restaurant is one of the most unique food experiences in Cape Town. The concept is beautifully executed by the Culinary Cruiser team and will delight adventurous diners looking for a novel way to appreciate good fine and wine.
The five-course lunch experience costs R1,495 per person and the dinner experience R1,795 per person, with wine pairings. Check out the full menu and details online here.
Something to keep in mind is the ever-changing weather conditions in Cape Town that may affect your experience. As with any adventure experience booked in the Cape, there is a chance of weather affecting your tour.
While the Culinary Cruiser team does everything in their power to ensure guests experience the signature route, it’s important to prepare yourself that the team may need to take the backup route when needed. If conditions make Clarence Drive unsuitable on the day, the team may choose to operate an alternative route through Helshoogte and Franschhoek, allowing the experience to continue while keeping guests comfortable and safe. While the exact scenery may vary when an alternative route is required, the 5-course dining experience and onboard service remain at the heart of every experience.
Crystal Espin was a guest of Culinary Cruiser.
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