The Codfather in Cape Town’s suburb Camps Bay was opened in 1998 and has since then become one of the most visited seafood & sushi restaurants in the area. We came across this culinary gem rather by chance – The Codfather does not advertise.

You won’t find any menus at The Codfather – the concept is based on the selection of the freshly caught fish of the day. If you decide on sushi, you take a seat in the front dining room and sit down at the conveyor belt. As in many Sushi Bars worldwide, the cooks put ready plates (which are priced differently depending on their colour) on the conveyor belt and the guests take away what they like.

If, like us, you want to choose something freshly caught from the display cases, one of the experienced waiters at The Codfather will take you by the hand and give you detailed advice on your choice. In addition to the various types of lobster & shrimp, you will always find octopus, tuna, mackerel, sardines, gilthead, salmon, swordfish and much more.

After we had decided, we had to specify how our seafood should be prepared – raw, fried, boiled or grilled. We decided on grilled, ordering the prawns well done and the tuna steaks medium rare. When the plates arrived there was a shock, because everything was prepared with BBQ grill seasoning salt throughout. The beautiful freshly caught tuna as well as the fine shrimp – well, we ate it anyway, but there was hardly anything left to taste of the freshness or aroma of the shrimp.

To make up for this extreme taste experience we distracted ourselves towards the end with a crème brûlée and a classic African “Malva Poeding”.

The service at The Codfather was friendly and fast throughout and the atmosphere in the restaurant was cheerful. Even in the upscale Camps Bay the prices are quite high compared to other restaurants, but most visitors don’t seem to mind – it is still a hip restaurant.

Basically, I enjoyed my visit, but what disturbed me culinary at The Codfather, or generally in Cape Town, is the “Braai” BBQ spiced salt, which is popular in Africa. The South Africans sprinkle this extremely strong, smoke-flavoured spice in rough quantities over everything grilled – whether it is a slice of freshly caught tuna, shrimps, a dry-aged steak or even lobster – always with it.

So, if you’re a guest in a grill restaurant or a private Braai invitation, make sure you keep an eye on the spices to be able to intervene if necessary – it was a real shame about the fish.

One more thing – you should definitely book in advance in this restaurant, because it is highly frequented, have fun trying it out.