Visitors to Cape Town are increasingly eager to savour authentic local flavours, adding restaurants and dishes to their must-see lists alongside the traditional tourist attractions.

With its mix of traditional Cape Malay, fusion and bistro fare, the Portswood Hotel’s on-site restaurant, The Quarter Kitchen, is answering this call.

Chef Randall Palanyandi,a born-and-bred Capetonian, has been cooking in kitchens in the city’s tourism hot spots of the Waterfront and Atlantic Seaboard for about 18 years. The last eight of those have been with the Legacy Group, which operates the Portswood and Commodore hotels in the V&A Waterfront.

Here, he and his team produce Cape Malay curries, bredies (traditional stews) and bobotie, alongside seafood and burgers.

Palanyandi said the restaurant tried to “cater to all needs” but when it comes to Cape Malay dishes “we keep it as authentic as possible with the flavour and taste profiles”.

This style of food, unique to Cape Town, combines recipes and flavours brought to South Africa by Malaysian, Indonesian and East African slaves in the 1600s.

“I think a lot of people are confused between Indian cuisine and Cape Malay - we try and keep it original. For our international visitors, it’s something they haven’t tried yet. It’s a wow factor. It has similar flavour profiles of Indian food but it’s not the same. Our blends of spices are unique,” he said.

Deputy General Manager for the Portswood and Commodore hotels, Milissa Naidoo said visitors are increasingly wanting to visit restaurants in addition to tourist attractions.

“People’s interest in restaurants and the experience of food being art has come up quite a bit,” she said.

Historically, she said, tourists would want to visit high-profile restaurants, but increasingly they are researching and seeking out more local options.

“Whether it’s an expensive restaurant for fine dining or a little cafe on Long Street, it’s an experience they want to try,” she said.

Palanyandi said there was a lot on offer for visitors to Cape Town to try, and even just a walk to the Waterfront from the hotel offers guests a myriad of options from street food to fine dining.

“I think a lot of people have this misunderstanding about Cape Town and South Africa as a whole because we have a multicultural heritage. You have a lot of influences from all over the world which is why you find such vast differences in our food culture,” he added.