One of my favorite stops of the honeymoon was Cape Town, South Africa. When we were planning our honeymoon, I told K that a safari was at the top of my list. Several people had recommended Kruger National Park in South Africa, telling us that it was a great location for "safari beginners" (which we certainly are!). And it seemed silly to K to go all the way to South Africa without seeing Cape Town.
While people rave about the coastal city of Cape Town, K and I were still blown away by the spectacular natural beauty surrounding the city. When I think of Cape Town now, the word that comes to mind is "dazzling." There is so much to do and see here. Some of the highlights for me included riding the rotating cable car up the steep sandstone and granite slopes of
Table Mountain and the day-long tour of the Cape Peninsula and Constantia Winelands that we took through
Luhambo Tours. I'd highly recommend both experiences!
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| View of Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain |
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| Wine tasting at Steenberg Vineyards |
Between our planned activities, K and I enjoyed exploring different neighborhoods of Cape Town. We both agreed that if we ever moved to Cape Town, we'd love to live in Camps Bay. The coastal suburb is a mere 15-minute drive from downtown Cape Town, but it seems like a world away. K said it reminded him a lot of Malibu or
Manley Beach, with its white sandy beaches, open patio restaurants, and volleyball parks.
Like any good beach town, Camps Bay has its fair of ice cream and gelato shops. Many of Camp Bay's good restaurants and shops are found in the Promenade shopping center. With its stunning views of the beach, its easy to see why the spot is so popular.
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| Panorama from the Promenade (photo cred: K) |
I quickly zeroed in on Gelato Mania, a shop advertising "artisan gelato." It was late afternoon, and I was a bit hungry. A snack was in order to tide us over until our dinner reservation at the
Woodlands Eatery.
Gelato Mania has a bold and lively decor, and the gelato flavors and toppings match the fun vibe. We discovered that there are five outposts of the small South African gelato chain, and that they all share the same cheerful decor and gelato. There had to be more than two dozen flavors -- all of which looked like crowd-pleasers. While none of the flavors sounded too outlandish or unique, everything sounded yummy. I was told that the most-popular flavors included
After 8 Mint,
Angelo Blu (bubble gum!),
Tiramisu and
Chocolate Hazelnut. There were even several sorbets; the
Mango looked particularly good! But I was sold on the
Cherry Bomb and
Quello (described as having "loads of caramel"). And while the numerous topping options looked enticing, I figured these flavors would be fun enough on their own.
Gelato Mania's prices seemed reasonable to me -- R46.80 (about $4 USD) for my two scoops -- but this must be pretty expensive by South African standards (cost of living is much lower there than in the States). But this view itself is worth something, right?
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| Gelato with a view |
The verdict? Gelato Mania's gelato lived up to my expectations. While it wasn't the most dense or refined gelato ever, my scoops were sweet and flavorful. The texture was light, but the gelato melted fast in the warm afternoon heat. For any East Coasters or Midwesterners, the
Cherry Bomb reminded me of the
Black Cherry ice cream at
Friendly's. The cherry flavor was strong and sweet, and little bits of sweetened black cherries were found throughout the scoop. While it was good, it wasn't exactly memorable. But the
Quello was a different story; the gelato base had a rich custard-like flavor. But it was that caramel that took this gelato over the top. When the staff of Gelato Mania scooped the
Quello out of its bin, they made sure to grab a healthy chunk of that caramel coating. The resulting caramel swirl was a showstopper; its buttery depth and sticky consistency was reminiscent of the center of a fancy caramel truffle. I don't think I could return to Gelato Mania and
not order the caramel again. And I have a feeling that this won't be our last time in Cape Town... or our last time at Gelato Mania in Camps Bay ;-)
The Stats:
Gelato Mania
Shop 11, Ground Floor
The Promenade, Victoria Road
Camps Bay, Cape Town 8040
(Multiple locations in South Africa)
http://www.gelatomania.co.za/
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