A window into nature with bold seasonal flavours.
When chef Chris Erasmus moves to the city, you can be sure he’ll find ways to grow his own herbs and vegetables and carry on his foraging focus. That’s exactly what he’s doing at Terrarium, the intimate restaurant at the five-star Queen Victoria Hotel at the V&A Waterfront. The pioneering chef (his previous Franschhoek restaurant, Foliage, was on every foodie’s list) has discovered a wealth of hyperlocal food sources in Cape Town itself, from supporting urban community gardens to a daily foraging expedition to a Cape Peninsula beach. And he’s even growing a hidden kitchen garden on the property.
Those concerned that chef Chris might have had his wings clipped by a hotel-restaurant setting need not fear! Far from dialling down his culinary creativity and experimentation, he is redefining the hotel-restaurant format and taking it for a walk on the wild side. Head chef Anlou Erasmus (no relation) shares Chris’s passion for provenance, sustainability, zero-waste and just plain delicious ingredients and adds further layers of innovation to the mix.
Together Chris and Anlou have created something totally different, forging a kitchen eco-system based on this sustainable ethos. Two often-changing parallel tasting menus (Fauna and Flora), reflect the natural environment of the forest, the field and the sea, exploring big bold flavours, heritage ingredients unfamiliar to the modern palate, and starring hero ingredients at the height of their seasonality. And they’ve just introduced a stellar à la carte menu for those wanting a more informal and flexible taste of the terroir.
À la carte: South African nostalgia
The creative new à la carte menu reimagines the chefs’ cherished childhood taste memories through a lens that Terrarium has made its own: seasonal, low-waste cooking, with a flourish of hyperlocal inspiration. Expect braaied lamb’s tail; West Coast linefish with fish bone velouté, potato and braised fennel; and Kalahari rib-eye, with anchovy salad and chipotle butter, to name just a few.
Set menus: Fauna and Flora
We were captivated from the first bite on our visit soon after opening, when we ordered one each of the Fauna (meat and fish) and Flora (vegetarian) set menus – and shared everything… an approach we highly recommend.
While the dishes change often with the seasons you can expect lively flavours that sing of the wild. Highlights from our experience were too many to list, but some dishes we loved that return frequently to the menu include: a beguiling hake roe “toast’’ accompanying a West Coast oyster; and a simply sublime tomato tartar with peach atchar and whey vinaigrette. The slow-roasted leek with textures of onion is an umami dream; and a beautifully fresh ceviche with herbed tom yum, a poem of delicacy.
Anlou is constantly updating the menus as the seasons ebb and flow, so expect equally intriguing dishes to replace these as winter turns to spring then summer.
From the vine
All the menus are complemented by a superbly curated winelist, which earned a Silver on the Best International Newcomer Wine List 2025 by Star Wine List – the only South African establishment to earn the accolade this year. The list, spotlighting small, bespoke producers, was curated by Newmark’s sommelier, Marlvin Gwese.
The ambience
The intimate 30-seater dining room feels earthy but chic, lined with art celebrating the same nature-infused ethos as the menu, from wood carvings to paintings in natural African clay pigments. Tall windows give onto scintillating views of the Waterfront and Table Mountain with a slim terrace for pre-dinner cocktails. Up on the hill above the V&A, it’s an off-the-beaten-track gem that Cape Town’s foodie cognoscenti are already putting firmly on the map.
Good to know Park in the Portswood Parking Garage (opposite the Two Oceans Aquarium). Take the elevator to the top level. It’s a short walk to the Queen Victoria Hotel.
Opening times Monday – Sunday, 12pm – 9.30pm
Contact 021 419 6677, terrarium@queenvictoriahotel.co.za
Where to find it Queen Victoria Hotel, off Portswood Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town
Book through DinePlan
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