Celebrity celebration

Had a jolly good time at the new Cape Town Fish Market at the V & A Waterfront last night - occasion being the irrepressible Giggling Gourmet's birthday bash - in the West Coast Village section of the restaurant. This is an area with a beach sand floor (no good for high heels!) and benches at wooden tables set out around an open braai area, where the extremely hardworking chefs slave away over hot coals to produce seafood that is reminiscent of that which you would have cooked on the beach back in the day - mussels, linefish, crayfish, calamari and prawns in toothsome sauces, accompanied by a light fresh green salad and an array of speciality breads.

Before embarking on the substantial set menu, we were treated to vast platters of delectable sushi, which under normal dining out circumstances would have constituted the entire meal! It took five hours to work through the entire menu, but no one noticed the time passing, as attentive yet unobtrusive staff swept away the plates after each course and made sure that everyone knew when to collect the next one. The company was convivial, the conversation light-hearted and diverse, and the birthday girl, as always, couldn't resist donning her apron for the piece de resistance, pavlovas and death by chocolate cakes.
We all departed before the witching hour, and I managed to park my car in the garage before it turned into a pumpkin.