Last weekend I had the pleasure of dining at new sushi-Asian-fusion restaurant, Ben Wei, which is located within Wembley Square.
Now I am both happy and sad that one of The Inside Guide’s list of hottest new restaurants in Cape Town (check out that list over here) has opened right around the corner from my apartment and right below my gym… Happy because I now I have a new go-to spot for all my sushi/Asian needs… Sad because I have a feeling my bum & thighs are going to be taking some strain… 😉
It’s an intimate space with lime green and bright blue accents… It’s quite modern, but without feeling cold & uninviting. Let me show you around:
Enjoying a glass of rose while waiting for my dining partner-in-crime, Leigh from Lipgloss Is My Life, to arrive…
Here’s also a “by day” shot of the interior (also provided by the restaurant):
Now let’s talk about the food… The menu covers Asian-style starters, soups, salads, Western style sushi, regular sushi, chef specials, sushi platters, mains, curries & desserts like deep fried ice cream (yum!):
To give us a good taste of the menu, restaurant manager, Bryn (who’s just freakin’ lovely btw), suggested that we sit back & relax while he brings out some of the menu favourites. Now how could a girl say no to that?? Of course not… That would be silly…
We kicked things off with:

Up next was 2 portions of their tuna tataki (R45 for 4 pieces)… This was an absolutely beautiful dish. Didn’t really leave much for Leigh (and I don’t feel bad about it at all)…

And then we also tried the crab & cheese spring rolls (R25 for two)… I wouldn’t normally opt for the crab option, but these were delicious…

All very very good… even the bean curd nigiri, which is something I would never have ordered on my own…

I’ve been craving a good crispy beef dish ever since my trip to Vietnam last Jul/Aug where I fell in love with what really was the most incredible crispy beef dish I’ve ever had (in my life, ever)… This managed to scratch that itch & therefore made me very happy indeed. I took the leftovers home & had it for lunch the next day and it was still sooooo good…
For all these reasons I’m going to give Ben Wei a score of on my Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale & then highly recommend that you pay them a visit. For enquiries (or maybe to place an order for collection) you can call them on 021 461 2966. Or if you’re feeling particularly lazy, you’ll be happy to know that they’re also on OrderIn.
Ben Wei is open Monday to Saturday from 11:30am to 9:00pm (and closed on Sundays).
xxx