She certainly caught the eye of new owner James Truter, “I fell in love with the venue when I walked in. For me that was the clincher – the look, the feel, the location. It’s got that old New York bar charm with a European piazza location. From a UK perspective one always goes to your local bar, but Cape Town doesn’t have a lot of those. So I thought here’s an opportunity.”

But in addition to the De Waterkant venue’s upmarket ambience, it’s their superb take on tapas, Asian fusion and Italian cuisine that makes this whisky bar and cocktail lounge a hot spot.

“Tapas is served all day and our popular sharing platter is a great size for two. We also cater for parties – we do canapés, set menus for sit down functions and a Party Platter feeding 10 people for R675,” says James.

Specialty Dishes range from Cape Malay Chicken Curry to Baked Parmigiana. Lunch Specials include delicious Arancini mushroom and truffle risotto balls for starters, followed by Mains delights like Rigatoni Vesuvio, James adds Chorizo for that extra kick. Our new Summer Thai Beef Salad is proving immensely popular, people love the fresh flavours and the zingy chilli dressing (served on the side so you don’t cry on your date).

Chef Chantelle de Souza brings experience garnered at Constantia Uitsig, Kalk Bay’s Annex and Villa 47. While her first love is rustic Italian dishes, she enjoys Asian fusion. “Our food is simple with bold flavours,” she adds. To top it all, her love of baking is evident tasting Lou Lou’s scrumptious cheesecake and 70% cocoa brownies.

Lou Lou’s dinner dance experience

Part of the novelty of Lou Lou’s is that it’s a club as well. “We serve alcohol up until 2am. We have DJs Thursdays to Saturday nights offering a dinner dance experience with no cover charge,” says James. The playlist sees DJ Chicco spinning pop, Afro house and R&B, while DJ El Fuego is in the booth on Saturdays and at Gay Village networking events buoyed on by camp disco beats.

“We’re a relaxed lunchtime and dinner venue, but then the lights go down, the music goes up and you can party. We also take over the square at night, so people spill out. And in winter people love to be inside at the fireplace, or watch sport on TV.”

“I want Lou Lou’s to be welcoming, like people are coming to my home. Staff are friendly and there’s a personal touch. It’s open to everybody and it’s never too early to have fun and live a little.”

Weekly treats include a Thursday Bubbly Special (3 glasses, R99 from 4pm). Fridays are G(in) & T(equila) day, with half price on both. October highlights include a buy one get one free special on Peroni draft and House Wine twice a day – 12pm to 2.30pm and 4pm to 8pm, because one happy hour isn’t enough! Every lunch time there’s a R65 selection of starters and mains.

Upcoming events include a Pink Dinner and Bingo Night in November, plus a New Year’s Eve Party.

Lou Lou’s: De Waterkant. Cape Quarter Square, Upper Level, 10 Jarvis Street, Cape Quarter, Green Point, Cape Town

Reservations: +27 21 418 0015, info@loulous.co.za
Opening Hours: Monday – Saturday: 11 AM – 2 AM

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