‘If sushi and Asian cuisine is your thing, look no further.‘ That statement got me curious (and hungry). According to the invitation to experience Ben Wei, people are saying that this new restaurant is serving the best sushi in Cape Town. So how could I say no?!
Ben Wei, meaning “Original Taste”, recently opened its doors at the highly popular Wembley Square centre in Gardens, Cape Town. This new eatery offers a variety of sushi, Thai curies and Chinese dishes, amongst some other original culinary delights.
Ben Wei is owned by chef Jim Dai and entrepreneur Ian McMahon, and is open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. So what makes it so special? Apart from a unique spin on these familiar dishes made with the freshest fish and ingredients, the extensive, vintage designed menu even includes Banting and vegetarian options. Carefully selected wines available will perfectly complement any order and satisfy the most distinguished palates. Think sushi or Asian food, and brace yourself to be pleasantly surprised.
Ben Wei – Sushi at its best
Last Saturday I dragged a oh-so-willing friend along to try a little Ben Wei sushi. I say a little, but I mean A LOT.
Even though the menu includes many dishes that sound and look divine (I will still go back for some Thai green curry), all we wanted was sushi. And, oh my word, we were not disappointed.
Look at this:
I’m no foodie and I don’t use words like ambrosial or gustatory when it comes to food (yes, I just Googled those), but I do know what tastes good and this was it. We were in heaven. With each bite our table fell silent. Every single morsel was pure perfection.
Fresh, flavourful and the rice was just right. It was the best sushi I’ve had in years. Truly. I was very surprised that the sushi was priced so well. Coming from the Northern Suburbs, I expected ‘Town’ prices. Nope. Extremely reasonable. At Ben Wei your tummy will decide when you’ve had enough; not your wallet.
We also tried a portion of banting-friendly sushi. I love my rice, but I was curious. Verdict: yum. And it looks amazing, doesn’t it?
At this stage we were almost in a food coma, but we had to have dessert.
We decided to try the deep fried banana. So good. We also had to try the deep fried ice cream (obviously!).
I have no words really. Both desserts were heavenly and I would drive all the way from Durbanville just to have these again. My lunch date said that the deep fried ice cream was the best dessert that she has ever had.
Our meal was truly amazing. I’m dreaming about it as I type. The outstanding food is the most important reason for visiting this fabulous eatery, but add the friendly staff and stunning decor to the mix and it’s no wonder that this place is so popular.
It was such a pleasure to meet the man behind the food on Saturday. Jim Dai is just the sweetest guy and boy, he knows what he’s doing. He is extremely passionate about what he does and when you eat one of his creations, you can tell.
Chef and co-owner Jim Dai carves up delightful sushi and Asian dishes for its patrons. He moved to South Africa from China in 2007 and has been a sushi chef at notable establishments like The Alphen Hotel since then. At Fugu he took the restaurant to the top 15 list of sushi restaurants before joining The Vineyard Hotel. And now he is putting his 10 years’ experience to best use at Ben Wei.
Get your butt down to Ben Wei ASAP. I promise, you will not be disappointed. Make sure to call ahead and book (eat@benwei.co.za / 021 – 461 2966).
Join the Ben Wei conversation on Facebook (BenWei), Instragram (Benweisushi) and Twitter (@BenWeiSushi).
BEN WEÍ. Sushi. Asian. Fusion.
xoxo