Why you should check out new Gorgeous George's Gigi Rooftop Bar and Restaurant

7 Jun 2019

Cape Town has a new rooftop bar in town and you're gonna wanna check this one out. The Gigi Rooftop Bar and Restaurant is housed in new boutique hotel Gorgeous George in St Georges Mall and promises outrageously decadent and delightful cocktails paired with delicious and inspired meals outside on the deck or inside in the cosy and lush bar.

Why you should check out new Gorgeous George's Gigi Rooftop Bar and Restaurant

And when I say outrageous cocktails, I’m not exaggerating. Imagine dry ice drama, unique glass ware, elaborate decoration and outlandish ingredients such as spekboom, macadamia butter, caramelised lime juice, fenugreek marshmallow and more! Not suprising to hear that the cocktails are conceived by mixologist and finalist in several world bartending championships, Jody Rahme.

Jody Rahme

Cocktail showstoppers

I sampled Rabbit in the Mist, a delightfully sweet and aromatic concoction of Agave, Bacardi, Capertif, barley cinnamon tea topped with pink peppercorns. Arriving in a cloud of dry ice puffs, this cocktail is quite the showstopper.

George in the Jungle is another favourite and includes Bourbon, Tanqueray, pineapple spekboom and African Ginger Syrup – wonderfully fresh and herbaceous, this cocktail is served in a cute OTT Tikki-type mug.

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Not only does Gigi offer exciting cocktails, but their food menu is pretty great too, with imaginative yet comforting dishes on offer from chef Guy Bennett.

Decadent dishes

If a seafood lover, I would greatly recommend the starters of Saldanha Bay mussels in creamy wine broth topped with gremolata and sourdough - some of the best mussels I have ever had, while the flavourful charred squid with cubed potato and chorizo is also another wonderful starter option.

For mains expect innovative salads, line fish, gnocchi and risotto and a variety of meat dishes. We chose the decadent beef flat rib with creamed kale and lentils and the confit duck leg with beetroot, honey-braised cabbage and walnut. Both mains were incredibly flavoursome, in fact a tad too rich for my palette but the perfect type of winter food for cold rainy nights.

We managed to squeeze in a shared dessert and boy, I’m glad we did the guava with lemon curd ice-cream, cinnamon crumble and thyme meringue which was at once unique and exciting yet familiarly comforting - a wonderful jumble of sweet and tart and creamy and crunchy.

Gorgeous George is the first hotel in Cape Town to join the Design Hotels stable, a hand-selected worldwide collection of privately owned and operated design forward and culturally rooted hotels, and it shows. The interior is beautifully constructed and decorated and achieves that fine balance of feeling sumptuous and luxurious as well as comfortable and homey.