Karoo Kafe

By John S. Kelemen

This past week Table for Three broke its west to east sequence to take part in ‘Chefs Table 2008’ which many restaurants and patrons throughout the cape celebrated on behalf of the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod. Six of us had the pleasure of dining at the Karoo Kafe which generally promotes itself as an eating establishment specializing in fast casual South African fare. The evening of fine dining offered up by our hostess and host, Sanette and Michael, was of a caliber comparable to any of the fine dining establishments in Provincetown. The Karoo Kafe is located in the center east part of town just off Commercial Street and next door to the Pilgrim House.

Each course of our dinner was made up of selections taken from the Karoo’s everyday dinner fare. The South African flavors were explained to us by Sanette as a blend of the influences of Indian, Malay, and Portuguese cooking. The splendid mélange of spices and sauces included sesame, coconut, curry, banana, and ginger all prepared in a manner that enhanced but never overwhelmed the dish.

Dinner started with the West African Peanut Soup followed by two outstanding appetizers from the Karoo menu; grilled steak and sesame noodles and the salmon cakes.
This was followed by a palate cleansing watermelon and feta salad. Our entrée was the Cape Malay Seafood Stew which consisted of shrimp, mussels, bay scallops, and Tilapia
Cooked in a curry and coconut sauce and served with bananas and rice. Not that any of us needed more, but we were then treated to a dessert of Mr. Brown’s Ginger Cheese Cake topped off with an excellent cup of coffee.

A review of the Karoo Kafe’s menu indicated very reasonable pricing. It is hard to imagine a place other than Provincetown where one could enjoy this type of unique cuisine either as casual indoor/outdoor dining or takeout. In a time of financial crunch an establishment of this type is a delight to have available for vacationers and townies alike.

Sanette’s Karoo Kafe has been part of the Provincetown street scene for the better part of a decade and we all hope it sticks around for many more seasons. Our dining room was cozy and exuded a West African ambiance. Even though we did not experience Karoo Kafe as one of our regular Thursday night dining sojourns, Table for Three found this to be one of Provincetown’s incomparable dining experiences and awards Karoo Kafe four and one-half monuments out of a possible five. (IV ½)

Karoo Kafe
338 Commercial Street
(508) 487-6630.