Mulberry & Prince, Cape Town, South Africa

A taste of the Big Apple in the heart of the Mother City. That’s the idea behind Mulberry & Prince, a modern luncheonette offering New American cuisine, that is causing quite a stir on the junctions of Cape Town’s Bree and Pepper Streets.

The space itself is equally intersectional, with local designers Atelier Interiors combining a rustic colour palette of dusty pink, charcoal, and terracotta,  and original brickwork and beams, with modernist touches. These include contemporary lighting and copper tables by designer Conrad Van der Westhuizen, who also had a hand in the metallic stained glass panels that back the unconventional bar. 

The bar, a hunk of locally-sourced natural slate, provides an obvious focal point to the space, but the true appeal is in the detail. Unable to locate perfectly matching slabs, the designers brought a series of roughly hewn pieces together with the Japanese art of kintsukuroi, in which the disjointed cracks are sealed with gold. 

Elsewhere, bespoke marble and timber tables designed by Pederson and Lennard, high leather bar stools by local brand Stokperd, and an eclectic mix of plush velvets and polished brass fulfil the designers’ French-retro vision. Here, under the abstract art of Cape Town-based artist, Kurt Pio, diners share small dishes like ricotta gnudi with Parmesan broth and mushrooms amongst a relaxed, communal vibe that New York would be proud of.