Chef Nolu's plate of seven colours delivers the real flavours of SA

At Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, a shared feast introduces diners to the traditions and communal spirit of South African home cooking.

- By Naomi Campbell

Playful colours on a plate welcome curious palates at the Seven Colours Eatery in the heart of Battery Park at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The restaurant hosts a vibrant array of traditional South African dishes for locals and tourists to experience.

"Seven colours" is a reference to meals cooked for friends or family on Sundays or special events. It is a true representation of the "rainbow nation" with red beetroot, yellow rice, multicoloured vegetables and even brown rice as the starch.

Various meat dishes are also placed on the single plate, creating a special dining experience that celebrates curiosity and culture.

The Founders Without Borders cohort, which included founder Laurenne Mvete and students Walter Heiser, Tahirah Abdul-Qadir and Olivia Simons, along with TGIFood editor Tony Jackman and me, travelled to Cape Town after visiting the Peninsula School Feeding Association in Philippi.

We went not just for lunch, but to sample South Africa's rich flavours and culture.

Whereas the morning was dedicated to learning about meals that matter, lunch was for tasting and exploring a new cuisine for Heiser, Abdul-Qadir and Simons, who were visiting Cape Town for the first time.

Mvete, on the other hand, is not only a second-time traveller to Cape Town like me, but she dined at the Seven Colours Eatery when she first visited the city.

The six of us sat at the centre table in the restaurant in the Canal District. The options of the day included two staple dishes - ujeqe, a steamed bun, and turmeric rice.

The protein options included umleqwa, also known as hardbody chicken cooked in a traditional Xhosa style that can take three hours, and isityu senkomo, a falloff-the-bone beef stew slowly cooked in a cast-iron pot.