Faeeza’s Home Kitchen — Restaurant in Bo-Kaap

SCAM - DO NOT BOOK

We booked for two people to do the cooking class which had good reviews, so our expectations were that we could trust this course and have fun learning to cook something new.

We emailed them asking if we can pay in cash or card. They replied saying they can do either on the day.

When we arrived a female waitress asked us to pay in cash. We explained we emailed and card was accepted, to which she replied that they don’t do card and it’s cash only. Sensing my confusion, the male chef / host then came over and said that the card machine has gone down and this happens with the wind (it’s not a windy day). He then said it happens at his restaurant round the corner too… we were then told to go to a restaurant round the corner that had an ATM machine to get out cash. We followed the instructions as we had a couple of minutes before the class started.

The ATM at the restaurant charged us a extortionate rate of 17% (just under 350 rand) for the cash. Frustrating when we had cash at home we could have brought but were led to believe card was an option.

We returned and paid, then were told to head upstairs to the kitchen. The kitchen was a very small room with one hob, one additional kitchen side and a dining table in it. There were 12 other people squeezed into this room and not enough seats so we had to stand, alongside another two women.

The male chef explained that we would all ‘cook’ the curry together and do the roti’s separately. The roti’s were already made up and just needed to be rolled and fried. The curry was already prepared with meat and potatoes chopped and ready in bowls. Immediately I could see this was not a cooking class as the majority was already prepared and there were too many people to be involved.

Another guest asked why there were so many people when online it said a maximum of 8 guests. The male chef replied that it’s a new kitchen and can fit more people in; I shared a humorous glance at my partner, knowing we were being ripped off completely.

Two females stood up and asked for a refund, and we followed suit. The chef agreed and took us downstairs.

The lady handling the cash only gave back half (800 rand). I then explained we paid 1600 for two. She then gave me 1500 back. I said we were 100 short. She gave me 80 more. I then said I’m still 20 short, and she then reluctantly gave me another 20.

We left and haven’t stopped laughing at how ridiculous it was.

We are in shock that people enjoyed this scam of an experience and reading some of the feedback online, shows our experience is not...

Home Cooking Mishap in Cape Town I recently hosted some friends visiting from Japan and wanted to give them a unique South African experience with a home cooking class. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

The class itself was overcrowded, with eight people working around a single burner. This wasn't ideal, but it wasn't a deal-breaker. However, after our meal downstairs, disaster struck. A group of tourists walked straight through the restaurant and stole my friends' bag containing their passports, camera, and money.

The next three days were a scramble. We raced between the police station and the Japanese embassy to get emergency passports. It was incredibly stressful, especially considering the staff mentioned a similar incident happening just three months prior.

Frankly, I'm shocked at the lack of security. For a "Cape Town Must Do," allowing non-paying tourists to freely enter Faeeza's home kitchen seems unacceptable, especially if they're targeting guests.

To add insult to injury, Faeeza still charged us for three out of the four participants even after the robbery.

While the concept of a home cooking class sounded lovely, the reality was a huge disappointment. If you're considering this experience, I strongly advise taking extreme precautions with...

I signed up for this class after trying a koeksister from the restaurant. The pastry was SO good and I wanted to learn how to make them. Unfortunately the only cooking you do in this 3 hour class is folding two samosas. No making or kneading dough, making the samosa filling, measuring out spices… it was all either premade or watching the guy hold up a spice and dump it in a pot. I feel scammed for paying $40 USD for this “cooking” class.

The instructor also stated he was a chef and worked in restaurants around the world. When I asked him for restaurant recommendations in Cape Town, he said he had none. “Get fish in Hout Bay” was the best he could give. Pretty disappointing as he seemed to be passionate about food.

I also was never emailed the recipes like they promised, and the maximum class size of 8 on their website is not true. Our class had at least 15. I’d say find a different...