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The day before I left Cape Town, I discovered Persian Peacock. Curious about this restaurant, I walked in to find that it's actually run by Iranians. The hostess told me she had been in Cape Town for a decade, but each year before Covid, she would spend six months in Iran. Covid had brought serious deterioration to Cape Town, she said. Increased poverty had made the homeless situation much more visible, and it had also increased crime. With fewer tourists, there were fewer cops downtown, so she really couldn't walk anywhere.

The food at Persian Peacock is pretty damn good. This plate of beef and lamb with rice set me back $14. It also came with some hummus, four spreads and pickled turnips (turshi left), to be nibbled with pita bread beforehand.


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