Ever wondered what some of Cape Town's oldest restaurants are? Herman Lategan takes you on a nostalgic tour of three historic food palaces that are still around after 40 years

Cape Town is soaked in history, and so are many of its vibrant eateries and pubs. To mention all of them in one article will be impossible. But I can take you on a private tour to three food strongholds that I remember clearly as a child, right from their inception.

. LA PERLA

On any given day or night at La Perla you can smell the sea, hear it and see it. Palm trees, a modern water feature outside, a chic patio straight from a glossy lifestyle magazine and diners who are suave globetrotters and well-off, create an atmosphere that takes you to any city in the world.

In fact, it is all so jolly, that it is difficult not to swoon and fall into cheap flattery, much like a drunken sailor trying to seduce a coquette.

There is a certain bygone air of sophistication that has been there since La Perla moved from the city centre into its landmark building in 1969. I remember as a young boy of around seven, nearly 40 years ago, dining here with my dad, a wild culinary explorer, and his string of beautiful girlfriends.

In the early 1970s it was the time of psychedelic lava lamps, Tom Jones, beehive hairdos, bell bottoms, large sunglasses (even at night), and lots of public smoking. At night, the place was always smoke-filled, with chic types gazing at each other in candlelight.

Robert Silke, a well known young architect from Cape Town, says of its exceptional architecture: "La Perla is (architect) Maciek Miszewski Sr's elegant, brutalist glass-fronted box, sporting outrageously-scaled 6m tall sliding plate-glass panels, overlooking the Sea Point Pavilion.

"The interior still 'channels' Francoise Hardy, Sophia Loren and Gina Lollobrigida (all past visitors) and is one of those rare and remarkable instances where the owners have had the sophistication and restraint not to gut and renovate over time, but rather to surgically edit, add to and enhance the original modernist design."

Other regular visitors included the late Dr Chris Barnard and his wife, the gorgeous Barbara. They were exquisite, always sitting at the same table, encapsulating the mood of the place: sexy, urbane and rather cheeky.

The waiters were cheeky, too, and still are, which adds to the charm of the place. Mostly of Indian decent, they swirl around the place in white jackets. Some of them, like Daya Naidoo, have been there for more 36 years.

The food is traditional Italian fare and remains to this day a culinary tour de force. The gourmet police might roll their eyes, but I am a firm disciple. If they have survived for so long, dear hearts, they must be doing something right.

. RITZ PLAZA

Further along, in Main Road, Sea Point, is the city's only revolving restaurant. For some reason, most Capetonians ignore this venue, with its 360° uninterrupted view of the city, mountains, sea and the beautiful Cape Town Stadium, shimmering like a giant space-age mother ship. Indeed, on a clear day, you can see forever.

Talking about space age, the whole Ritz Plaza building looks quite retro-futuristic, with the revolving restaurant resting on top like a stranded UFO.

But what does our architect, Robert Silke have to say? "The Ritz is part of a dodgy family of Cape skyscrapers built in the 1970s that includes Disa Park Towers, Twin Towers and Cinnabar in Muizenberg, built under a special relaxation for skyscrapers offering 'white accommodation'.

"An alien to an otherwise architecturally nondescript area, this sleazy, top-heavy 1970s campanile stands for Sea Point. The tower is high-tech and late modern, rising to 22 storeys and wrapped in a gleaming stainless-steel facade, and crowned by a creaking, motorised carousel halo of glass, in which foreign diners (never locals) to this day shovel down dated cookbook delicacies such as Avocado Ritz, Chateau Briand and Crepes Suzette."

This Ritz is still totally immersed in a 1970s time capsule, and a dramatic touch to any evening is when the waiter theatrically lights one of the flambé desserts. Faces light up, teeth glisten, jewellery sparkles - it's all very over the top.

Over the years there have been many strange and interesting background pianists. Once there was a muscled, permanently tanned midget who could hardly see over the piano. Then there was a blind woman who wore dark glasses and sensitively caressed each note as if it was a young lover. Nowadays there is a woman called Sharon, who looks like a character from the movie Burlesque, a wild gypsy with hundreds of bangles, lots of make-up and hair big enough to accommodate a flock of seagulls.

. VASCO DA GAMA

In Green Point, the old gentlemen's pub, the Vasco da Gama, has been going since 1971. For decades the pub did not allow women, as it was considered a place away from home for men to swear, talk dirty, behave in a generally vile way and tell pornographic jokes.

All this while slapping one another hard on the back, falling off chairs and then ordering another round of Catembas; Coke mixed with red wine, which was gulped down like cooldrink.

Shortly after it opened its doors to women, I entered the male toilets one night, only to walk in on a young man and his girlfriend making passionate love next to the sink. I caught them in flagrante delicto, but they took no notice of me.

I also used to frequent this pub/eatery with my dad right from the start. First I had to sit outside in the car for a while, in an old Valiant, later an Anglia, and then a Ford Capri. At the age of seven, I was not allowed into the pub, but all that changed quickly.

Soon I joined him next to his favourite seat. Both seats, although covered in new red leather, are still there to this day. Another thing about the Portuguese Embassy, as it is also known, is the food.

Try their daily specials, which range from tripe and beans to pork and beans, fresh fish, curry, and more. Other favourites include the mammoth seafood pan for two; LM chicken peri-peri; and espetada grande, cubes of succulent beef served on a skewer and brushed with garlic butter. You can't go wrong with any of the seafood. It's so fresh, you can hear the sea on your plate.

One of the city's oldest barmen still works here. George de Gouvia is nearly 72 and has worked here for nearly 30 years, hardly ever missing a day . Not bad, is it?