The Peeping Tom, Parkwood.
The Peeping Tom, Parkwood.
Image: Supplied

This new Parkwood eatery is bringing bistro-style fare and a whole lot of camp conviviality to the trendy Park Corner on Bolton Road. After captivating us with Morning Glory, the most Instagrammable coffee shop in town, architects-turned-restaurateurs Timothy Meyer and Chad du Toit have embarked on their second project, The Peeping Tom.

The new space merges retro-kitsch with the raw, industrial feel of the building to create a fun, flirty, and equally photo-ready setting. It features the same touch points of pink archways and neon signage with which Morning Glory has become synonymous, but here the pink contrasts with the deep yellow that swathes the top half of the double-volume space. Since the cracks in the industrial concrete floor below are filled with gold resin, this gives the illusion that the gold almost dripped off the ceiling.

Art too is a focal point of the eatery and something about which the restaurateurs feel passionately. With the help of renowned art publisher and dealer David Krut, they hope to showcase an ever-changing array of works by local artists on the walls. Looking to the food, there’s a definite retro feel to the proclaimed “easy eating” fare. The kitchen plays with a twist on bistro-style cooking in the “fancy-not-fancy” line that the restaurant flaunts so frivolously.

The Peeping Tom, Parkwood.
The Peeping Tom, Parkwood.
Image: Supplied

The duo’s tongue-in-cheek humour is evident in the naming of the menu items. The light bites and starters include the likes of “prawns gone wild”, a prawn cocktail served with a classic Marie Rose dressing, avocado, fennel slaw, and a shot of whisky; the “gotta love a tart” of baked brie in phyllo; and the “cheeky leeks” vichyssoise. It’s a great selection of dishes suitable as either starters or for sharing among the table as small plates.

The Peeping Tom, Parkwood.
The Peeping Tom, Parkwood.
Image: Supplied
The Peeping Tom, Parkwood.
The Peeping Tom, Parkwood.
Image: Supplied

If you’re looking for something heartier, you’re sure to be impressed by the bold, rich moules marinières (order some extra skinny fries to dip into the sauce), the cauli heads – a fantastic vegetarian dish of flash-fried cauliflower served with a beetroot hummus, zhoug, and vegan cream cheese — or the decadently delicious truffle-loaded mac and cheese (need I say more?).

It’s simple cooking that delivers big on flavour and comfort, the dishes elevated through playful plating and cheeky twists on expectations. This is a place to let your hair down, enjoy a cocktail or two, dig into a great meal, and, really, just have fun.

The Peeping Tom
146 Jan Smuts Avenue,
Parkwood
064 544 6556

 From the October edition of Wanted, 2021.

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