On 9 August, The Dinner Club returns for its second edition, this time inside the M&M Music Academy in Sunningdale. Unlike its debut in 2024, this one isn’t just centred around the food. Built around a full live jazz programme, the event puts music front and centre — framed not as background entertainment but as a key part of the evening’s design.
Chef Miguel Blick, known for his work at Nikkei on Bree Street and previously at Chefs Warehouse Beau Constantia under Ivor Jones, is behind the five-course menu. While it isn’t fine dining in the traditional sense, the food is still refined — fresh, balanced, and deeply flavourful. Think truffle mushroom arancini with truffle aioli, kelp-cured yellowtail sashimi with wasabi oil, and a preserved lemon mousse risotto. The mains (beef tenderloin or kingklip) feel more composed than showy, and the dark chocolate torte with espresso anglaise ends the meal without overplaying the sweet notes.
But this isn’t about the menu alone — and it’s not meant to feel like a restaurant at all. The night brings old-school jazz centre stage, both musically and in its visual identity. Expect vintage dress codes, velvet drapes, and deliberate pacing. M&M’s in-house musicians will be performing throughout the evening, with a focus on spotlighting female student vocalists and recent graduates. It’s a subtle but meaningful gesture: not just soundtracking the night, but using jazz as a platform for women to lead.
Cape Town’s live music venues have struggled to strike this balance. Some lean too heavily into aesthetics, others sideline the music. Jazz Lounge looks to meet in the middle. It’s not chasing a club crowd or a sit-down set menu — it’s trying to be something else entirely: a statement evening that draws on the glamour of classic lounge culture and repurposes it for a local audience that wants more than just a show or a meal.
There are beauty activations, a scent bar, and curated wine pairings, but nothing feels purely decorative. Everything, including the music, is meant to serve the same goal: to make the evening feel deliberate, not passive.
It’s a big swing. But if they can pull it off, it might be one of the more distinct cultural nights Cape Town sees this season.
