Phantom Gourmet: Karoo In Eastham

EASTHAM (CBS) -- There's a restaurant on Cape Cod serving South African cuisine with dishes named Bunny Chow, Monkey Ribs and Malva Pudding.

And while this may sound like a version of restaurant Mad Libs, such a place actually exists, and it's called Karoo.

Located in the town of Eastham, a meal at Karoo is like sitting down for dinner in a South African home because chef-owner Sanette Groenewald wants this place to feel like just like her home.

"Karoo's the area where I grew up back home. Nobody really knows about it but it's the salt of the earth," Groenewald said. "And when I came to America and opened up my first restaurant I just wanted a real place, like African soul food so that's where Karoo came from, and the opportunity to represent South Africa is really important to me and it makes me less homesick."

The menu at Karoo is filled with authentic South African comfort food. And while the names might be funny, the flavors are familiar.

"South African food is the melting pot of everybody that has colonized South Africa... familiar flavors you go, 'oh I had this in the Indian restaurant. I had this in the Middle Eastern restaurant. This tastes familiar to a Portuguese,' so... it's different, but it's not that much different," Groenewald said.

And now that Sanete has been serving this food for more than a decade, it's safe to say that customers on Cape Cod are enjoying a taste of Cape Town.

"Coming from South Africa and being here and having my own restaurant and having a South African restaurant and it works that blessing everyday feels absolutely amazing," Groenewald said.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.