The Lighthouse Café (Simon’s Town)

Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017

Reviewed by Neri Credo

I went to Lighthouse Cafe for dinner a few days ago. I ordered their famous bouillabaisse. A few hours later I was taken down by violent food poisoning. The guest house were I was staying had to call the paramedics, who in turn called the ambulance and I landed up in hospital. I really felt like I was dying. I believe that what had happened to me was something called scromboid poisoning. This occurs when Yellowtail fish are caught and get stressed - they release a histamine which is poisonous to humans. While this may not have been directly the fault of the restaurant it did happen to me at their establishment. I know that they knew about it because the guest house I was staying at called them. They say that they are aware of this danger and are very careful about where they purchase their Yellowtail from. The very least they could have done was offer to refund me and follow up on how I was doing. They did none of this. I would therefore not recommend this place to anyone. Now, 4 days later, I have still not completely recovered.