Taking a break: Patrons gather at the UCT Club to unwind after a long week.

Tucked away in the Sports Centre, the UCT Club is a popular place, especially on Friday evenings and at lunch times.

Started 10 years ago, when different departments at the university decided to amalgamate their private Friday "happy hour" sessions, it has grown into the official watering hole for the university community.

Open to members (all staff and postgraduate students are automatically members) from Mondays to Thursdays between 12h00 and 21h00 and on Fridays until 23h00, the club is the perfect spot for meeting for a quick drink or a good meal.

The restaurant offers daily lunches and suppers and the menu has a large variety of choices including an extensive buffet that is bound to tickle anyone's taste buds.

The club also boasts a bar and a balcony, which doubles as a beer garden and braai area when the south-easter permits.

Club functions, like theme and darts evenings, wine tasting and dinners, are held on a regular basis.

Apart from these social facilities, the club is well equipped to cater for conferences, cocktail parties and other semi-private functions, and provides such services to any other venue on campus. The smaller, informal seminar room is ideal for meetings and other academic gatherings.

The club venue, together with catering services, can be hired out for special functions such as birthdays and weddings.

For more information about the services and bookings, contact club managers Haydn and Craig Mozley at 650 3161.