The major cities in South Africa over the last 4-5 years have slowly been waking up to the joys of quality coffee. In fact we have had very good beans for over 20 years, but not the barista’s or even coffee lovers behind the machines to make it properly. ie, using the correct grind, not burning the milk etc. On a bad day you can still hear people order a “Cup-of-Chino-wiff-cream” blergh.
With the advent of the formidable cafe Vida AKA Vida e cafe, people are starting to expect decently made coffee and it has …
5 comments
Had a concerted walk down Long Street today, to check out the Backpackers and get some prices for Paragliding (dying to try it), it’s R850 ($120), but they only go on hot days with little wind…wind and Cape Town are good friends and not easily parted.
I am also toying with the idea of opening or buying an internet cafe, its a nice low maintenance operation that would suit my temperament quite well. There are not as many as I thought on Long Street, perhaps because the rentals are too high, but Sea Point is chock-a-block with them, at least 20.
No Comments
Something I heard while I was in the USA surprised me a lot. Americans who had visited South Africa often commented on how they missed the “pies”.
These are not like the American apple pies, or cherry pies, but individual meat pies filled with steak, chicken and whathaveyou. Somehow, pies became quite a staple here and can be found in every corner store, supermarket, petrol station and also in dedicated pie shops. They are a favourite for walking lunches and are the lifeblood of the police and traffic departments.
In Britain, which one would think to be the pie capital of the …
No Comments
Cape Town is dotted with markets. Most with curios, antiques, clothing and the obligatory “yellow food” array.
For something a little different, WITW (What If The World), have initiated an organic food, crafts and design market in what was the old biscuit factory in Woodstock.
One can find incredible artisinal breads and locally produced premium olives, amongst all sorts of wonderfull fresh fruits and vegetables. More than 50 stands of produce in all. It is only open on Saturdays and has a huge following of Jamie Oliver and “knit your own yoghurt” types on Vespa’s and unicycles.
No Comments
Charly’s Bakery
20 Roeland Street
Cape Town | Map
Specialty: Muffins, cake and pastries, but mostly muffins and cake.
Tel: +27 (0) 21 461 5181
SA Blog recommends a look inside? Don’t miss it!
.flickr-photo { }
.flickr-frame { float: left; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; }
.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }
Charly’s Bakery
No Comments
In the last 10 years Cape Town has seen an explosion of retail areas, and shopping malls. I am not entirely sure where all these extra consumers are coming from, but it seems that business is thriving across the board.
The latest addition is Willowbridge, which is less of a mall and more of an enclosed shopping street. It houses some very upmarket stores and I am betting the rents are commensurate.
You can see a directory of the retailers here.
There are plenty of restaurants and coffee shops, with most of the usual suspects present ie: Vida e Cafe, Col’cacchio, Kauai. We had a marvelous pizza at Col’ Cacchio (which apparently translates as “up yours!”) in my opinion this small chain offers the best pizza in Cape Town, with the thinnest crust and highest quality ingredients. We also had to have another ice cream at Cafe Magnifico, even though they charge and extortionate R14 for a scoop, which is about twice what you would pay elsewhere.
No Comments
We came back to the Kalk bay/Simon’s town area on Monday to have another crack at the Olympia cafe, which was fuller than a minibus, and to fetch Sarah’s cell phone from the kind gent that found it under our table at “Skebangers” in Noordhoek. Who says there is no good left in this world.
Kalk Bay is a lovely little village between Muizenberg and Fishoek and it has seemingly really caught on in recent years. Tons of antique shops and little speciality stores are here and doing a roaring trade. TIP, if the traffic looks heavy along the coast road from Muizenberg, take “Boyes Drive” along the mountainside, this could save you an hour of bumper busting on a weekend.
1 comment
I am of the persuasion that words of foreign origin ought to be, or at least attempted to be pronounced correctly and not Anglicized, Americanized or contorted in general. Samoosas are no exception and by no accounts should be called samozas. With that out of the way, I would like to introduce you to the best Samoosas in Cape Town 
No Comments
Caturra Coffee Bar
39 Regent Road
Sea Point, Cape Town | Map
.flickr-photo { }
.flickr-frame { float: left; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; }
.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }
Caturra From Across the Street
Specialty: Coffee and diner fare.
Tel: +27 (0) 21 434 5160, Fax: +27 (0) 21 434 0060
SA Blog recommends a look inside? Definitely
No Comments
Melissa’s Food Shop
94 Kloof Street
Tamboerskloof, Cape Town | Map
.flickr-photo { }
.flickr-frame { float: left; text-align: center; margin-right: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px; }
.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }
Melissa’s
Specialty: Deli & cafe
Tel: +27 (0) 21 424 5540, Fax: +27 (0) 21 424 9053
kloof@melissas.co.za
www.melissas.co.za
SA Blog recommends a look inside? Possibly
2 comments
