Starlings, Rondebosch

Look at the loo! It's not every blog post that has a picture of a loo to kick things off, but a friend and I have this secret belief that you can tell a lot about an eating place from its bathroom! This room is as delightful as the cafe itself, with a bath full of plants and knick knacks, fragrant things and candles, mirrors and pictures on the wall.

I'd been promised I would love Starlings and it sure lived up to my expectations. What a divine space, the charming and quirky decor offers way too much for an artist's eye to admire over a single cup of coffee, and then there are all the eat-me delectables on show, cheesecakes and little chocolate deaths and tarts tempting our tastebuds. 

But it was a gorgeous day and the three of us headed outdoors to the garden to soak up some late summer sun. There are fairies in this garden! Among the flower pots and creepers, a rusty old bicycle frame, mirrors and a filigree gate, doo dads hanging from trees, and tables tucked into leafy corners inviting  intimate confidences, the fairies are hanging out just waiting for some interesting company, and it seemed they wanted to join us. We found a cosy nook between two leopard trees and soon Chris, our friendly waitron, brought an umbrella to shade us from the fierce Saturday morning sun.

We ordered coffee - Origins and faultless -  and were uncharacteristically boring in our choice of munchies, electing for toast and croissants, served with little dishes of butter and honey, rather than the delectable rich cakes on offer, which i'll certainly go back for, some time in the near future! Apparently the home made bread was delicious and as I grappled with a disintegrating croissant I browsed the menu to see some interesting breakfast options and had to smile  at their recommendation...."our eggs are from a family farm where the hens scoffle around as nature intended". 

There was definitely something in the air that day and being three creative people we were bouncing ideas around the table with hardly a pause to sip our coffee. We imagined, we designed, we planned, we dreamed, we sparked one another with inspiration and by the time we parted, after more coffee of course, we each felt wired and ready to hit our drawingboards with excited anticipation of what we could create. Was it the coffee, the ambience in the magic garden, or ...  maybe ...  the fairies?