Casa Labia, Muizenberg

When you walk through the ornate front doors of this special casa, you leave the 21st Century behind. Built in 1929 in the style of an 18th century Venetian mansion, and owned by a count, this national monument recently had an extensive makeover. Overlooking the windswept False Bay, the interior is exquisite and houses an art gallery, boutique and gorgeous Italian cafe.  Not really a place to just pop in for a cappuccino, the setting begs a lingering lunch or lazy afternoon tea.  On a previous occasion a friend and I wanted to view a specific art exhibition and then enjoyed tea and scones on this verandah, but last week I was treated to a special treat, a birthday lunch in the cafe. 

As the cafe itself was full, we were seated in the ballroom, flocked wallpaper, sparkling chandeliers, marble fireplace and priceless oil paintings providing the background.  A stiff white linen cloth draped a table set with heavy silver cutlery, dainty crystal cruet set and starched napkins and then a waiter offered us bread from an enormous basket tucked under his arm. All home baked, everything from rye to wholegrain, my slice of olive bread was perfection, and portions of butter were wrapped up like toffees. I ordered the Casa Laba Club Sandwich and could hardly finish it. Unusual toasted sweet potato bread was piled high with slivers of smoked chicken, avo, salami and cheese, and my favourite, caramelised onions - yum, with a generous rocket salad. My friend had a starter - slices of Bresaolo (beef) with fresh marinated mushrooms. After all that we could do no more justice to the decadent dessert menu than drool over it, so opted for tall creamy lattes. A gentle refined interlude in an exquisite setting.   

Visit their website



River Cafe at Constantia Uitsig

"Sumptuous breakfasts", the website menu proclaims!  Perhaps my idea of sumptuous is different from theirs, as I have to admit to being a wee bit disappointed. If there's one thing that turns me off a place, it's a stingy portion! The plates is vast and white and my River Benedict cowers in the middle of it, far from the edge. However, I have to say that, apart from the limp streaky bacon, it was absolutely delicious and the coffee was great.  Others at my table ordered the scrambled egg with smoked salmon, and we were also taken aback at the size of that offering - a small mound of egg with the salmon stirred in. Friends at another table said they were delighted with their traditional breakfast, so maybe it was just the way our food was presented that made it look mean, although the prices are certainly not mean! Our table went through several baskets of toast - white, wholeweat and rye, as requested, because we had to admit that the eggs hadn't satisfied our appetites, and there were generous jars of marmalade, jam and real butter. The setting in the courtyard at this wine estate is pleasant enough but nothing out of the ordinary, so I'm not sure why it has such a grand reputation.

We lingered long over our breakfast and lazy conversation, then sauntered through to the wine tasting room and sampled some of the estate wines. Before sinking into complete sloth for the rest of the day we had a quick look at the vineyards surrounding the buildings. It was way too hot to walk in the sun, as planned earlier in the day, so we headed down the road for a stroll through what's left of the Tokai forest. A nice outing but nothing I would rave about.
Visit their website

On the terrace at Cellars Hohenort

Okay so it's not a coffee shop, but I have to squeeze this venue in, to share the pictures, as it is just such a gorgeous place. Take a look at those roses! Arty friends and I were there to view an exhibition of Ardmore ceramics and took the opportunity to stroll through the incredible gardens of this historic hotel set in the rolling green hills of Constantia.There's actually 9 acres of garden, sweeping and swirling around the buildings, beneath a canopy of majestic trees.

A little woodland dell here, a swathe of purple there,  terraces of white iceberg roses, a bed of luscious rhubarb, all add to the mix.  Prickly green chestnuts the size of golf balls scatter across the path, defying one to try and pick them up, but of course one of us did. Cross a rustic bridge over a lily pond and find a secret leafy nook tucked away in a corner, with a bench beckoning any blocked author to sit for a while with pen and paper, awaiting the muse's guaranteed visit. It's also a photographer's dream, a tree lover's paradise, and I had the feeling there were fairies peeping out at us from deep secret hiding places.

It was way too elegant an afternoon to drink coffee, so we slipped into the refined atmosphere of the venue and enjoyed tea and scones on the terrace, our eyes enjoying a green bath as we gazed at the gentle vista and made slow small talk. Even the birds were muted, perched somewhere out of sight. High Tea is apparently quite an event, with silver tiered cake servers offering a selection of decadently delectable sweet things.  Worth checking out for a special occasion.     Visit the website

Octopus' Garden, St. James

"I'd like to be, under the sea, in an Octopus' Garden with you" ... inspired by this old Beatles tune from way back when dinosaurs roamed, the restaurant is situated in an historic post office building next door to the St James railway station, where in winter you can watch whales cruising across False Bay. Well, I was there on probably the hottest day of a heatwave summer down south, there wasn't a breath of wind, and the only thing cruising was probably way down under the sea. About 15 of us were seated at a long table under umbrellas in the back courtyard, a bougainvillea draped fence separating us from trains sleepily trundling past on the track between us and the sea. To say it was unbearably hot is an understatement and the umbrellas were not really doing the job of blocking out the sun. The serving staff were unable to solve the problem for us, so in desperation someone in the group fetched a sheet he just happened to have in his car (!), and we managed to drape it between the umbrellas for a little more shade.

I'm not sure about this place. It's certainly picturesque inside, a crazy collection of knick knacks embellishing a brightly painted room with wooden floors and a piano in one corner. Apparently there is live music some nights of the week and the setting must be quite romantic under the magical little fairy lights. The menu declares that the fare is Mediterranean and there is an interesting selection of tapas, but we were there for brunch, at 10 am, and were a tad disappointed in the offerings. Definitely not your average bacon and egg breakfasts, the closest was savoury scramble on a croissant, which I had, and which was very yummy, but there was a dis-satisfied vegetarian among us, as well as someone who didn't do croissants and just wanted an egg on toast. The waitrons were unable to accommodate us, declaring that the owner "doesn't do bread".... hmm... I found that a little bit precious and wondered why in Cape Town, of all places, there wasn't a bit more of a relaxed attitude. Apart from that grumble everybody seemed to enjoy their munchies - which ranged from Thai fishcakes and stuffed peppers, through a smoked salmon croissant, to my St. James Surfer, and the service wasn't too bad, just lacking a few smiles (maybe a remnant of a late night?). It was too uncomfortably sticky to linger over the table, so as the party broke up, a few of us sauntered off along the boardwalk to Muizenberg, hoping for a cooling seabreeze, but not feeling it, and instead opting for a couple of beers before the hot traipse back. Most definitely a day to rather be under the sea....

https://www.facebook.com/OctopusGardenRestaurantStJames

Sostanza, Lakeside

This is a great little coffee shop tucked away in an otherwise rather dreary shopping centre, alongside a cycle shop, vet store and print outlet, among others, although there's a great fresh fish supplier and good ol' Woollies, as well as an  Italian bistro oozing wafts of sizzling garlic at certain times of the day.

At Sostanza you can sit indoors if you don't mind competing with the grumble and hiss of the coffee machine and aren't anticipating a meaningful conversation, as the stone floors and metal furniture do little to muffle voices. Or you can find a table under an umbrella in the glass roofed courtyard, browse a newspaper and people-watch.

The coffee is the real deal and my Americano was rich and strong. Two of us shared a delicious baked cheesecake, which came divided up on separate plates. We agreed that no way could we have finished a full portion, the slice was that generous. My friend's obligatory cappuccino looked good and on that day she eschewed the sweet stuff for some simple toast and jam. No skimpy slices of tired white bread; there were three chunky offerings from a health loaf baked on the premises, nicely presented in a basket with butter and jam. I was impressed and she cleaned up every last crumb, it was that good. A wide variety of breads, cookies and other wicked stuff for sale at the counter.  Perfect for a quick coffee meeting if you are in the area, but not really conducive to lingering.

Imhoff Farm Stall, Kommetjie

Imhoff Farm is probably what we locals would call a tourist trap, and you are sure going to find some tourist prices at the farm stall! After a lazy meander along the spectacular route from Simonstown around Cape Point, through Scarborough to Kommetjie, a friend and I pulled in for tea and cake. Half a dozen camels lay snoozing on the lawns, with kids begging their parents for a ride. We popped into a couple of art and craft shops, a cheese shop and a CD store, and then into the farm stall itself.

There were some enticing goodies for sale in the shop, but we found the deli items extraordinarily expensive and I couldn't help wondering what was so special about their olives that a tiny portion should cost almost R30!  Same with the mushrooms. I fancied some wrapped in an omelette for my supper, but R27 for some fungus grown in organic compost put me off. We found a shady table under a tree outside and studied the menu. Same story with the prices - almost R30 for a slice of cake and the most expensive  Americano I've yet come across - R18! I settled for a filter. Next door was a quaint and very tempting little Hansel & Gretel chocolate shop, but the catchy sign actually deterred me from entering what looked like a den of temptation. A minute on my lips would be way longer on my hips...

As for the tea and cake, my lemon meringue was sinfully rich and delicious, and apparently the carrot cake equally good. The coffee was just ok but I hadn't expected more. A pleasant enough coffee break in farmlike surroundings but nothing that special.

visit the website

C'est la Vie, Kalk Bay

Up a cobbled lane off the main road through Kalk Bay village is a boulangerie I've been visiting for a few years now, tucked up against an art gallery and cosied up to the Kalk Bay Theatre next door. It's never been advertised but is well known in the arty community, and you're often likely to spot an artist or other creative soul hanging out.  A teeny tiny courtyard is the best place to sit in good weather, green ivy and pink geraniums spilling down the walls. It's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays so you must pick your day to visit. Indoors you can watch the action in the tiny kitchen as a flurry of kneading and whirring and baking fill shelves of baskets with interesting loaves, croissants, muffins and the like. It delights me to buy bread and have my ciabatta wrapped in a sliver of greaseproof tied up with string.

My favourite snack is a friand, an almond flavoured delicacy at the startling price of R7, and muffins don't cost much more. I must admit I was peeved on this day to find they were sold out of friands, as my mouth had been anticipating the taste for a couple of hours!  In summer I love the freshly and noisily concocted carrot, ginger and apple juice, but at all times the hot drinks are winners. You can have a veritable bucket of coffee if you so wish and as for the hot chocolate...fortunately the cup is so big that you don't get to the bottom of it too soon. Just look at these beauties and you'll agree that they are very tempting. Here's a cappuccino, latte and hot chocolate. A cute and unpretentious little eatery for either a quick snack or a long linger over the newspaper. (NB ... closed on Mondays and Tuesdays  and they don't do credit cards)