West Coast Farm Stall, near Yzerfontein

Yes indeed, that does look like a different kind of coffee shop! This has to be one of the zaniest, most surreal places I have visited on my quest for that ten out of ten cup of Americano! And to think we almost didn't visit it! My friend Viv and I were on a short trip to view the spring wild-flower extravaganza in the area and needed a caffeine shot.

Check out the sign at the entrance to the farmstall - Visit our lions! And there's a similar sign introducing a tiger or two. We couldn't believe our eyes and decided we really needed some coffee to clear our heads. Just take a look at the froth on that cappuccino! Impressive, hey. 

But before we got to the coffee, we made even more discoveries. Walking through this seriously quirky place, past all the preserves and crafts (now minus one lime green bag that one of us could not resist...) and out through the back door, we were hit with a kaleidoscope of vivid and noisy parrots of every description, all looking very chirpy and full of the joys of spring in their spacious cages.

 I'm vehemently anti birds, or for that matter anything, in cages, but this place is different, somehow, created and fitted with care for the birds' welfare. Trying to take photos of the birds and fight off some cheeky attempts to pinch the strap on my camera, and avoiding some vicious looking talons and beaks, I heard the muted roar of a lion. Ha, I said to Viv, that's a sound track, can't be the real thing. But it was, as I found out later.

The owner, something of an eco warrior, runs a game farm in the area and breeds white lions, one or two of which can be viewed in the enclosure behind the parrots, every hour on the hour. But, pressed for time, we drank our coffee, bought some home-made biscuits and hit the high road to the nature reserve, where we saw plenty of game, albeit not lions, running wild and free.

If you happen to be cruising along the west coast, make a point of dropping in here to see a coffee shop with a difference.

The Marmalade Cat in Darling

The day I visited this Darling coffee shop the proprietor was caught napping! Sleeping on the job and leaving the staff to attend to the customers, we were shocked at first, but when this gorgeous creature lifted her head and turned her lazy eyes on us, all was forgiven and we were well looked after by the waitron!

A friend and I were passing through the unremarkable dorp of Darling on our return from a sensory overloaded trip to view the spring flowers in the area. We needed breakfast and The Marmalade Cat looked charming from the outside and indeed was all we hoped for indoors. A cosy space with floor to ceiling shelves piled with cat themed arts and crafts and goodies to buy.

Viv had a huge hunger pang and ordered the full breakfast - bacon, egg, mushrooms and oven baked potato wedges, as well as toast. Not really in a bacon mood I ordered scrambled egg on toasted ciabatta and I honestly can't remember when last I enjoyed such uber creamy scramblies. To die for! I had the obligatory Americano and Viv a Cappuccino.  The menu has a selection of the usual suspect munchies from sandwiches through salads to very delectable cakes and tarts.

Open 7 days a week, evidently they are also open for supper at the weekend and Friday night is pizza night.

After breakfast we discovered a barn behind the restaurant operating as a viewing gallery for beautiful paintings and pottery and more crafty things like handbags. We browsed the tempting goodies then sauntered through the Cat Walk next door, a boutique style store with some tempting clothing on sale. The heavens opened just as we left and we had to run for the car and a slow and cautious drive back to Cape Town in the wet.

Kalk Bay Expresso

Kalk Bay Expresso is a quirky cafe in a derailed old blue train carriage located right alongside the Kalk Bay station. The decor and fittings are authentic old school train stuff and when the real deal train rumbles into the station you get the feeling that you are also on the tracks. This is a favourite of mine when I'm with somebody I want to have a proper conversation with and not have to shout above the usual coffee shop din, because the table setting is intimate and eye contact is unavoidable. I generally go for their pancakes, which are delicious, and this time it was spinach and mushroom, accompanied by a nice little green salad and very more-ish salad dressing in an elegant decanter, with which I almost drowned my salad, it was that delish. They also offer breakfasts and the usual sandwiches, and I can personally attest to the divine decadence of my personal favourite, the lemon meringue pie. Yum. Coffee is good, served in decent sized cups, and a nice touch is the fact that my friend, who takes hers black, was not short changed and had a cup that was filled right to the top. Friendly service and reasonable prices, it's open for breakfast, lunch and tea.

Cafe Roux, Noordhoek Farm Village

Attended a 60th birthday brunch celebration here on a chilly winter morning. All bundled up, what was I thinking, as I had to peel off layers in the stuffy over-heated room. Cafe Roux caters for families, with a designated play-room for the little ones, and just our luck our long table had to be situated right next to this area, didn't it! As one or two of us were feeling wan and nursing fragile heads for various reasons, the decibel level of screeching was a challenge, to say the least, but we soldiered bravely on, fortifying ourselves with extreme doses of caffeine.

I was pleasantly surprised by the food, having heard rumours of stingy portions. My French Toast was simply delicious - 3 slices of French bread, each topped with a perfectly grilled slice of banana and drizzled with tangy berry coulis. I ordered a portion of crispy bacon to complement it and was more than satisfied with my filling meal. No complaints about my multiple cups of Americano coffee, accompanied by a decent sized jug of foamy milk.  Friends around me were tucking into full English breakfasts and omelettes and I was amazed that they could clean their plates. The omelettes in particular looked very abundant, their bellies puffed up with more than enough mushroom and bacon filling - the omelettes, not my friends! 

It would be pleasant to sit at one of the outdoor tables under the trees on a warm sunny day and enjoy the rural farm village atmosphere.  Just remember that it can be quite rowdy at the weekend, so possibly not your ideal romantic venue. Cafe Roux specialises in breakfasts and lunches, with occasional live music entertainment. Check the website for more details http://caferoux.co.za/

Easy Dig, Sunnydale

I discovered a gem! At last, after a run of ho hum eateries, I stumbled upon this quirky cafe tucked away in a corner of Harry Goemans plant nursery in Sunnydale, on the way to Kommetjie. Why didn't I know about it when I lived in the area, I ask myself!  Karin and I picked a balmy Indian summer afternoon wedged into the icy heart of a cruel week of winter to buy some plants, and decided to grab coffee in the cafe. Being such a gorgeous day the outdoor area was filled up, so we found a spot indoors, at a rustic table which was one of a collection of zany distressed furniture - cupboards, dressers, book shelves - designed by the cafe owner and knocked together by a craftsman  just down the road.

 There's quite a comprehensive menu of breakfasts, lunches and sweet delights, but we weren't hungry and just wanted a shot of caffeine. Karin said her cappuccino was just what the doctor ordered, and my espresso macciato in its tiny cup went right to where it mattered and set me up for the rest of the day. I'm planning to return to re-browse the furniture and try out their munchies. A lovely spot in a peaceful green setting. Open during normal business hours.

Manuka, Steenberg

This is the kind of underwhelming plate put in front of me at Manuka this weekend. I don't enjoy blogging about a place that has been a big disappointment, but I guess you need to know. A couple of years I ago I had dinner there with a friend and the food was superb and the service excellent. In the meantime the place has been taken over by the same person who had Tony's at Longbeach. My friends and I would avoid that place because the service was almost non-existent and the food bland and uninteresting. Well guess what...ditto at Manuka. One can generally get a quick profile of management by the attitude of staff, and the waiters here are surly, disinterested and bored, so we could only presume they were unhappy with their lot. Why should we have to chase a waiter around the restaurant in order to request a knife that will cut the bacon? My friends both ordered egg with mushrooms, which was reported to be tasty, but my eggs had been swimming in oil and the meal was lukewarm and bland, with half a dozen chips and, once again, my pet peeve - cheap and nasty pre-sliced bread. I paid R48 for a ho hum breakfast that I could get at Spur for half the price,  plus a cheerful smile thrown in. Oh well, the Americano wasn't too bad.

The real deal Americano!

At last! At last! I found the real deal Americano! Stumbled upon in a pizza place, Primi Piatti in Claremont, and not at any of the coffee shops I've been exploring!  I just knew I had one of these a long time ago and for the life of me could not remember where, and here it was, purely by chance.  A little cameo of presentation perfection - an elegant skinny white serving plate with three in a row : tiny jug of boiling water, same of warm milk, and cup with a shot of espresso. Just the way it should be! Oh the rapture! Only it wasn't for me ... I had ordered a boring decaff because it was late at night and caffeine at that time disturbs my beauty sleep. I could only admire it and inhale a long draught of the aroma, sigh... I didn't have a camera but am determined to go back and get a picture for you. Any excuse for a decadent interlude with one of these darlings.