Coco Safar Pâtisserie and Restaurant has opened a second branch in Sea Point, now also at St John’s Piazza, with plans for a number of further store openings in South Africa as well as in the USA.
Coco Safar first opened in Cavendish in Claremont in 2016, and it is here that I met South African owner Wilhelm Liebenberg, who had returned to his home country after many years.
He and his Canadian partner Caroline Sirois opened a deluxe boutique outlet selling bespoke luxury coffees as well as Rooibos teas, each variant named after a world city, and the ultimate in Pâtisserie offerings. Continue reading →
When I first heard that Pilcrow & Cleaver had opened on Parliament Street last year, I couldn’t get my tongue around its unusual name, and it seemed to be out of the way relative to where I normally go if I am in the City centre. After a first chance visit during Lockdown, I was hooked, when I bought a Take-Home meal of duck spring rolls, and can’t miss visiting the small cosy open-plan restaurant when I am in town, always being able to find parking near the Groote Kerk. On Sunday evening I enjoyed my first Sit-Down meal at Pilcrow & Cleaver, as a birthday celebration for my friend Katie Friedman, having previously collected freshly-made dishes from the restaurant to take home. 
It was at a dinner with Katie Friedman of Urban Lime that I heard about the opening of Victoire, a French Boulangerie, Pâtisserie, and Bistro in the newly redeveloped Speakers’ Corner building on Church Square in Cape Town. I attended the opening, as well as had breakfast at Victoire the following day. 
Den Anker invited me to try its new Winter special, an unusual pairing of two food dishes with two Belgian beers, from a selection of three options. The invitation arrived in a very creative package, filled with the Belgian beers the dishes were paired with, marked with the hashtag #PerfectPair, and was personally delivered by Chef Doekle Vlietman. 
On Thursday I had the pleasure of lunching with Hermanuspietersfontein ‘Creative Maverick’ Gerrie Heyneke and his assistant Anika de Goede, at the colourful The Stack. They introduced me to their Kaalvoet Meisie Sauvignon Blanc 2015, and shared details of the exciting transformation lying ahead for the winery, which was established eleven years ago. 
Last month Hartford House opened its new Tijnhuis Tea House, offering lighter meals to its hotel guests and to Midlands Meander walk-in guests, as well as High Tea, and a selection of sweet treats, with teas and coffees. 
Cape Town has just upped its food game, with the opening of the new artisinal Unframed Ice Cream Parlour on Kloof Street. The taste of the twelve flavours is sensational, and the unique flavour range is impressive!