It was a chance photograph of the entrance to Noah Café that attracted my attention to this secret hideaway in Tamboerskloof, not even seeing a menu or any other details upfront. I decided to book, and invited my friend Gary Peterson to join me.  I felt transported to a Mediterranean desert island, captivated by its uniqueness.

Located in the 10 bedroom Noah House and now run by new Dutch owners in the former Underberg Guest House, Noah Café pays tribute to a homegrown sourdough bread baked in Tamboerskloof by Ailine Liefeld of A Sour Story!

I might not have normally visited a restaurant of which almost its whole menu is based on Sourdough bread, but I was enchanted by the look of the Café, the lovely terrace seating area protected by umbrellas and made private by a large canvas sheet, and the European style service and presentation.

The decor theme is black and white, in its patterned floor tiles, its branding, and scatter cushions, the dominant whiteness of the decor broken by black touches. Even Gary’s T-shirt was Black, as if he had dressed to match the decor. The fork was by Eetrite and the knife was an impressive looking Laguiole steak knife to get through the crust.

Noah has two entrances, and Gary and I both met outside the official address of the guest house, 6 Tamboerskloof Road, but the Café entrance is on the side street around the corner.

We first met Gerald van Engelin, who told us that they opened Noah Café two months ago, having bought the guest house late last year during Lockdown. They have no accommodation guests currently, and are opening their home on Saturdays and Sundays to diners for breakfast, lunch, and tea treats, until 16h00. He told us about the Sourdough bread forming the focus of the Café menu, but that they have Vegan treats too, supplied by Thank Goodness Foods, and their yoghurt, butter, and mascarpone cheese is supplied by Cream of the Crop. Croissants, and lovely Dutch butter cookie (R20) is baked in house, I reminiscing about my mother’s Butterkuchen, having a very similar taste, topped with almond slivers.

We met Sarina, Gerald’s wife, who told us the story about the Sourdough bread, baked by Ailine Liefeld, of A Sour Story. She is a model photographer, but due to business drying up during Lockdown she started baking  Sourdough breads, passionate about them.

I did a walk-about inside the house, seeing a dining room with a long table, at which they plan to serve private dinners in future. The dining room flows into a lounge area.  They have quickly connected to the Cape Town First Thursdays, and photographer Ricardo Lategan exhibited his photographs in the guest house passage.

The menu is described as ‘All Day’, is A5 in size, in plain white and black type, reflecting the decor colours too. Nine items represent breakfast, lunch and tea treat options, which can be ordered at any time of the day.

I loved the sound of the ‘Love Story’ dish especially created for Valentine’s Day, a ball of Burrata surrounded by a beautifully plated selection of different coloured tomatoes, strawberries, and peach slices, accompanied by two slices of Sourdough bread, one with pink peppercorns, adding a very special taste to the dish. Gary and I shared the dish.  It was only when checking the bill to write this story that I once again realised the down side of ordering Specials, in that prices are never mentioned, it costing R180!

Gary and I both liked the sound of the Sea to Table (R95) Sourdough sandwich, meant to have avocado and ‘graved lax’ (sic), but it was only after posting my photographs at home that I realised that an error had been made, and that we were served The Green Story (R85) instead, Consisting only of avocado and tomato. I remember thinking it strange that a table that arrived after we did received the same dishes that we had ordered ahead of ours. We ordered a poached egg (R15) each to accompany this dish, which we shared.

I was surprised that we were served an Amuse Bouche upfront, two delicious slices of watermelon, a fresh start to our lunch, and totally in season.

Noah Café is not yet licensed, so we each ordered a non-alcoholic Duchess Spritzer, mine a Berry and Gary having an Elderflower one.

The highlight of the Lunch however was the ‘Almost a Dessert’ dish (R95), created on top of a slice of …… yes, Sourdough Bread, my first ever bread-based dessert, with thick creamy mascarpone and slices of black figs, which Gary and I shared. Absolutely delicious, both of us loving figs.

One can also order Sourdough bread, with cultured butter and jam (R70), croissants plain or with butter and jam (R35/R55), and fresh cakes and muffins, of which a red velvet one was vegan. Three Smoothie Bowls topped with fresh fruit and home-made granola are more Breakfast orientated, but available all day.

The Lunch had a slow pace, our choice, having such a good time. Our fellow diners were equally impressed, sharing notes on what we ate. Waiter Roger and Gerald checked on us regularly, with excellent service. One irritation in businesses using Yoco credit card machines is that they do not print credit card slips, and at Noah Café not even the bill, the waiter having to work out which part of my rounded off payment was his tip, embarrassing in front of a guest.

Even though Noah Café charges a premium for what one could call Sourdough sandwiches in the main they were prepared with love, and the presentation of each was that of an experienced chef. The ambiance as well as the company of Gary rounded off a fantastic lunch. I loved the playlist, just perfect for our relaxed lunch.

POSTSCRIPT 16/2/21: I was thanked by Sarina for the Review yesterday, without any reaction to the error made by serving us the incorrect Sourdough sandwich and for charging us incorrectly too. When I asked her if she had seen the error, she dismissed this in the strangest way, with no apology: ‘Yes a (sic) saw and sorry to hear that you figured this out when you got home otherwise we could have made it right when you were still here!’ A warning: do check what you get served and the bill for what you are charged! 

POSTSCRIPT 20/2/21:  My friend Gary Peterson tried to buy a Sourdough bread from Ailine Liefeld directly. He was told that she will not be supplying Noah Café with Sourdough Bread from March.

Noah Café, 6 Tamboerskloof Road, Tamboerskloof, Cape Town. Tel 021 426-2262. www.noah-house.com. Instagram: @cafenoah

 

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: Chris von Ulmenstein Instagram: @Chrissy_Ulmenstein @MyCapeTownGuide