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 →
The Sweet Service Award goes to the Western Cape Blood Service Long Street Branch, and its staff member Lorna, for her amazing service when I went to donate blood there earlier this week. I called the branch to check my eligibility for donating blood. When I walked in, Lorna welcomed me by name, knowing that it was me, and telling me that she had already prepared the stickers for my blood donation. She made my tea after the donation, and remembered that I like my tea weak and black, I last having been to donate blood three months ago. Wow! 
A lunch at Coco Safar, followed by a dinner three days later, were two chalk and cheese experiences, the former excellent and the latter hugely disappointing, especially as it was a birthday dinner treat for a special friend! I had last been to Coco Safar for breakfast early this year, after it opened in Sea Point, having moved from Cavendish Square. 
Every winter is a tough time for the restaurant industry. With the dip in Tourism due to the water shortage, and the early heavy winter rains, the restaurants in Cape Town and the Winelands are feeling the pinch, and many have closed down, even some on the iconic restaurant Bree Street, as well as in the Waterfront!