{"id":4357,"date":"2009-09-27T00:09:02","date_gmt":"2009-09-26T22:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=4357"},"modified":"2015-02-05T21:35:53","modified_gmt":"2015-02-05T19:35:53","slug":"cafe-delicieux-cest-tres-delicieux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/cafe-delicieux-cest-tres-delicieux\/","title":{"rendered":"Cafe’ Delicieux c’est tres delicieux!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>A little French haven in the northern suburbs is Cafe’ Delicieux (a francophile would miss the accent on the first e of Delicieux), a daytime restaurant which is open seven days a week.\u00a0\u00a0 Whilst it encapsulates a French feel, its\u00a0menu has little French food in it.<\/p>\n

It is decorated beautifully, in a French blue, with beautiful Manna-style chandeliers from which dangle not just crystals but cups as well.\u00a0\u00a0 The owner clearly has interior decor talent, creating an aesthetically pleasing interior – with large black and white floor tiles, a large table at the entrance displaying all the baked treats in large glass belldomes, decorated with ribbons, a Dutch Tord and Boontjie papercut curtain, French background music, and a display of gifts of crockery, preserves, teapots etc\u00a0for sale.\u00a0 Beautiful photographs of cutlery decorate the wall.<\/p>\n

Attention to detail is immediately noticeable – the chairs outside all have blankets on them, not only for warmth but also to add a touch of colour on the white chairs.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0The crockery used is beautiful and precious, and one wonders how it stays whole without being chipped!\u00a0\u00a0 A ‘jammerlappie’ (moist cloth) accompanies the meal, presented on a beautiful plate.<\/p>\n

Owner Serita Landman was out of town, but her Assistant Manager Lee Robertson was a most delightful and passionate representative, in supplying information, and even e-mailing a photograph whilst the writer was still in the restaurant.\u00a0\u00a0 The restaurant opened a year ago, but has only recently begun to make itself known.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Mrs Landman\u00a0is a passionate French food lover, says Lee, and loves cooking a la francais.<\/p>\n

The menu has some French dishes, such as coq au vin, but this dish has already been discontinued, as it has not sold well.\u00a0 Instead it is the salads and burgers that are the most popular amongst the clients who are mainly from the Welgemoed neighbourhood, says a waitress.\u00a0\u00a0 Unfortunately the blackboard with the specials, referred to on the website, was not offered.<\/p>\n

Breakfast can be eaten all day long, and the menu includes salads, pasta dishes,\u00a0and light dishes such as moussaka, boerewors, and herb-fried calamari with remoulade sauce, at around R 60.\u00a0 The menu has very feminine feel, created by the typeface, and the soft pink and blue used on\u00a0its two sides.\u00a0\u00a0Desserts are the cupcakes, and cakes, and include Chocolate tiramisu, Pecan Nut cheesecake, New York cheesecake, Carrot cake, and a Lemon Meringue, as well as a Granadilla Meringue.\u00a0The menu reflects the positioning of the restaurant: “We like simple food, prepared with thought, love and care”.\u00a0\u00a0 This is not something one often sees communicated, and accurately summmarises\u00a0what the restaurant is about.<\/p>\n

All cakes and cupcakes are baked\u00a0at the restaurant, and increasingly the services of the restaurant are being called\u00a0upon for functions in the restaurant,\u00a0and for outside-catering.<\/p>\n

Lee\u00a0talked about the “motherly” role that Mrs Landman plays towards her staff, and how happy she is to work at Cafe’ Delicieux, as are her colleagues.\u00a0 Staff turnover is low.\u00a0\u00a0 All the staff smile, and look really happy,\u00a0Lee being the prime example of a dedicated and loyal staff member, saying that she is at her most happy here, of all the restaurants she has worked at, feeling part of “the family”.\u00a0\u00a0 She adds that their patrons enjoy the warmth, welcome and comfortable ambiance of the restaurant.<\/p>\n

The salad accompanying the moussaka was tasty, with a special dressing.\u00a0 Tomatoes had been cut in half, and cooked for a while, an unusual salad ingredient.\u00a0\u00a0 The onions in the salad were a hindrance, not to everyone’s taste.<\/p>\n

At all times the staff came by regularly, to check that all was in order.\u00a0\u00a0 Take-away boxes are beautifully decorated with ribbons, making one feel that one is taking home a special gift.<\/p>\n

On\u00a06 October\u00a0Marlene van der Westhuizen, who lives in Cape Town and in the Provence, from where she offers cookery classes, will be featured at an evening function.\u00a0\u00a0On 7 November\u00a0Danielle Pascal will perform at Cafe’ Delicieux.\u00a0\u00a0 The restaurant is open from 7h15 on Mondays – Fridays, and closes at 18h00 on these days.\u00a0 On Saturdays it opens at 8h30, and closes at 15h00, and on Sundays it opens at 9h00 and closes at 14h00.<\/p>\n

Cafe’ Delicieux is located next to Woolworths, Shop 6,\u00a0in the The Forum shopping centre below the Engen petrol station, on the corner of Jip de\u00a0Jager and Kommissaris Streets\u00a0in Welgemoed.\u00a0\u00a0 Tel\u00a0021 913 0153.\u00a0 www.cafedelicieux.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A little French haven in the northern suburbs is Cafe’ Delicieux (a francophile would miss the accent on the first e of Delicieux), a daytime restaurant which is open seven days a week.\u00a0\u00a0 Whilst it encapsulates a French feel, its\u00a0menu has little French food in it. It is decorated beautifully, in a French blue, with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124],"tags":[2272,32366,32378,2280,2276,2277,2275,2274,1460,2279,252,2273,2278,32373],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t