I was so lucky to hang out there this week… asked lots of questions, took lot’s of pix, drank lots of wine, ate real good food… you gotta check it out, it’s a real HOTSPOT. x Oh happy days… (an article will be up soon by an awesome new colleague.. keep checking on capetownmagazine.com)
Update: click here for an article about Luke Dale Robert’s Test Kitchen
Eat, drink + work at the Field Office
Creative Cape Town, this is for you!
My husband is working for himself. Oh how he digs it. He works when he’s creative, has flexible times, goes skating inbetween, then back to the desk. Life is a jol. But sometimes he gets lonely, wants people around him or just a different wallpaper. Look what I found and where he’s to find now at least once a week: at the Field Office. A cool space, cool people, cool art and amazing coffee! Plus, the Field Office is close to our house and only a skate-minute away. Situated on the corner of Barrack Street and Harrington Street, there’s nothing like this close by. “We wanted to inject some life in this part of town” says Luke, one of the owners.
It is light, it is young, everyone her works on a Mac, you see simple designs, fresh flowers, always (!!) good music, you get your coffee served in vintage cups, free wifi. It is a space where I would like to work. It feels creative. “It is well received by the people around us, we have a lot of returning customers”, says manager Will. Now he is a character. With his afro and humour, he’s not only “the funniest person I know” after Luke, but a guy that seems to be at the right place.
Also, on one of the big white walls you find designs and art by local creatives. “We’ve teamed up with Creative Cape Town to raise awareness for the 2014 World Design Capital bid which aims to promote design as a tool for social, cultural & economic change.”
Will is fully implemented, the Field Office sells ‘Will’s famous sandwiches’ for max. R25, besides this also croissants, pastries, cakes, Danishes, muesli, toast etc. And again, they serve coffee from Deluxe Coffeeworks. Yeah, the good stuff is spreading out like nuts. I like it! A real good cup of coffee only costs 10 bucks. I’m a bit worried that they don’t make enough money with a bunch of coffee-trinking people that stay for a few hours. But then I get to know the full concept. “Almost everything here is for sale.” tells me Will. Design magazines out of Africa, Chapel Bags (made by Luke’s brother), bicycles… “It’s a little bit of an pop-up-shop” says Will. But you know what it really is: it is a show room for Pedersen + Lennard (Luke Pedersen and James Lennard) design collaboration. I sit on a Ingvar Dining Chair (R1200) and the Ingvar Cafe Table (R1600), with my eye being stuck on the beautiful bucket stool (R950). The steel bucket lights over me cost R1200.
“We are a design company focused on quality products, innovative design and a simple aesthetic. Our fabrication process is a combination of hand-made and machine-made elements which all come together in our Salt River workshop. While working on a variety of projects for home, office and hotel we develop our own range reflecting our fascination with South African craft and the clean aesthetic of our Scandinavian forefathers.”
Here at the Field Office, people can engage with the furniture, sit on it, check it out. “We want people to hang out here a little longer.” Furniture is the core business. “We needed a showroom but also wanted people to get in touch with it and feel it. It’s a new experience for us to run a coffeeshop. It’s fun. Connect.”
by Antonia Heil
Field Office Corner Harrington + Barrack Street | Gardens | Cape Town | 021-4614599
Opening hours: 7am – 4pm Monday to Friday
More on the furniture here.
pix taken by Des
For you, bru!
Brew Mobile Coffee at the V&A Waterfront
When an idea comes to life, it’s good. When an idea becomes reality, it is even better. Lara Morrison and Sandi Bellairs had the idea for a mobile coffeeshop. A coffeeshop that can be put anywhere: for fairs, events, you name it. But you have to start it somewhere. Opened in December 2010, Brew Mobile Coffee is the new coffee-to-go-station at the V&A Waterfront, at the groundfloor of the Clock Tower to be exact.
Lara Morrison is the business-side of Brew, Sandi is the foodie. Every morning you find her here and you can have a chat with the owner. Sandi is a qualified chef and has worked over 10 years in restaurants and in the catering business. The Brew-team is small and already like a family. Barista Webster is good at flirting, he’s doing the right job.
“The guys from Deluxe Coffeeworks advised us and helped us to set things up. We love their coffee. They’re coffee-scientists.” says Sandi. “We wanted to be slightly South African. South Africans call each other ‘bru’. We like it and played with it, calling our little coffeeshop ‘brew’. Coffee is brew.” Bru and brew go hand in hand. “When we answer the phone, we say ‘Hi Brew’.
Besides delicious coffee you also get little snacks like designer cupcakes from Denise’s Delights in Sea Point: bar one cupcake, lemon meringue cupcake, cheescake (all R16), muffins and for the savoury brus, every day fresh gourmet rolls with a vegetarian or meat filling (roast beef with caramalized onions, chicken mayo etc.) for R18 – R24.
Coffeeprices are priced average for Cape Town, you get an espresso for R10, a cappuccino for R15. The offices around the Clock Tower support the Brew Mobile coffeeshop since Capetonians appreciate a good quality cuppa coffee. Robben Island daytrippers also come around and get their brew in biodegradable cups made out of cornstarch.
A good idea that became reality, I say. But remember, the idea is: brew mobile coffee shops can be put anywhere. This one is the flagship, but only the beginning!
by Antonia Heil
Brew Ground Floor Clock Tower V&A Waterfront | 073 929 6894
Opening hours: daily from 7am to 8pm
more pix here
All right… I’m not a big Valentines Day fan… but love is worth celebrating… and my job gets me to do lovely things like the below. Enjoy!
I re-did the piece for 2012. Have a look here.
All you need is love
… and a few restaurant ideas to make your Valentine happy!
All right, it’s Valentine’s Day again. Yes, it is over-commercialized but it’s wise not to ignore it as your girlfriend would not be too impressed. It’s up to you to find the right restaurant in Cape Town to enjoy Valentine’s Day on 14th February! Love and life is always worth celebrating! We give you ♥-insights on favourite, or maybe forgotten, romantic spots!
♥ Coffee: Celebrate your love with an inspiring cup of coffee @
Truth Coffee – if you’re a single girl a flirt with the baristas is always reassuring.
Deluxe Coffeeworks – R10 per cup and always good. Ask them to pour you a heart.
Field Office – love working with your laptop and a cup of brown brew.
Yourstruly – ask Daniel for advice on how to get your lovelife back on track.
Origin – go back to Cape Town’s coffee roots.
Cook Shop – eat love-food with your cuppa.
Espresso Lab Microroasters – love the old Biscuit Mill with love-juice called coffee.
♥ Breakkie: Start off Valentine’s Day with a lovely breakfast @
Oishii – healthy and intriguing at the top off Kloof Street.
Café Mozart – with Madame Zingara’s love and magic, your gal will love the decor, we promise!
Foodbarn Deli – enjoy the drive to Noordhoek via Chappies and your little ones will love this place too.
Sidewalk Café – the Cape Town wind feels lovely whilst enjoying a filled croissant.
Arnolds on Kloof Street – your purse will love it and a happy atmosphere is always guaranteed.
River Garden Deli at Lourensford – head out to the Winelands to start the love-day.
♥ Lunch: meet your honey for a lunchbreak of love @
The Kitchen – oh, there’s so much love at this place… great to come here as a single, too.
Royal Eatery – “a burger for my lady, please”. Your arty girlfriend will love this place!
Millstone – a lunch at the Oude Molen Eco village is a very natural thing – for your organic gal!
Maremoto – this fairly new Mediterranean delight is well decorated and their food is delicious.
Superette – the lunch place to look cool with the cool cats. Also, you can buy the even cooler furniture you sit on.
♥ Sweet treats: For your cupcake @
Bread, Milk & Honey – best cheesecake in town for your sweet tooth.
Hmmmh Tastes and Flavours – enjoy yummy brownies and watch the love of the staff.
Charly’s bakery – no doubt this is a ♥-place.
The Queen of Tarts – impress your Madame with Parisian flair.
♥ Foreign love @
Mint & Bombay Brasserie – 5star Indian food and spicy curries will spice up your night at the Taj Hotel.
Fat Cactus – such an institution in Cape Town when talking Mexican food & Chilli Poppers.
Nobu – there’s no need to add anything but the name. Nobu is simply the best sushi restaurant in the world.
Chef Pons – the authentic Chinese restaurant is a favourite amongst local celebrities and South African Politicians. Show your girl you know the Chinese (restaurant) politics.
♥ Fine Dining @
Planet Restaurant – brand new and a special experience at the famous Mount Nelson Hotel. Constantia Uitsig Restaurants – classic fine dining, set in nature’s beauty La Colombe is considered South Africa’s best restaurant.
Waterkloof – French fine dining within vineyards flanked by an unforgettable view.
Five Flies – fine dining in the centre of town.
Roundhouse – where Prince William would take his Kate
Aubergine – secretely known as Cape Town’s best restaurant this establishment is consistent.
Savoy Cabbage – feel like you’re in historic London whilst experiencing unusual flavours.
♥ Tapas
Fork – love only needs a fork so feed your lover little bites.
French Toast – the name says it all. Dreaming of a French lover? Maybe you’ll find him on Bree Street.
Buena Vista Scoal Café – love, good food and good music go hand in hand.
La Boheme – good value for money in a happy atmosphere before a romantic walk on the Sea Point promenade.
♥ Seafood and the sea @
On the rocks – located on the water’s edge in Blouberg with an amazing Table Mountain view.
Ocean Basket – the Sea Point Ocean Basket offers excellent service, a happy vibe and prices are always reasonable.
Ons Huisie – a very old Afrikaans seafood restaurant in Blouberg. Baie goed.
Olympia Café in Kalk Bay – the cosy atmosphere will grab your attention.
Polana in Kalk Bay – the waves are crashing against the glass wall whilst you whisper in her ear to tell her that she is using the right fishing rod.
♥ City is calling you @
Bizerca – eat down to earth in a vibrant and buzzing bistro.
Bombay Bicycle Club – Show your rock-and-roll bride what a good chocolate chilli steak is.
Brio – enjoy a live band (plus the owner) on stage whilst sipping cocktails and dining traditional.
Carne SA – Milanese cuisine in preparation for your Italy-love-trip.
♥ Drinks: yes, you have to cheers on the everlasting love @
Planet Bar – makes for an elegant Valentine’s night out! Champagne and oysters, please!
Blue Peter – he and she will like it.. beer, beach and a view, what more do you want?
&Union – give me German beer, that’s all I need! You’ll get it here.
Rafiki’s – lot’s of alc for you, your gal and your single friends.
Friends, I know… most guys hate Valentine’s Day. But guys also like to eat, so enjoy the lurve day… and find most of the restaurants and places mentioned in our Eating Out section.
by Antonia Heil who is deeply in love with her husband Des
pic by k-tizzle
A good choice when you’re looking for an extravagant restaurant atmosphere
It’s an attraction. It’s a little circus. It’s not only for gypsies. It’s a Cape Town institution. It’s the Bombay Bicycle Club.
This is where I take friends when they come to Cape Town for the first time. Something a little crazy usually works and it’s always a night to remember. ‘Remember when we wore the hats? Remember when I fell off the swing?’ Yes, I do!
I don’t come here for the extraordinary good food, it’s all right, yeah, but I come here for the vibe, for the experience. Being at the Bombay Bicycle Club is a good reminder to not take life too serious and that life’s a party. The Bombay Bicycle Club is a party. People eat lot’s and drink even more. The waiters are in a party mood, dressed up and sometimes have a bite of your meal. It’s a place of friends for friends, a proud love-and-magic-product of Madame Zingara. The decor is a dreamworld. It’s crazy with everything you can find and imagine: a few antics, a bit of Chinese everything, glitter, toys, too many frames, instruments – can you imagine?
For starters I usually go for the deep fried haloumi cheese (yummy!), for mains for the famous chocolate chilli steak I know from the Theatre of Dreams. The steak is always a highlight and always I feel like having a little more. There are always specials as well as a menu including vegetarian-meals, pastas, risotto, steaks and more for reasonable prices.
Next to the food, a good selection of drinks can and will be served. This is a place where you should get a littel tipsy. Be a tipsy gypsy since “everything is possible” as they say. “You are encouraged to let your hair down and expected to stay up way past your bed time.”
“In all truth the Bombay Bicycle Club was created to teach us all ways towards peace.”
Check it out, peace out.
by Antonia Heil
Bombay Bicycle Club | 158 Kloof Street | Gardens | Cape Town | Tel. 021 423 6805
Opening hours 6pm until very late
Grandiose Cape Town Hotel boasts with a noble Champagne and Cocktail Bar
The Mount Nelson has a strong reputation in Cape Town. It’s a place where the rich and famous get together; or the so-called wannabees. The Mount Nelson Hotel is Cape Town’s most famous hotel and has it’s charm and magic. With being older than a century, it is a Grande Madame. Let’s get to know her a little – with a drink or two at the Nellie’s upmarket Planet Bar.
I open the menu at the Planet Bar and read “According to Christie’s World Encyclopaedia of Champagnes & Sparkling wines by Tom Stevenson, there are 250 million bubbles in an average bottle of Champagne.” 250 million, a number that is out of reach, though a good intro. Planets are also out of reach, not the Planet Bar though, it only wants to be out of this world. Plus, I read that the original Champagne coupe (or saucer-shaped glass) was fashioned by a porcelain maker in Sevres, France, from a mould made off Marie Antoinette’s breast. She would love this place.
It’s not as spacy as it’s name, it’s more classic with leftovers of colonial elegance with a little bit of a planet theme. It’s not about astrology, but here you can reach the stars. Float in other spheres while having a cocktail (or two) and watching the solar sytem-model hanging down the ceiling. Some say it has a feel of sexy luxury and timeless elegance. I immediately fall in love with the bar chairs as well as the pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn on the walls. Mirrors, black-and-white tiled floors, golden curtains, stucco, couches and elegant upholstered seats, the Planet Bar is sexy indeed. It is exclusive though approachable. It is in the centre of a cosmopolitan city, it reflects it’s urban chic and is purely a fashion statement. A little bit of vintage, a little bit of contemporary.
Yes, the Planet Bar is a place for Capetonian richies and wealthy tourists, but it’s comfortable. Here, you can, when you’re lucky, spot celebrities or just feel like one of them.
“I get no kick from champagne. Mere alcohol doesn’t thrill me at all, So tell me why it should be true, that I get a kick out of you?“
That’s what Cole Porter, an American composer and songwriter sang, known for his clever rhymes. So, it can’t just be the massive champagne selection Planet Bar, Cape Town’s first champagne bar, offers, but the whole thing.
First of all: What a selection. A variety of French Champagnes (R750-R7995 a bottle), Sparkling Wines (R150–R740 a bottle), an international selection of Red and White Wines, Rosé Wines from our so loved winelands (R105-R330), also by the glass …. and cocktails! “The long and the short, the classics, some with a twist and several special creations dreamt up by the Planet mixologist to get your mojo risin”. Cocktails are priced between R40 and R100, with an average of R45 pretty affordable. There are also non alcoholic cocktails (R35), soft drinks, beers and ciders, aperitifs and spirits, coffees, hot chocolates and cigars on offer.
I’ll go for the Planet Passion (R45), Planet Bar’s signature mix of Stolichnaya raspberry vodka combined with fresh passion fruit purée, charged with Pierre Jourdan Cuvée Brut and crowned with Chambord black raspberry liqueur. It looks simple, but yes, it’s worth a try. My second cocktail is the Peppered Pineapple Mojito (R45), a cocktail the Planet Bar is known for: “Just when you thought the Mojito couldn’t get any more tantalising! Fresh lime muddled with pineapple syrup and shaken hard with Havana Club Anejo Especial, fresh mint, pineapple juice and cracked black pepper; strained over crushed ice and served with a dark rum float.” One cocktail I have at the eye-catching bar with all these bottles in front of a mirror – number two in one of those cosy couches with chandeliers over me. Something I have to mention: the snacks on the side are divine: honey coated cashew nuts with raisins plus biltong teastraws (biltong on thin pastry). The bar also offers a light menu including oysters and canapés.
Inside planets, outside African sky
On hot summer days, the bar will be a nicely cooled down place, but sitting on the terrace, overlooking the perfectly manicured garden of the Mount Nelson Hotel is the better choice: here you can watch the real and overwhelming African sky and slurp on your cocktail. When it gets chilly, for winter and the real bar feeling, sit inside, have a chat with the well trained bartenders and sit next to the fireplace, enjoying a classy atmosphere.
Enjoy the elegance, the style and the vibe and move on to the Planet Bar’s brother, the Planet Restaurant, to keep on gazing…
by Antonia Heil
—
Read more about the Planet Restaurant at the Mount Nelson Hotel.
More images of the Planet Bar here
Sooo lucky… yesterday, we finally got a table at the Bombay Bicycle Club in Cape Town. I had the chocolate chilli steak and lot’s of fun… it’s definitely worth a magic visit! Book here.
pic by lookandsee
My friend Nic introduced me to Oishii in Kloof Street Cape Town (c/o Kloof & de Lorentz Streets)… a new little eatery: a place to eat, relax, shop… owned by designer of pure solid (a shop is also right next door). it’s lovely and worth it checking out! Happy week!
more on Oishii here
Cape Town is pumping, summer is here and I write like a maddo and loving it! This is also a new favourite, honestly worth to check out! Enjoy my little piece…
[Gallery not found]
A lovely refurbished day-time restaurant next to the antique market in Church Street
‘She’ is everywhere in Cape Town. She, meaning the mysterious Madama Zingara. She is taking over our foodie city not as a chain restauarant but as a series of individual and cosy little spots where people can feel the love and, of course, magic. Her new baby Cafe Mozart re-opened in September 2010 and after some love-renovations and dreamful decorations in the antique corner of Church Street tourists and locals are sure to return to this magical space.
Café Mozart has been around for more than 35 years with different owners and in the old days one could listen to live classical music. The vibe of it’s dreamy interior and staff is love, nostalgia, different times and cultures all coming together. Beautiful antique cups hang from the ceiling and the Maneki Neko Cat with the moving arm peers down from the shelf. God Ganesh… you are free to think what you want with Madame Zingara’s prescence all around you.
An essence of love and magic
The Bombay Bicycle Club, the Sidewalk Café, Café Mozart and new addition Café Paradiso are all from one magic family of which Peta is a part of. Peta moved from the Sidewalk Café to manage Café Mozart and says “We aim to provide a sense of welcome, a home away from home and an essence of love and magic. We revamped what was and want to take Mozart back to what it was. We kept a lot of the old staff and we want people to appreciate the space.”
Food is one of the best reasons to visit with breakfast served till 12 including yummy omelettes, French Toast with halloumi, Pancake Steak, Muesli and many more options ranging between R20 and R48. Gourmet Sandwiches are filled with meat and vegetarian delights like the Open Bobotie Sandwich on whole wheat molasses bread or Roast Vegetables, mozarella and pesto (R30 – R45). Expect warm toasty options like sausage, egg and tomato served with salad (R26 – R31).
Mozart Royale is highly recommended
I’m at Café Mozart for lunch and highly recommend the Mozart Royale Burger. “The chef is an artist” says our lovely waitress and it certainly looks like a piece of art served on a long white rectangular plate, the burger on one side, the artistic mix of sauces on the other with some super crispy fries to boot. I will certainly return for the Mozart Royale which is a feast for the eyes and super yummy.
Other lunch options include a buffet that changes daily, which I also have a nibble on, and lovely salads with seeds and different tastes (a regular plate costs R40). A board is inscribed with a choice of soups, salads, a mussel pot, fish and chips, Bobotie, pies, quiche, Schnitzel and aged sirloin at affordable prices. Plus, if there’s still space in your stomach, have a slice of lemon meringue pie, scones, brownies or another yummy desert.
This place is delicious, inside and outside, for the eyes and for the soul. Enjoy.
By Antonia Heil
PS: You can chill out and work here with free Wifi! Bargain! Plus you can enjoy the yummy delicacies as take aways. There is also a private dining room upstairs with a 12-seater table and a comfortable seating area which is ideal for meetings or functions.
Café Mozart
37 Church street | City Centre | Cape Town | +27 (0) 21 424 3774
Opening hours: Monday-Friday: 7am – 4.30pm, Saturday: 8am – 3.30pm, closed on Sundays
.. is my new FAVOURITE place on Long Street. Of course, I had to write about it for capetownmagazine.com. Things like this… people have to know about! Have a lekker start into this week! x
Capetonian Daniel Holland offers a cool day time lunch and lifestyle cafe on Long Street
“Hey, why aren’t you stopping in?” Daniel Holland shouts at a friend passing by his café on Long Street.
“I’ll be back just now,” she says looking up at YOURSTRULY, a welcome addition to Long Street’s eclectic offering. Something not too expensive, where the locals can have lunch and come back for more. YOURSTRULY is the new cool day time spot on Cape Town’s buzzing Long Street.
Daniel Holland opened YOURSTRULY at the beginning of November 2010: “This is lifestyle. A spot to chill, chat, network, this needs to grow in Cape Town.”
With its fresh atmonsphere YOURSTRULY has a bit of a Superette-feel (still my favourite spot in Woodstock) with it’s Bashews-boxes etc. It also has a healthy aspect with the yummy sandwiches and an arty slant with local artists exhibiting on the walls of the café. The focus is on sandwiches and coffees; Deluxe coffee of course: “I support as many entrepreneurs as possible and try to keep it in the community where I get my fruit and veggies from.”
‘Every day is different‘
Daniel Holland studied textile design and worked at Mr. Pickwicks while studying: “I am a people’s person,” he says and loved the ever changing environment while working as a waiter, “Every day is different, everyday you meet different people.”
“How are you?” he shouts at someone passing by while we chat. And it really seems like he knows everyone that passes by. I watch him as he chats to some guys that just arrived from Canada to check out Cape Town; he’s behind the counter, on his skateboard, on Long Street… he enjoys what he’s doing.
Sitting in front of the PC from nine to five was not doing it for him: “I worked as a graphic designer. It was boring. Life was going by and there was no room for growth. How can you stay creative with being in the office all day? With my salary I would have never been able to support a family or buy a house.”
‘Time to follow the dream’
When Daniel decided to take the plunge and start his own business at the beginning of 2010, he was single, independent and free of any big responsibilities. After checking out several places and many doors closing in his face, he was disheartened, but also learned from his mistakes.
“There are a lot of things that lie beneath the surface,” Daniel says with a smile, because now he has succeeded. He borrowed money, took a loan, had a business plan and very supportive parents and things all started coming together two months before the opening of YOURSTRULY on Long Street.
It happened as planned and it seems to be going well: „Everything here is made in front of you, a very simple concept. There was a gap in the Long Street market.” Here, creative people come together. With YOURSTRULY, Daniel wants to create an ever changing place.
Daniel’s inspiration for the name of his Long Street coffee shop were personal letters signed off with ‘Yours truly’. Sweet, I think, the slogan says ‘Same time tomorrow’ and I will so come back. Thanks Daniel!
by yours truly, Antonia Heil
YOURSTRULY
175 Long Street | Cape Town
Open: Monday – Friday 7am – 5pm; Saturdays 9am – 2pm
Prices: coffees between R12 and R17; sandwiches between R24 and R34
(soon they will also offer smoothies and wraps)
![[Gallery not found]](http://suessigkeiten.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/dsc_8105.jpg){kind=link}