Sitting neatly on top of 27 Boxes is Food.Cuppa. Love. a quaint little cafe specializing in affordable food that tastes just like home.
We managed to have a good chat with the owners, Samm and Errol, who told us all about what they stand for, like sustainable food, a homey atmosphere and decent prices.
Joining us was Connor's parents, Lynn & Richard, his aunt Wendy and cousin Tarryn, who was visiting from the USA.
When we first arrived, the mismatched and eclectic decor caught our eye, as well as the giant hydroponic garden, growing all sorts of herbs and veggies. Samm and Errol were very proud (as they should be) to show off the gardens where majority of what was found on the menu was grown.
To drink, Tarryn grabbed the homemade litchi fruit juice, which was apparently super tasty. Connor grabbed the jug of apple and cranberry iced tea, which was also homemade, and was very flavourful.
The vibe of the entire place was great and showed off a true South African style - warm and friendly. the managers were constantly by us, chatting away merrily. While we understand this may not be to everyone's taste, we found it enduring, and showed the hosts' hospitality.
We found when ordering something to eat, coming earlier may be to your benefit. We had arrived and sat down around 15h00, and were fairly disappointed to find that majority of the things we did want to order ended up being sold out, like the chocolate cake/cake of the day, the Dehli deg and the Gatsby. While we can understand somethings do end up 86'd, this was a little irritating, as our waiter didn't know, but the manager hadn't relayed the message.
We ordered what was available - the bacon pancake stack for Connor, Wendy and Lynn, the chimichurri meatballs for Tarryn and the French Apple cake for me. Richard already grabbed something earlier on in the day.
The bacon flapjacks were yummy, soft and fluffy flapjacks, crispy (or extra crispy, if you're like Connor) bacon and sweet syrup melded deliciously with dollops of mascarpone. This breakfast dish is slowly becoming a core menu item at many restaurants, and Food.Cuppa. Love. managed to pull it off.
The chimichurri meatballs came on a homemade panini roll with saucy chimichurri meatballs and what looked like a block of melted cheese (this isn't a bad thing, just saying).
The roll was nice and crunchy, the meatballs delicious and spicy (but not overwhelmingly so) and the potato wedges cooked well and crispy. Overall, it was a delicious dish. As Wendy had said, it's something you would specifically come back for.
So, I've never been a fan of cooked apples. I know it's not just me, a lot of people shared my sentiments. But after I couldn't order what I had originally wanted (the chocolate cake), the owner told me the French Apple Cake would change my mind, as it does for every person who has the same opinion as me, so I thought I'd give him a chance.
I haven't changed my mind.
Okay, don't get me wrong, the actual cake base is quite good, with nice texture and flavour, but I couldn't get past the mushy apple. I'm sure a lot of people out there (like everyone else at the table) love it, but it just wasn't for me.
Then out came the koesisters. So, a little tidbit for all our friends, there is a difference between a koeksister and a koesister. Popular in Afrikaans households in the koeKsister, a plaited and fried 'doughnut' soaked in a spiced syrup. The Cape Malay variant is the koesister, which is what we recieved at Food.Cuppa. They are round fried 'doughnuts' that are soaked in the spiced syrup and then dredged in desiccated coconut.
Their menu has it wrong, but we'll forgive them for the little typo. They smelled delicious, and all reports accounted for the fluffiness and pure deliciousness these little balls of happiness possessed.
(Editors note: I'm not a fan of koeksisters, and even though these aren't what we know as koeksisters, as mentioned above, but these are truly spectacular. The syrup isn't imposing, and the mixture of the syrup against the potato flour 'doughnut' is out of this world.)
As I'd mentioned earlier, they pride themselves on their reasonable prices, and they are certainly right. They even have bragging rights on the cheapest cappuccino in Melville, and no meal over R75. Our journey wasn't expensive but was delicious. (a great combination, if you ask us)
So we had an interesting trip to Food.Cuppa. but we overall we enjoyed it.
If you find yourself in the area, go and grab yourself a well priced coffee and some koesisters, or even a R25 breakfast.
Stay hungry for adventure, friends.
Steph & Connor
4/5 Koesisters