Leanne's Seaview Home

Many thanks to Leanne for hosting the Coffee Crawlers when Lou and I returned from the States with Jeff, Liz, and their friend, Chris. 

We arrived in PE on the night of May 16th with the Coffee Crawl being the first order of business early on the 17th.  Needless to say, the coffee and various cakes provided a much needed jump start to the jet-lagged day. 



Hostess Leanne and a very jet-lagged Chris




Jeff, Liz, and Chris enjoying the puddings







Keith, Jeff, and Chris male bonding

 

Gail, Keith, Colleen, Liz, Margaret, Jeff, Chris, Beth, Leanne,
Fran, June, and Beryl

Enjoying the ocean view from Leanne's back porch

Yummmmm

Still on vacation for the next few weeks, Coffee Crawls will continue in mid-June!

Until then,
Ellen





Brioche

The newest coffee shop in PE barely eked out three full business days before the Coffee Crawlers descended upon it for Thursday's Crawl.  Brioche, located at 181 Main Rd. in Walmer, opened its doors to the public late Monday morning, April 23.  By Tuesday the Crawlers ditched the original plan for Thursday's Crawl and decided, instead, to venture into Walmer to check out Brioche.
With the shop being brand new there were still supplies being delivered and stacked against the walls.  Once everything is in its place owner Ilse Cole wants Brioche to have a "fresh and  airy" atmosphere.  She is also planning to go all natural in her menu and baked goods.  Artisan breads will be the shop's specialty.

Meet the Owner
Ilse Cole

In my conversation with Ilse she said coffee is in her blood.  She was destined to own a coffee shop as she used to drink coffee from her bottle as a child, and has been mildly addicted ever since!  Ilse also provided me with some history on the house in which Brioche is situated.  It was built in 1884..... the original deed is framed and hanging on the wall in the shop.  I especially liked the original hardwood floor.... a beautiful contrast with the white furnishings. 

Brioche is much larger than it appears from the outside.  There is plenty of room for seating 70 people.  Most patrons will get a nice view of the house's lawn and garden in the back while they enjoy breakfast or lunch.  The shop's hours are Mon-Fri, 7:15-4:00 and Sat, 8-3.

This Week's Crawlers
Beryl, Margaret, Anne Marie, Nomusa, Leanne, Keith, Fran,
Beth, Pat, June, Stella, Amanda, Gail
not pictured: Colleen, Vicki

Nomusa and Leanne enjoying the chocolate croissants

 When the Coffee Crawl started over a year ago it was just a few of us taking a table for four or sometimes even six.  In the past six months we've been averaging twelve to fifteen Crawlers every week ... enough so that the coffee shop staff has to push numerous table together to accommodate us.  Thursday was no exception as fifteen Crawlers, Gail Darne, Amanda Visser, Stella and Beryl Dawson, June Nash, Beth Vieira, Pat Callaghan, Fran and Keith de Beer, Nomusa Nkomo, Anne Marie Rankin, Margaret Zoetmulder, Leanne Waller, Colleen Le Roux, and Vicki Minnaar, joined me for some Illy brand coffee. (A special welcome to first time Crawlers Pat and Anne)  A group of Crawlers at one end opf the table watched pastry chef Max as he whipped up a batch of chocolate croissants.  As soon as Max took them out of the oven the croissants were devoured by everyone at the table.  Baristas David and Innocent along with waitstaff members Celestine and Gerald kept the coffee coming as Max put in another batch of croissants.  For a brand new coffee shop the whole staff worked like a well oiled machine.  Kudos to all!

Meet the Baristas
David and Innocent

Meet the Pastry Chef
Max

Brioche staff members
Gerald and Celestine

So, as I sat enjoying my cappuccinos and croissants I picked up on a few conversations at the table.  PE is the site of Ironman South Africa which, this year, was held on April 22.  We talked about how horrific the winds were the day of the triathlon and how beautiful the weather was for Ironkids which was held the day before.  Leanne's son, Daniel, participated in the Ironkids event ... well done, Daniel!
Another topic of conversation was spurred on by some interesting artwork on the wall near our table.  After some discussion about drawing and painting the general belief among the Crawlers was that anyone can draw... they would quickly change their minds if they saw any of my artistic attempts.

A note to PE Coffee Crawl readers/followers... I will be traveling to the U.S. soon and will return to SA in a few weeks with Jeff, Liz, and their friend, Chris.  We will then be touring around SA, Namibia and Botswana for a few weeks.  Hence, I will be out of official Coffee Crawl mode for a while but plan to post some coffee pics occasionally when the spirit moves me.

~Thank You and Good Luck to Ilse
~Thank you to the Broiche staff
~Congrats to Jeff (GA Tech) and Liz (American Univ) who will be graduating soon!

Lots of Crawler birthdays coming up....
Happy Birthday to:
Gail Darne - May 15
Les Baldwin - May 22
Nomusa Nkomo - May 23
Keith de Beer - May 27
June Nash - June 20

Until next time,

Ellen

Starburst

Are there really that many coffee shops in PE?!?  I'm hearing this question from PE residents and coffee shop owners more and more as the number of shops we have visited continues to climb.  The PE Coffee Crawl hit #60 last Thursday with our trek to Starburst, located at 50 Westbourne Rd. in Mount Croix.  Suffice it to say that the Starburst Fan Club increased in membership by thirteen on Crawl Day.  We all just loved this coffee shop that opened for business only one year ago.

Meet the Owner
Werner Lourens

We started eating even before the pic was taken!

Starburst owner Werner Lourens started off a number of years ago as a wedding cake specialist and chocolatier.  Word on the street is that his cakes are the best in town.  Well, his business grew until, luckily for PE, he decided to open a full-fledged coffee shop/deli as well.  Let's see.... what can I say about Starburst? ......  Excellent, excellent, excellent Italian imported Pascucci coffee, outrageously delicious cakes/brownies/waffles, unique menu, fun art deco decor, and an engaging staff.  Does it sound like I am campaigning for President of the aforementioned Fan Club?



Meet the Barista
Roan



Along with being "Home of the Original Brussels Waffle," Starburst's chalkboard menu boasts a variety of breakfasts, lunches, cakes/desserts, and homemade ice cream and gelato.  Werner is a self-taught chef.  I sampled his brownies, hot custard danish, Greek Chocolate Cake, and the carmelized roasted nut ice cream (served in very cool ice bowls) and have to say that Werner is a very good teacher/student!  I'm looking forward to returning at some point to try the pizza baked on river pebbles.

Custard Danish

Check out these cool ice bowls!

An interesting item on Starburst's coffee menu is the "Josephine Baker" ... two shots of Pascucci espresso, a chocolate mousse nipple, and a floating Lindt flower.  Thursday's Crawlers, Margaret Zoetmulder, Leanne Waller, June Nash, Gail Darne, Sylvia Mynhardt, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Nomusa Nkomo, Beth Vieira, Fr. Dominic Griego, and Gail and Raymond Griego, enjoyed watching Werner pour this specialty coffee drink at the table, and hearing the story of Josephine Baker, the 1930s celebrity.  Five Crawlers ordered the Josephine Baker; the remaining Crawler's beverages were prepared by Barista Roan.  It was interesting that this week was the first Crawl where no one ordered a cappuccino.  Guess I'll have to order one with my pizza when I return.... what a combo!

Werner pouring the Josephine Bakers



Putting on the finishing touches



The Crawl usually starts around 9:30, with me arriving at around 9:00 to talk to the owner and take some pics.  Starburst's hours atr Mon-Sat, 10-6, so I, along with a few early Crawlers, had some time to kill before the shop opened.  We strolled down Westbourne Rd. to check out the Catwalk Cafe, now under new management since our Crawl visit in December.  The new owner is revamping the shop and is very excited to have the PE Coffee Crawlers re-visit soon to experience the new and improved Catwalk Cafe.  At 10:00 we all returned to Starburst.

This Week's Crawlers
Fr. Dominic, Margaret, Leanne, June, Gail D., Sylvia,
Beryl, Gail G., Stella, Raymond, Nomusa, Beth

In last week's post I mentioned that Isabella's Cafe (Crawl #59) was Fr. Dominic's last Crawl.  Well, I was wrong.  Fr. D, along with his parents who were visiting from Cape Town, decided to pop in for one more cup of coffee with the Crawlers.  Our final send-off conversation with Fr. Dominic wasn't sappy and tear-filled.  We didn't reminisce about good times at the Crawl.  Rather, we got onto the topic of snakes after Leanne regaled us with a story of a snake that her son, Daniel, encountered in their house.  Long story short.... there were some frighteningly tense moments with Daniel vs the snake by himself in the house, and Leanne, who happened to be outside, calling someone to come kill the snake.  In the end Leanne breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the carcass of what Daniel said was a huge snake but what Leanne described as "an earthworm on steroids."  Well, after that story it seemed like everyone had a snake tale of their own including Fr. D's about a puff adder he saw in the church hall recently.  I don't think I'll be staying for tea after Mass on Sunday.  Fr. D.... let's hope they're not showing "Snakes on a Plane" as you jet off to Rome this week!

~Thank you to Werner and Roan.... I'm not kidding about being Pres of your Fan Club!

Until next week,

Ellen

Artwork by Werner

OOPS.......

Isabella's Cafe

Just when I think that we have begun to exhaust the list of coffee shops in PE someone here tells me of brand new ones or of already established ones that I haven't discovered yet.  This continues to be an amazing journey for me! 

So, last Thursday's Crawl took us to yet another newly opened PE coffee shop.  Isabella's Cafe, located in the Emerald Square Shopping Centre on Buffelsfontein Rd. in Mount Pleasant, recently opened its doors on March 8, 2012.  Owner Andre Barnardo, an accountant by trade, decided to step out from behind his accounting books and computer screen to pursue this new business venture.  The shop is a work in progress as Andre makes improvements on the already existing business space, and works on achieving an eclectic decor with vintage and modern furniture and accent pieces.  I especially like the old vinyl albums used as centerpieces on each table.  Along with sprucing up the place Andre has had WiFi and DSTV installed and has added a Kiddie play area.

Meet the Owner
Andre Barnardo

For the time being the cafe's menu includes basic breakfasts and light lunches but Andre says he will continue to tweak it as determined by his clienteles' tastes.  In choosing his coffee supplier Andre feels he couldn't go wrong by going with Masterton's secret blend.  Well that secret blend makes for a good cappuccino and a perfect complement to Andre's homemade Hertzog cookies.  A couple rounds worth of coffee orders provided Barista Natalie with her exercise for the day as Crawlers Beryl and Stella Dawson, June Nash, Fran de Beer, Fr. Dominic Griego, Gail Darne, and Beth Vieira decided to sit upstairs in the loft area of the cafe.  The shop's hours are Mon-Fri, 9-6 and Sat-Sun, 9-3.  Andre will also open for private after-hours functions.

Meet the Barista
Natalie

The discussion on Thursday was spurred on by a quote that Beryl read from a sugar packet on the table..."Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."  Albert Einstein
This quote seem timely in that Fr. Dominic is embarking on a new adventure.  He is moving to Rome soon to further his theological studies.  I believe Isabella's was his last Coffee Crawl.  Fr. D, you will be missed.  I hear there is some awesome espresso to be had in Italy... be sure to send some pics!

This Week's Crawlers
Beryl, June, Fran, Gail, Beth, Stella, Fr. Dominic

The Crawlers then talked about change and how adaptable we humans are when need be.  All this talk reminded me of the poem by Linda Ellis entitled "The Dash."  After telling the Crawlers about it I went home and found a YouTube video of the inspirational author/speaker/poet reading her poem... well worth checking out whether you're familiar with the poem or not... <lindaellis.net>

~Thank you and good luck to Andre!
~Happy Birthday to my daughter-in-law, Maryanne, in Cleveland, TN - April 19
~Happy Birthday to my nephew/godson, David, in Edinboro, PA - April 19
~Happy Birthday to Marie Nash of PE - April 18
~Happy Anniversary to June and Howard Nash - April 17
~Good luck and Happy Trails to Fr. Dominic

Until next week,

Ellen

Toys & Teas

Of the many coffee shops we've visited in PE the ones that stand out in my mind (and end up being on my short list of favorites) are the ones that have cool stories behind them and, as a result, a lot of character.  Our most recent Crawl took us to Toys & Teas, a coffee shop with TONS of character.

Rarely do I call ahead to any of the Crawl sites but last week I did call Yvonne Burger, owner of Toys & Teas, to get the lowdown on what I heard was a toy museum at the shop.  Yes, Toys & Teas is actually a combination Toy Museum and Coffee Shop located at 68 Worraker St. in Newton Park (between 6th and 7th Avenues).  Well, Yvonne said she'd be happy to host our Crawl group and would even give us a half price discount on the usual R10 entry fee to the museum!

Meet the Owner
Yvonne Burger



Outside Patio Seating



When I arrived on Thursday Yvonne greeted me and showed me around her dual purpose place of business.  The breakfast foods being prepared for other patrons smelled so good that I knew I wouldn't get through the Crawl without ordering more than coffee.  Anyway, back to the tour... the coffee shop area seats about 40 people inside and 20 outside in the back patio area.  This outside area also serves as a venue for daytime and evening braai functions/events.  Back inside Yvonne gave me a sneak peak at the toy museum... more on that later.

The decor of Toys & Teas features all types of collectibles from kitchen tins and tools to doll houses, rocking horses and train sets.  Two things that caught my eye were the upright piano in the corner and an old Underwood typewriter.

This Week's Crawlers
Nomusa, Fran, Gail Beryl, Stella, June

The rest of Thursday's Crawlers, June Nash and her grandson, Luke, Nomusa Nkomo, Fran de Beer, Gail Darne, and Stella and Beryl Dawson, arrived and joined me as I continued to take in all that was on display.  We could have spent all day looking around but for the smell of freshly brewing Masterton's coffee.  Now, as the shop's name suggests, the focus is mainly on different types of tea, so the coffee selection on the menu is limited to regular and decaf filter coffee (at R12 for a bottomless cup!!! -- can't beat that!).  Fine by me in that my daily coffee beverage of choice, contrary to what many may believe, is black coffee, no cream, no sugar.  The coffee was excellent and went especially well with the lemon meringue!  Fran and I agreed that Toys & Teas' lemon meringue is the best we've had at any of the coffee shops.  Those Crawlers who indulged in the carrot cake raved over their choice as well.  Along with desserts/cakes Toys & Teas serves full breakfasts and light lunches.  Off-site catering and on-site braais (mentioned earlier) are also available.  The shop's hours are Mon-Fri, 8-4 and Sat, 8-1.

Luke enjoying his Coke float

Meet the Toys & Teas Staff
Blossom, Esther, Gloria

After we all had our fill of coffee/tea/cake the Crawlers set out to explore the Toy Museum whose main door is situated inside the coffee shop.  The museum is full to bursting with every type of collectible toy imaginable.  Yvonne and her husband, Emile, have been working on their collection for 35 years... an amazing array of toy soldiers, miniature cars, dolls, trolls, action figures, way more Smurfs than I ever thought existed, a really cool display of the evolution of kids' size Singer sewing machines (the most recent being the one I had when I was about 8), and much, much, much more!

We spent close to an hour in the museum and then went back into the coffee shop to check out more of the Burgers' extensive collection.  Needless to say, given the wonderful coffee/cake, the relaxed and cozy atmosphere and the incredible Toy Museum, Toys & Teas was a real hit for the PE Coffee Crawlers!

~Thank you to owners, Yvonne and Emile Burger
~Thank you to the Toys & Teas Staff
~A gentle reminder to Jeff and Liz.... DON'T FORGET TO FILE YOUR TAXES!!!!!!!!!

Until next week,

Ellen

Enjoy these pics from the Toy Museum.....




You're way too young to remember this, Gail!



SMURFS!!!!