The Pink Fig

"Everybody knows a little place like Kokomo.  Now, if you want to go to get away from it all, go down to ....." 
Twenty years after this popular Beach Boys song hit the charts, The Pink Fig, a renovated farm house on Heatherbank Rd. in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, opened its doors as a coffee shop / children's play area.  Situated conveniently close to main thoroughfares, shopping centres, petrol stations, schools, and restaurants in town, The Pink Fig has retained a country atmosphere in both its decor and grounds.  A short distance from the shop, horses and cows graze lazily in the African sunshine (well, on Thursday they had to graze in the rain because, you know, it always rains on crawl day!).

The Pink Fig is a great getaway spot right in PE for the young and young-at-heart.  If you have children with you, they can play on the swings and other playground equipment or participate in craft activities at an adjacent shop while you sit outside and enjoy breakfast, a light lunch, or dessert and tea.  When the lkids get hungry there is a special menu for them as well.

No kids?  No problem.  There is plenty of room inside to sit back and relax in this country home setting.  The Pink Fig offers a pensioners' breakfast special Wednesday through Friday and also an All-You-Can-Eat Sunday breakfast buffet that, I hear, is to die for.  Some other menu highlights include a South African Farmer Sandwich (Fran and Keith tell me this is a definite must-try), rooster brood (an SA favorite), the entire dessert and tea cake selection, and a special section of the menu titled, "Pimp Your Garden Salad!" 

The Pink Fig uses Puro Fairtrade Brand for all of its delicious coffee beverages.  All the waitrons on staff are also trained baristas.  A few are registered in an upcoming barista competition in PE.  Good luck to Orlane and Stanley.... we're rooting for you!!!

While giving permission to take pics on Thursday, Manager Brendon Albertze insisted on a whole staff picture because, he says, "We're a team here!"  Well, that team feel was palpable when they all came out for the picture... you can always tell when people enjoy what they are doing...it makes for a very positive experience for the patrons.  So, speaking of patrons, this week's crawlers included Fran and Keith de Beer, Stella and Beryl Dawson, June Nash (welcome back, June!), Beth Vieira, and my son, Jeff.  (Yes, this is why I am late posting again this week...we've been out and about showing Jeff around.  We've been beaching, hiking, canopy zip-lining, and jumping off bridges....well, Jeff and Lou jumped, I just watched!!).

Conversation at the table was all over the place, starting with the "end of the world" which I guess was supposed to happen last week!?!  Better luck next time, Nostradamus!!!  Next, we discussed bad photography which included some visual aids provided by Beth (sorry, those shots didn't make the cut for the blog!).  We then went on to politics, democratic elections, and international affairs.  Obama, Cameron, and the Bushes, Jr. and Sr. all were fair game.  Regardless of our differing opinions, though, we all agreed on one thing...If You Don't Vote, You Can't Complain.  I won't mention any names, but you know who you are...........  : )

During the course of our attempt to fix the world's problem, Brendon offered the crawlers a round of coffees on the house!  That was awesome!!   Thank you, Brendon and staff!!!  A big thank you also goes out to Mother Nature who, by the time our visit was over, decided to spread a little sunshine on PE's version of Kokomo.

Until next week,

Ellen





The Pink Fig Team



Mett the Barista
Orlane Chidiku









This Week's Crawlers

Jeff, Ellen, Keith, Beryl, Fran, June, Stella, Beth



2 for 2



Park Lane Cafe

Did you ever have one of those days when a nice surprise catches you off guard?  Well, this past Sunday, while driving around exploring the Addo Elephant National Park area, Lou and I stumbled upon the Zuurberg section of the park.  We stopped, had a bite to eat, then set out for what we thought would be a quick jaunt around the vicinity.  We ended up on a four hour hike which included river crossings, beautiful scenery, and game sightings (some of which were too close for comfort!).  The nice surprise came, however, toward the end of the hike when Lou's cell phone signaled that he had a new text message.  The message was from our son, Jeff (the "retired barista" Jeff) informing us that he had a few weeks to kill and wanted to come visit us in South Africa!  This adds "spontaneous" to my list of adjectives to describe Jeff.  So, that was Sunday evening....we picked Jeff up at the airport here in PE on Wednesday evening.  Jeff's first order of business, after getting settled in at our house, was to join me Thursday morning for the coffee crawl (despite feeling somewhat jet-lagged after a 30 hour trip...you're the man, Jeff!).

This week's crawl took us to Park Lane Cafe at 7 Park Lane in Central.  I decided to visit this shop because Heather, a PE Coffee Crawl blog reader, suggested it in her comment on Foong's (see comments for April 7 crawl).  I figured Heather must be Park Lane's owner, barista, or a staff member, but it turns out she is just a real fan of the cafe.  That's good news for Grant Houzet.  Obviously, Grant has a loyal fan base after owning the shop for only five months.  He and finacee, Edelweiss van Rensburg, who happens to be Park Lane's chief cook, have done a major renovation of what was previously a curry house.  The place is now a tastefully decorated, three room cafe.  One of the rooms is the perfect setting for small conferences.  I just love the high back leather chairs and very cool coffee pics adorning the walls.  Edelweiss tells me that Park Lane has become a favorite of the staff of nearby St. George's Hospital  as well as some of the local book clubs. 

This week's crawlers, Beth Vieira, Fran and Keith de Beer, Nomusa Nkomo, my son, Jeff, and I enjoyed the Park Lane Cafe so much on Thursday that we all ordered a second round.  Our waitress, Mantho, served us a secret Park Lane Blend coffee, the recipe of which is known only to Grant.  He did, however, divulge that the blend includes 40% of an Ethiopian coffee.  I must say, Grant, that whatever your secret is, you nailed it!!!  Joining us also this week via text messages was June Nash.  She was enjoying a cappuccino in Cape Town at the same time.  She made sure to mention to us that the weather there was beautiful knowing that it was probably raining in PE.  Of course it was, June...thanks for rubbing it in!

With this being Jeff's first visit to the African continent, the conversation around the table was a crash course in South African culture...languages, rugby, and biltong.  After learning some inappropriate words in Afrikaans, Jeff tried to learn some words in Xhosa.  The Xhosa clicks still elude me, but after a quick lesson form the Park Lane staff, Jeff was catching on to it.  Nomusa also gave him a lesson in her native Zimbabwean language as well.  Jeff''s already somewhat familiar with rugby so that leaves biltong...what?!?
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, biltong is like jerky in the U.S.  (btw, Jeff tried some kudu biltong today-Saturday the 21st, and loved it!)  At the table Jeff and I also toasted to my grandson/Jeff's nephew, Alexander, who turned two years old on Thursday.  Happy Birthday, Alexander!!!!!!!

The "No Food On The Crawl" rule was broken again on Thursday.  Jeff ordered an egg on toast breakfast.  Well, I couldn't have him eating all alone, so I ordered a raisin / coconut muffin.  What a mother will do for her son!  The muffin was excellent... my compliments to the chef.  To top off the morning, Jeff and I stopped by Sweet Somethings, a cupcakery that shares the same address with Park Lane Cafe.  We bought one each of Thursday's cupcake specials.  It's a good thing that Jeff and I went to the gym later in the day.

Lots of thank you's this week-
*Thank you to Park Lane's hospitable owner, Grant, and his fiancee, Edelweiss... you have a great coffee shop!  Best wishes on your new business venture.
*Thank you to Heather for suggesting Park Lane to me
*Thank you to this week's crawlers for making my son feel so welcome
*Thank you to my blog readers for being patient.....

Until next week,

Ellen






Meet the Owner/Barista and the Chef
Grant Houzet and Edelweiss van Rensburg



Our waitress
Mantho







Meet my Son
Jeff



This Week's Crawlers
Keith, Fran, Beth, Jeff, Ellen, Nomusa









Friends and Blends Coffee Bar

To Jackie and Liz who have been waiting with baited breath for this week's blog posting (to all other readers, see Jackie's comment)... I am neither vacationing nor goofing off (but, mind you, Lou and I have been on a perpetual summer vacation here for 10 months!!!).  Regarding the delay, I could use the excuse that I didn't want to send this week's posting on Friday the 13th for fear that the computer would crash.  Or, I could say that this week has been insanely busy (a "fun busy").  Make your choice... in either case, here I am on Saturday at almost 1:00 pm, after just having had breakfast, ready to regale you all with this week's posting.  Here goes.........

Every Thursday morning since I started this blog (14 weeks ago.....how time flies!) I've begun my day by making a pot of coffee and preparing with excited anticipation for what this week's crawl will bring.  This past Thursday, however, I woke with a nagging headache, and also feeling very drowsy.  Perhaps, a late Wednesday night dinner with friends including a few glasses of red wine, a couple of Irish coffees, and a Bailey's nightcap (for good measure) contributed to a less than enthusiastic start to Thursday.  (Do ya think?!?).  A nice creamy cappuccino at the crawl was about the last thing I wanted.  But, the crawl must go on...............  So with camera and notebook in hand I left the house and headed for Friends and Blends Coffee Bar.  Then I remembered that Lou was supposed to (but forgot to) leave the GPS with me because I really didn't know where Friends and Blends was.  I had seen the shop once a number of months ago while driving around lost and trying to find my way home.  At that time I filed the shop's name into my mental Rol-o-dex and have never been able to find it since.  Well, I know PE better now and I had a general idea of which direction to go.  So, despite making a few wrong turns and totally losing my bearings once, I finally made it to my destination in the Walker Drive Centre in Sherwood.  The Sherwood Nursery is close by, and word has it that there is an orchid show there this weekend.  Count me in!!

Friends and Blends has been in operation for six and a half years under the ownership of Charles Muller.  Charles was happy to host Thursday's coffee crawlers, Gail Taverner, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Fran deBeer, Beth Vieira, and June Nash.  Though we all arrived in shifts, our waitress/barista, Chantelle, kept up with our orders quickly and with a smile.  To keep things interesting, Friends and Blends changes the Masterton's blend they use on a daily basis.  On Thursday we enjoyed a nice, strong Sweet Italian Blend.  It was Americanos and Cappuccinos all around except for June who ordered a Red Cappuccino made with rooibos tea, and drizzled with honey.  My cappuccino was excellent but my brain was screaming for a regular black coffee, no sugar, which is what I ordered for a second cup.  It was exactly what I needed for a pick-me-up and, feeling much more chipper, I began to check out the shop.

The sidewalk tables and large doorway leading to the inside give the shop an open, airy feel while still maintaining that nice coffee shop atmosphere.  The display case filled with baked goods was tempting... especially the lemon meringue pie!   I'm sure to stop back there the next time my meringue flops!!!  The menu has something for everyone's tastes, and includes an item quite new to me... a bacon and banana sandwich.  I don't even know what to make of that, but from what I'm told, it's very common here.  I'll have to get brave someday and try it.  Friends and Blends also is hard core into advertising Coca Cola brand products.  You have my vote there...and, yes.......... I've been blind tested and can tell the difference without fail.  I'm sure I'll live to regret just saying that!!!!!  (I saw what you were drinking on Friday night, Keith!!)

Discussion around the table was a debrief of the royal wedding which occurred two weeks ago.  I guess last week we were all in shock over how really bad some of the royal guests looked, Beatrice, that we just skipped over it.  The crawlers were not short on opinioins this week, though, and not one royal was spared...the good, the bad, the ugly.  We were all in agreement, however, that the bride was stunning.

An interesting note-- Some of you regular coffee crawl blog readers may remember Prudie Brown, Fran's sister, who joined us for a few weeks.  Well, she's back home from her visit safe and sound.  She was so inspired by the PE Coffee Crawl that she started up a coffee crawl in her city of residence, Empangeni in Kwazulu-Natal Province.  I'll be sure to get more details but there were twelve in attendance at Wednesday's Empangeni Coffee Crawl.  Very cool, Prudie!  Have fun and keep me posted on your adventures.

A thank you goes out to Charles Muller and staff.....and to my fellow crawlers who had to put up with me not being quite myself for a short while.  I'll keep my Wednesday consumption in check this coming week and will make every attempt to get Thursday's posting up on time, Jackie :) !!!

Until next week,

Ellen



Meet the Owner
Charles Muller





Meet the Barista
Chantelle





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



The Picket Fence Coffee Shop

And the Lucky PE Coffee Crawl Shop # 13  is.................... Teddy Heaven!!!  No, scratch that.  Teddy Heaven is closed for renovations...I guess we'll have to check out those pearly gates at another time. 

June and I stood next to our parked cars and discussed "Plan B."  Fortunately for us Teddy Heaven is on Main Road in Walmer (aka Coffee Shop Row) so we didn't have to look far to find another place for this week's crawl.  We quickly decided on The Picket Fence Coffee Shop directly across the street at 169 Main Road in the Amble Inn Complex.  June made a few phone calls and we hung a really tacky sign on the tree near our cars redirecting crawlers to the venue change.  We then made our way across the the hectic Main Road traffic managing to anger only one motorist on a motorcycle...(I hope his day improved after this). 

Lise Sponneck, owner of The Picket Fence, welcomed us warmly as we chose a table.  There are a number of guest tables in the beautiful garden outside but the aroma coming from inside was irresistible, so inside it was.  It happens that June and Fran recognized Lise from an association she had with their grown children some years back.  It doesn't matter that PE has a population of over a million people, it seems that someone from the crawl always sees someone they know wherever we happen to be.  Anyway, back to the crawl.  In our conversation with Lise she said that she has owned The Picket Fence for 2 1/2 years and that it's in her blood.  Many of her extended family members own coffee shops in PE...(I wonder where they have their family reunions...and, who brings the beverages?).  I got the names of the shops and am sure to visit them all at some point.

The Picket Fence is open every day offering a variety of breakfast and lunch dishes.  They also do a Sunday roast... well, that got me thinking ...hmmm....this Sunday is Mother's Day.  It just so happens that they are having special Sunday roast for the occasion....I made a reservation for noon.  So, to my children, Christopher, Jeff, and Liz, who are all in the States...Dad's got you covered!

Lise has chosen two brands of coffee for use in her shop.  Barista Zoleka whips up regular Americanos, Lattes, and Cappuccinos using Masterton's Blend 81.  For the decaffeinated versions of these she uses a Puro Fairtrade blend.  Being a decaf drinker, my sister, Mary, will be excited to hear about that!

This week's crawlers, June Nash, Beth Vieira, Fran deBeer, and Stella and Beryl Dawson, all found their way to Thursday's "Plan B" shop.  Beth and Fran stuck to their black coffees and everyone else ordered cappuccinos.  It was unanimous that the combination of large cups, low price, and nice hot coffee earned The Picket Fence PE Coffee Crawl's "The Best Coffee Deal In Town" award.  (The chocolate powder sprinkled on the cappuccinos is a great touch, too....chocolate gets a thumbs up from me every time!)

Adjacent to the coffee shop is the Amble Inn, an antique furniture store.  After coffee, Fran and I "ambled in" to see what treasures we could find.  I've been looking for a coffee table (no kidding) to replace the monstrosity now occupying way too much space in our family room here.  Well, no luck with a table but I did find a great chair.  I'm not much into antiques but this chair really caught my eye.  So, Lou, I paid for it and you're picking it up on Saturday.  As I said, kids, Dad's got you covered!  Thanks!!!
Amble Inn had some wonderful things; the other shops in the complex are also worth checking out.  So, stop by The Picket Fence, have breakfast, then make a day of it.

*A belated Happy Cinco de Mayo to Jeff.  For some unknown reason this son of mine has always celebrated this Mexican holiday!?!  Hope you found a good Mex restaurant in Atlanta, Jeff!

*A Happy Mother's Day wish to all of the mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and mothers-to-be out there.  Have a wonderful and relaxing day!!!

*Yes, Lise, I did remove the unsightly paper sign we posted on the tree across the street.  No need to worry about an onslaught of people coming in and asking about your unorthodox advertising methods.

The Picket Fence turned out to truly be the Lucky 13 for the PE Coffee Crawl.  Thank you to Lise and staff!

Until next week,

Ellen



This Week's Crawlers
Beryl, Stella, Fran, Beth, June




Meet the Barista
Zoleka




Meet the Owner
Lise Sponneck