Cherry Place

I'm starting this week's post with an explanation... I don't know what the problem was with the pics for The Garden Cafe post last week but I just couldn't get them attached to the text.  After a few days of trying I was finally able to get a couple of pics on.  Unfortunately, the garden and group pics still refuse to cooperate.  I'll keep trying.  If I continue to have problems with today's post I may have to enlist the help of Firefly.... again!

So, onto this week's Crawl.  We had a small group this week with Crawlers, Leanne Waller and her son, Daniel (from Kids Who Care Coffee Shop fame!), June Nash, Beth Vieira, and Fran and Keith de Beer, joining me at Cherry Place, 161 Heugh Rd. in Walmer.  We were greeted by two very personable staff members, waiter, Wayne, and barista, Bongi.  Now one of the first things I noticed, as our table was being set, was that with so many cars in the parking lot there were very few people in the cafe.  We found out why shortly after our coffees were served. 



Meet the Manager
Desre Kilian



It turns out that Cherry Place is more a venue for conferences than a coffee shop.  As we were enjoying our very hot, very strong Rio Africa Sumatran coffees, a large conference group entered the shop for their mid-morning break.  We found ourselves sitting amidst a crowd of hungry/thirsty people who had probably been sitting quietly in their meeting for a number of hours.  Needless to say, we felt a bit awkward, but toughed it out.  It was quite hectic and, unfortunately, I had no opportunity to take a group photo.  After the conference group reconvened we all felt the need to depart as well.  Just before I left I spoke with manager, Desre Kilian, who told me that the cafe is open to the public but is not the primary business on the premises.  Cherry Place's main focus is their conference center.  They also provide a venue for private and corporate functions and corporate team building events.  They operate a small guest house on the property as well.  The group of building and businesses is much larger than it appears form Heugh Rd.  As for the coffee shop, they offer a full breakfast/lunch menu but, as Desre said, the cafe is not top priority.  It is used mainly as a lunch and am/pm break area for conference attendees.



Meet the Barista and our Waiter
Bongi and Wayne



Cherry Place, with their beautiful facilities, is definitely worth considering for your next private or corporate event.  However, if you want to chat with friends over coffee there are plenty of other great coffee shops/cafes all over PE.  I'm on #37 and counting...

Given the circumstances, conversation at the table was limited.  We had a brief discussion of Michener's  books including The Covenant which, yes, I am still reading (as of this posting I'm on p. 692 of 1238).  Good luck with it, Fran.  In keeping with the literary theme, we talked about the Shakespeare plays we read in high school.  My favorite to teach when I was in NY was the bloodbath that is Macbeth.  A painting of Cape Recife on the wall turned our conversation to ocean tides.  Everyone seems to have a good high tide story.

Daniel enjoying his bubblegum flavored milkshake!

Keith was unable to share his useless fact with the group but told me as we were leaving that an ostrich's eyeball is the size of a billiard ball and the same size as its brain.  I will refrain from making some smart-ass comment regarding eyeball/brain size, Keith!

Rugby World Cup update - It's France vs. New Zealand in the finals on Sunday.  Looks like rugby fans here are split down the middle with regard to their favorite to win.  I will be cheering for the NZ All Blacks.

Oyster Catcher update - I called Craig Joyce (see The Garden Cafe post) to make a reservation for opening night.  Craig has moved the opening from Tues. to Wednesday (the 26th).  Be sure to change your plans accordingly and hope to see you there.

Thank you to Wayne and Bongi for being so welcoming.

Thank you to Desre for all the info on the Cherry Place businesses. 

Until next week,

Ellen

The Garden Cafe

What's your favorite song?  How about your favorite food?  movie?  book?  These are difficult questions to answer if you have a broad range of interests and tastes.  My answers to the questions above would be: whatever I'm listening to, eating, watching, or reading at the time.  When someone here in PE hears about my Coffee Crawl, one of the first things they ask is which coffee shop has been my favorite.  Yet another difficult question.  Perhaps at one of the Crawls we will generate a favorite to least favorite list.  If we do I'll vote for this week's Crawl site, The Garden Cafe, to be somewhere near the top.






Meet the manager/chef
Craig Joyce

  



























The garden Cafe (previously the Khoi San Restaurant) is located in the Sherwood Garden Centre, 16 Walker Drive in Sherwood.  The shop is being redecorated and the menu revamped by the new owner, Tarryn Kock, and her chef brother, Craig Joyce.  Now what I really like about The Garden Cafe is the relaxed and serene atmosphere.  To get to the coffee shop you first stroll through the beautifully maintained Sherwood Gardens.  The Crawlers have been to some other nursery/garden coffee shops where the plants/trees/shrubs look like they have seen better days.  This is certainly not the case at Sherwood Nursery.  Even though I'm not much for gardening I can appreciate all the work that goes into making these gardens so lush.  The walkways, with benches and interesting fountains, lead patrons to The Garden Cafe entrance.  The spacious cafe seats 80-100 people and features a comfortable lounge area.

Meet the Barista
Siphokozi

This week's Crawlers, June Nash, Beth Vieira, Fran and Keith de Beer, Nomusa Nkomo, Les Baldwin, and Gail Darne, assembled at the couches and overstuffed chairs and, had we not decided to move to the table Craig had organized for us, we'd probably still be there.  The Garden Cafe's owner, Tarryn, was not in the shop on Thursday morning but her brother, Craig, greeted and seated us all.  While barista, Siphokozi, prepared our delicious Miko brand coffees Craig spent lots of time chatting with us about the shop, coffee, and his real passion, food.  Craig has had three years of culinary school and ten years of practical chef experience.  His creations are on the breakfast/lunch menu that is served every day from 8:30-5:00.  The Garden Cafe is also available for special events, corporate functions, weddings, children's parties, and off-site catering.  I imagine the wedding photos in the gardens would be amazing.

Craig shared with us some info on his new business venture.  He is the new owner/chef of The Oyster Catcher located at the PE harbor.  He is now in the process of renovating the restaurant and it will be open for business on Tues., Oct. 25.  We all got a sneak peak at the menu... Craig, I'll be calling you for reservations for 4 for opening night.  Everyone, be sure to check out PE's "newest" seafood restaurant opening soon!!!

So, talk at the table on Thursday started out light and got progressively heavier as the morning wore on.  After our chat with Craig we got to talking about the DMV (Dept. of Motor Vehicles).  I guess it doesn't matter where in the world you live, getting in line at the DMV puts life in slo-mo.  Same goes for the Post Office...  We next got into a discussion of politics and education, then the politics of education in the four countries repped by the Crawlers (SA, Zimbabwe, UK, U.S.).  This was then followed by the recent civil rights histories of our respective countries.....one could write a book!!!  All this talk of politics, government, and human rights...... and we're all still friends.  Perhaps we should invite some U.N reps to the Coffee Crawl.

Okay, let me lighten things up again with Keith's useless fact-of-the-week... Otto Frederick Rohnedder invented the first bread slicing machine.  The first sliced bread was sold at the Chillicothe Baking Company in Missouri  (U.S.A.) in 1928.  So Keith, could you check on when the phrase "the best thing since sliced bread" was used? 
This week's Rugby World Cup update - France beat Wales on Saturday and New Zealand beat Australia on Sunday.  So, it's France vs. New Zealand this coming Sunday in the Finals.  And the answer to my question from last week regarding who the SA'ns cheer for after they are eliminated..... anyone who is playing Australia.

Thank you
     ~ to Nomusa, for the peas from her garden that she shared with all the Crawlers.  Lou and I had them
        for dinner on Thursday night... they were excellent!
     ~ to June, for the Wimpy mug.... check out the saying on it!
     ~to Craig, for his hospitality.  Good luck with your new restaurant.

Until next week,

Ellen

PS (Christpoher, Jeff, and Liz- mirror people sighting at Sherwood Gardens)

Tiffany's Coffee / Tea Garden and Terrace

Okay, picture this.... you're playing a rousing game of TriBond, it's your turn.... get this one right and you win... like ten million Rand!  You need to name the common bond shared by Truman Capote, Henry Mancini, and Audrey Hepburn.  Luckily, you recently read the Oct 10th  PE Coffee Crawl post... so, while screaming out, "Breakfast at Tiffany's," you have just become the world's newest millionaire.... hey, it could happen....

Well, Thursday's "Coffee at Tiffany's" had all the elements of this fictitious TriBond game complete with suspense and Hollywood stars (does a pic of Audrey Hepburn count?), .... and the view was certainly worth a million bucks.



Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly
Breakfast at Tiffany's

























This week's Crawlers, Beth Vieira, Les Baldwin, Nomusa Nkomo, Fran and Keith de Beer, June Nash, Gail Backstrom, Jenny Pollitt, Gail Darne, and my husband, Lou, met Thursday at Tiffany's Coffee / Tea Garden and Terrace, a cute little shop tucked into the side of Brookes Hill on Beach Road in Humewood.  Tiffany's owner, Dawn Cooper, was not feeling well so was unavailable for a pic or to chat, but barista/cook, Esther, made sure we were all well cared for.  When I arrived Esther was in the process of making the lemon meringue pies for the day, but stopped to talk with me about the blog.  When everyone else arrived Esther got busy filling orders of Masterton's filter coffee and Ciro cappuccinos.  I must say the cappuccinos were very weak, like there was no coffee under the foam.  My second round of black filter coffee was excellent, though, and I certainly would have liked a piece of that lemon meringue pie to go with it!

Meet the Barista
Esther



This Week's Crawlers
Lou, Les, Nomusa, Gail D., Beth, Keith, June, Gail B., Jenny, Fran



As I said previously, Tiffany's is built right into Brookes Hill.  There is parking available below on the Beach Road or above next to the new Ocean Basket restaurant.  Either way, there are steps involved but the atmosphere, the nice breeze coming in off the ocean, and the beautiful view are well worth the exercise... even June thinks so!!!  Tiffany's is open daily 8-5 and features a full breakfast/lunch menu along with a list of scrumptious sounding baked goods all freshly made on the premises.  Tiffany's is definitely a place I'll take friends and family when they come here to visit.

View from the Terrace at Tiffany's

Last week at Dessie's I had mentioned to the Crawlers my "dumb human trick" of being able to play the Wm. Tell Overture / Lone Ranger Theme on my cheeks.  Well, this week at Tiffany's I busted out my talent, and I think Gail B. may have even recorded some of it on her phone.  Other dumb human tricks were discussed but no one else cared to share... for now anyway ... I'm sure there's tons of hidden talent among the Crawlers.

Because it was a bit chilly on Thursday morning we chose to sit inside, though the tables on the terrace with nice big umbrellas for shade would provide pleasant seating in warm weather.  Just after my international debut, a look of horror crossed June's face.  I thought, "Okay, I may have been a bit out of tune but it wasn't that bad."  I turned around then just in time to see one of those nice big shade umbrellas (that caught a gust of wind) come crashing into the window behind Nomusa and Lou!!!  Luckily, no broken windows or injured Crawlers!

After that excitement we all decided a good stiff drink would be in order.  Though Tiffany's is licensed we decided not to imbibe but, instead, discuss the Crawlers' wine / whiskey preferences.  Bring on the Jameson's for me ... how many more days till St. Pat's Day?  Liz, you should know!!!

On to Keith's useless fact-of-the-week ... a brooding hen turns her eggs approx 50 times a day.  Keith, you can't get more useless than that... good work!  As for the Rugby World Cup update ... I have the unfortunate job of telling all that SA lost its quarterfinal match to Australia on Sunday.  Now, I think, the semifinals are Wales vs. France on Sat., Oct 15 and New Zealand vs. Australia on Sun., Oct 16.  I'm not sure who the SA'ns cheer for at this point... I'd better ask someone soon.

A Breakfast at Tiffany's explanation for those of you who may be interested:
     The Truman Capote novel, Breakfast at Tiffany's, was published in 1958.
     Henry Mancini composed the soundtrack for the 1961 movie of the same title, based on Capote's novel.
     Audrey Hepburn played the lead in the movie.

Check out another coffee pic that Fran and Keith's daughter, Mandy, sent from Savino's in Cambridge, UK where they make their coffee with water imported from Naples.  Thank you for the pics you've sent so far, Mandy.  Keep them coming!

~Thank you to Esther... can't wait to taste that lemon meringue pie
~A sad farewell to Gail B. and Jenny.  It was great having you at the Crawl these past few weeks.  Keep us
  posted on must-go-to coffee shops in Cape Town.... and send pics.... I'll post them.

Until next week,

Ellen

Dessie's

It was a very windy day in PE last Thursday... one of those Spring days when Mother Nature decides to play hairdresser.  As if taking a cue from the weather, this week's Crawlers, June Nash along with her sister, Gail Backstrom and friend, Jenny Pollitt (both visiting from Cape Town), Leanne Waller and son, Daniel, Les Baldwin, Nomusa Nkomo, Fran and Keith de Beer, Gail Darne, all "breezed in and out"  of Dessie's for a shorter than typical Crawl.  Everyone had places to go, people to see, things to do, so a quick round and a half was served by our very pleasant waiter, Moses.

Meet the Owner
Dessie van de Walt

Located in the Bloomingdales Lifestyle Village, 145 Main Rd. in Walmer, Dessie's is a great place to stop for a quick pick-me-up if you're already at Bloomingdales Nursery getting flowers for your garden or if you're just passing through Walmer.  Plan for busy Main Rd. traffic as it may cause problems entering to or exiting from the parking lot to the opposite side traffic lane.  Because the shop is open seven days a week (short hours on the weekend) and seats about 60 patrons there's plenty of time (and space) to avail yourself of the extensive breakfast/lunch menu.  Owner, Dessie van de Walt told me that she caters for off-site events as well.  As for the coffee, the Crawlers have had their share of LavAzza and Masterton's blends but all were in agreement that barista Patricia's was the strongest we've tasted.  (If memory serves me, there was one other Crawl where I had to work off my coffee jitters at the gym!)

Meet the Barista and our Waiter
Patricia and Moses

This Week's Crawlers
June, Gail D. Gail B. Jenny, Fran, Nomusa, Leanne, Les, Keith, Daniel

So with a short Crawl comes limited time for conversation though it never fails to entertain.  With Summer close at hand an interesting debate came up at one end of the table... one-piece vs bikini vs nude ... good thing Les and Keith were at the other end of the table talking cricket ...  AGAIN.  Gail B. (June's sis) said there's a nude beach somewhere in the Cape Town area ... just watch out for the sharks!!!  Speaking of wild creatures (nudists or sharks?), Keith told us about Rhodesian-born, rugby player (circa 1960s), Andy McDonald who is known to have killed a lion with his bare hands!!!  I made the mistake of saying that it sounded like an urban legend to me... by Thursday night I had received numerous, though conflicting, emails (with links) from the Crawlers regarding the Andy McDonald story.  Any readers out there with the low down on Andy, please enlighten us.... 

Rugby World Cup 2011 Update - the U.S. team lost to Italy on Tues.  I think that's it for the Eagles.  Better luck at the World Cup 2015 in England, guys!  South Africa beat Samoa on Friday ensuring the Springboks a place in the quarterfinals.

Keith's useless fact-of-the-week finally has something to do with coffee!!  The longest running coffee shop, Queen's Lane, opened in the UK in 1652 and is still going strong.  Boy, I hope you're right on this one, Keith.... I guess we'll find out from UK readers if you're not!!!  

~Thank you to Dessie, Moses, Patricia, and Dessie's mom
~Happy Birthday to Leanne - Sept 28
~Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband, Lou - Oct 5
~Congrats to Les and Nomusa for welcoming their new additions - seven goslings just hatched at their
   farm!  

Until next week,

Ellen