Leo's Bistro

Okay, now that the world didn't come to an end I figure I'd better get busy and write this last post of 2012.

Even with all the busy-ness associated with this time of year, the Crawlers managed to take some time out to celebrate the season on December 13th at Leo's Bistro.  Leo's is situated on the grounds of the Ibhayi Guest Lodge (owned by Lion  Roars), 144 Main Rd in Walmer.  Up until a few months ago, I was under the impression that the Bistro provided the food service only for guests of the Lodge.  Though as I have been out and about doing errands and such, I began to see signs for Leo's Coffee Shop on the 9th Ave. entrance to the Lodge.  One day I decided to stop and check it out and found that Leo's is open to the public, Mon.-Sat. 8-Late for breakfast, continental breakfast, lunch, tapas, dinner, and Sun. for breakfast or brunch until 3.  What a find!  The perfect place for the Christmas Crawl.

Reward tidying the dining area

Leo's is also the perfect place for any other function/event.  The Bistro has seating for a total of 50 in the 3 rooms and lounge area inside and for 30 on the outside shaded patio.  No event fee is a real plus.  Limited off-street parking is available.  Leo's provides a sophisticated yet relaxed venue amidst the hectic pace of Main Rd. Walmer.  PE residents, check out Leo's Bistro...it's not just for Lodge guests!

Meet the Manager
Kate Saunders

So, the Christmas Crawlers, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Gail Darne, Kathy Roppel, Margaret Zoetmulder, Fran and Mandy de Beer, Nomusa Nkomo, Leanne Waller, Vicki Minnaar, gathered at Leo's prepared to celebrate the holidays by breaking the No-Food-On-The-Crawl rule.  Everyone ordered their teas or Sumatran coffees and breakfasts and, while we waited for our orders to arrive, broke open the Christmas crackers I brought.  The usual mayhem ensued...paper hats being donned, prizes flying through the air, jokes and riddles being told, all while Gail practiced her new magic rope trick which was quite impressive once she perfected it. 




This Week's Crawlers
Gail,  Vicki,  Margaret, Nomusa, Leanne, Kathy,
Stella, Beryl, Mandy, Fran



Gail and her magic trick

At some point during the festivities, each Leo's staff member on duty came to the table to welcome our group and to chat.  The Crawl's Zim contingent had fun discussing their homeland with Zim staff members, Manager Kate Saunders and Waitress, Reward.  The very talented Barista James and Chef Darrel also made an appearance at the table to make sure all was right with our beverage and food selections.  This warm reception from Leo's hospitable staff coupled with the excellent coffee and breakfast has turned me into a return customer for sure. 

Meet the Barista
James

 

Meet the Chef
Darell

The Coffee Crawlers, June Nash, Fran and Mandy de Beer, Leanne and Luke Waller, Margaret Zoetmulder, Beth Vieira, Nomusa Nkomo, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Gail Darne, Kathy Roppel, my daughter, Liz, my husband, Lou, squeezed a very unofficial Crawl in on December 20th at Urban Espress just in case the Doomsday rumors were true.  No cameras, no notes, just coffee and hanging out.  A nice way to close out another year of Crawling.  Well, we did have one camera...Thanks to Mandy for providing the Dec. 20th Crawler pic. 

The unofficial Crawlers awaiting the end of the world

I'll be away for the next few weeks and we'll start up the Crawl again on January 10th!

~ Thank you to the Leo's Bistro staff, Kate, James, Darell, Reward, for making our Christmas Crawl very
    special
~ Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!
~ Happy belated Birthday to my now 2-year-old granddaughter, Mia - Dec 19th!
~ Happy Birthday to my brother Bob - Jan 4th!
~ Happy Birthday to my brother-in-law, Joe - Jan. 8th!

Until Next Year,

Ellen

Kopi Luwak

After close to two years of Coffee Crawling and focusing on PE's seemingly innumerable coffee shops, the December 6 Crawlers were invited to spend some time at Leanne's beautiful Seaview home to sample one of the world's most exotic coffees.  This post then will not feature a coffee shop but rather Kopi Luwak Coffee aka Civet Coffee.

Leanne recently returned from a trip to Bali where she learned of this coffee that is produced mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago.  This coffee refers to the beans of the coffee berries that have been eaten and excreted by the Asian Palm Civet.  The beans are removed intact from civet feces, then dried, roasted and ground.  The civet's digestive process supposedly removes bitterness from the beans making for a smoother taste.  The coffee sells for about $600/pound!  Upon gathering all this info while on vacation, Leanne purchased some Kopi Luwak with the intent of sharing the joy with the Crawlers.  She also purchased samples of more traditional Bali coffees .... just in case!!!

The "just in case" coffee

So, the big day, Thursday, Dec 6, arrived and Crawlers Stella and Beryl Dawson, Kathy Roppel, Fran and Mandy de Beer, Leanne Waller, Marie, Cayle and June Nash, Nomusa Nkomo, Gail and Roy Backstrom, and my daughter, Liz, met at Leanne's house to taste test the "poop coffee." 

This Week's Crawlers
Stella, Liz, Beryl, Kathy, Mandy, Marie, Leanne,
Gail, June, Nomusa, Fran, Roy

The anticipation heightened as we enjoyed the aroma of freshly brewed Kopi Luwak.  Leanne did the honor of pouring for everyone.  We all grabbed a cup, went onto the deck overlooking the ocean, and waited for someone else to take the first sip.  As a pod of dolphins played in the distance we all eventually downed our Kopi Luwak then, being the coffee connoisseurs (I use this term very loosely) we have become, proceeded to critique this unorthodox coffee.  Long conversation made short... we all agreed that it lacked flavor, body and substance... the qualities that make good coffee good.  Clearly, passing through the digestive system of the Asian Palm Civet robs the beans of their natural character!  Food writer for the Washington Post, Tim Carman, describes Kopi Luwak as "Stale.  Lifeless.  Petrified dinosaur droppings steeped in bathtub water."  I heartily agree.  We all took our second and third rounds from the "just in case" coffee and found it to be delicious.  Good choice, Leanne!

Okay, who's going first?



Looks like coffee.... tastes like...?

While enjoying the cakes and coffee that Leanne provided we discussed the newspaper article that Nomusa brought with her regarding "Black Ivory Coffee blend made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Thai elephants."  Anyone up for a quick trip to Thailand?  This elephant dung coffee goes for about the same price as the Kopi Luwak.

The next topic of conversation concerned the controversies surrounding the Kopi Luwak coffee.  Animal rights and wildlife conservation groups denounce Kopi Luwak producers for cruel and unethical treatment of the Palm Civet.  Also, claims exist that much of the Kopi Luwak on the market is imitation "as fifty times more is sold than produced."  Hmm.

Wow, what a Crawl it was.... fun, educational, eye-opening... never a dull moment!

~Thank you to Leanne for opening your home to us and providing some interesting coffee choices from your
   trip to Bali.
~Happy Birthday to my sister, Carol, in Millersville, PA - December 16
~Happy Birthday to my sister, Mary, in Edinboro, PA - December 17

Until next week,

Ellen

Leanne's very cool Christmas tree

Thanksgiving 2012 and "Christmas in the Home"

With the holidays upon us the Coffee Crawl has taken on a different flavor the past few weeks.  Thursday, November 22, was Thanksgiving  in the U.S., so continuing with the tradition we started in 2011, the Crawlers met at my house for pie and (Masterton's) coffee.  My daughter, Liz, and I spent Wednesday evening making apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies (the pie-fest) to share with our SA friends for our second annual Thanksgiving Coffee Crawl.  Crawlers Leanne Waller, Marie and Cayle Nash, Fran and Mandy de Beer, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Vicki Minnaar, Nomusa Nkomo, Colleen Le Roux, Margaret Zoetmulder, Kathy Roppel, Beth Vieira, Rebecca Marx joined us to celebrate the holiday.  A huge thank you to all of you for making it a very special Thanksgiving for Liz, Rebecca and me!

The Thanksgiving Crawlers
Leanne, Marie, Vicki, Mandy, Nomusa, Colleen, Margaret,
Kathy, Stella, Beryl, Liz, Fran, Beth, Rebecca

On November 29 the Crawlers met at the "Christmas in the Home" event.  This annual PE affair was held at the Moffett on Main Lifestyle Centre lower level from Thursday, November 29 - Saturday, December 1.  Three local coffee shops were represented at "Christmas in the Home."  The Crawlers chose to gather at the Roastmasters stall (their regular shop is located on the upper level of the shopping centre).  The seating area was large enough to accommodate all of Thursday's Crawlers, June Nash, Beth Vieira, Colleen Le Roux, Margaret Zoetmuler, Marie and Cayle Nash (this little one is becoming a regular!), Fran and Mandy de Beer, Kathy Roppel, Vicki Minnaar, Stella and Beryl Dawson.

"Christmas in the Home" Crawlers
June, Stella, Beryl, Vicki, Kathy, Fran, Mandy,
Marie, Margaret, Colleen, Beth

Barista Sivile was the only Roastmasters employee at the stall on Thursday morning.  He was very busy with all the event patrons' orders, but was gracious enough to pose for a quick pic... he looks cool as a cucumber... no holiday stress here!  After coffee and some conversation about the upcoming holidays and Kathy's impending move back to Canada, we all spent some time looking/shopping around in the craft areas.  This Crawl certainly put us all in a festive mood.  My big purchase of the morning was a gingerbread house and gingerbread nativity scene.... I left all my Christmas decorations in NY!

Meet the Barista
Sivile

The next two weeks' Crawls will have a bit of a holiday flair... stay tuned for the Crawlers' final adventures of 2012.

~Happy St Nicholas Day to everyone! - December 6 .... don't forget to put your shoes out!!!!
~Thank you to my wonderful daughter and pie baker extraordinaire, Liz, for all the help on Thanksgiving
   Eve!!!

Until next time,

Ellen 

La Boca

To our friends at La Boca.... I did not forget about you.  The day after our November 15 Coffee Crawl Lou and I, Liz and Rebecca left for a little vacation to Hermanus and Cape Agulas to bid farewell for the year to the Southern Right Whales as they pass the South African coast on their annual migration to the Antarctic waters.  We returned from our Western Cape respite just in time to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Now, here I sit with the weekend well upon us and the La Boca post way past due.

I first heard about La Boca right after it opened a few months ago from a customer at Refresh (Sept, 2012 post) when we were at that shop for the Crawl.   La Boca got placed on the ever-growing list of coffee shops to visit, and shortly afterward Vicki did a reconnaissance mission to check it out.  The circa 1896 structure, previously housing the Willet & Co chemist and which now La Boca calls home, is situated on the corner of Clyde and Lawrence Streets in Central.  It took owner Garth Metrovich nine months to renovate the building and turn it into his dream coffee shop/artisan bakery/deli/confectioner/bistro which he named after the La Boca suburb of Buenos Aires where he lived some time ago.  A fun eclectic decor reaches into the various rooms of the building.  Seating about twenty customers apiece, each small room has its own flavor, creating the feel of many small coffee shops within the larger whole.  The outside area has a number of picnic tables and features a pretty walkway, shade trees and a koi pond.




Meet the Owner
Garth Metrovich



Our November 15 Crawl group, Colleen Le Roux, Margaret Zoetmulder, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Fran and Mandy de Beer, Gail Darne, Beth Vieira, Vicki Minnaar, Kathy Roppel, Nomusa Nkomo, and my daughter, Liz, decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and chose to sit outside.  It was a beautiful setting for the Crawl.  Our second-day-on-the-job waiter, Donnay, kept right on top of things as he served the cake and La Boca Brand coffee Special (only R25!) to everyone (whose diets would start the next week).  Barista Alvin did a great job with the coffee and tea beverages. 

Meet the Barista
Alvin

Meet our Waiter
Donnay

La Boca offers breakfast, lunch, pastries, and hot/cold beverages, and the menu proudly states, "We only support local organic farmers."  Most noted by the Crawlers were the excellent prices for all the selections on the menu.  La Boca is open Mon - Fri, 7:30 - 5, Sat, 7:30 - 4-ish, closed on Sunday.  Seating is available for up to seventy people.

This Week's Crawlers
Mandy, Kathy, Liz, Beth, Vicki, Stella, Donnay, Fran,
Colleen, Margaret, Beryl, Gail

The under ? Crowd
Mandy, Liz, Nomusa

Now, my daughter, Liz, and her friend, Rebecca, have been in PE for the past few months volunteering at various places in town.  Talk at the table on Crawl Day centered around their experiences, especially on the couple of days a week they spend at SAMREC (South African Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre, and home of the Flying Penguin Cafe - March, 2012 post).  Liz regaled us with stories of feeding and caring for the penguins.  She has come to recognize each "patient" at the rehab centre by name!  Her most priceless comment as her rapt audience hung on her every word, "It's not that bad getting pooped on by birds."   Well, this brought back to all of us fond memories of our Bird Street Coffee Shop visit (March, 2012 post) when Margaret was dumped on by a low-flying feathered friend..... wasn't that bad, right Margaret?
That story got us reminiscing about other "Crawl bloopers" that we've experienced..... memories we will all cherish!!!  Makes me want to go back and read some of the old posts.

~Thank you to Garth and the La Boca staff
~Good luck with your new job, Donnay!
~Belated Thanksgiving wishes to my friends and family in the U.S.
~Happy Birthday to Sean in Washington, DC - November 26

Until next week,

Ellen

I just really love this pic!

Fran enjoying her Last Hoorah before the diet starts!

Friendly Stranger

Last Thursday's Crawl site was recommended to me by Donovan McLagan, owner of Urban Espress, when we were at his establishment in August.  Donovan was not exactly sure when Friendly Stranger would be opening but told us to keep an ear out.... the PE grapevine would surely let us know.  And that it did.
Thursday's Crawlers, Fran and Mandy de Beer, June, Marie and Cayle Nash, Colleen Le Roux, Nomusa Nkomo, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Vicki Minnaar, Gail Darne, Leanne Waller, and my daughter, Liz, arrived at Friendly Stranger, situated at 1 Bridge Street in the Brickmakerskloof area of South End, on November 8 only a few weeks after their grand opening.  The place was hopping from the time we got there.  News on the PE grapevine travels fast!!!

I've come to learn, after visiting seventy-plus coffee shops in the past year and a half , that the new coffee shops that become an instant success are those whose owners have "done their homework."  Friendly Stranger's owners, Dameon Van Antwerpen and Tabita Weyer have certainly done theirs.  They have taken the Shamrock House, an old structure, circa 1881, and have preserved the charm of this once perhaps hunters' lodge, perhaps captain's porthouse, perhaps something else entirely different (PE historians feel free to enlighten us) while also giving it what my daughter, Liz describes as a contemporary hipster vibe that would be quite popular in her American stomping grounds of NYC and Wash, DC.  The original walls and hardwood floors along with complementing furnishings and maritime/hunting decor lend a homey, rustic feel to the main upstairs dining room and the fantastic downstairs lounge.  The owners have added a 21st century flair to the ambience of the shop by displaying, on the walls in the main room, work by the local "Artist of the Month."  This month, pieces by Joff are featured.  I loved them all but by the time we were there most of his pieces had already sold!

Meet the Owner
Tabita Weyer



Meet the Owner
Dameon Van Antwerpen



Now, for for the menu and especially the coffee.... again, Dameon and Tabita did their research.  Tabita is extremely choosy regarding recipes that will please her patrons' palates.  After sampling her amazing Almond Tart to go with my excellent TriBeca cappuccino(s) I was able to coerce a few cookbook/baking secrets from her.  Tabita bakes/cooks everything from scratch daily.  Friendly Stranger offers breakfast, lunch, dinner (some nights), and platter selections, and a variety of hot and cold beverages.  The shop is also fully licensed.

Meet the Barista
Byron

Meet our Waiter
 Petros

Lastly, though without whom Friendly Stranger could not function, is the amazing and personable staff. The barista, Byron (who was sporting a "Save the Rhino" bracelet) and our waiter, Petros were awesome.

All in all, Friendly Stranger is the new, fun place in town that is well worth checking out.  There is plenty of seating available with room for 55 inside and 30 on the outside deck.  The shop's hours are Mon, Tues, Thurs, 8-4,Wed, Fri, Sat, 8-11 pm, closed on Sundays.

This Week's Crawlers
Marie, June, Stella, Beryl, Gail, Liz, Nomusa, Vicki,
Mandy, Fran, Colleen
not pictured - Leanne

Marie and baby Cayle

After Dameon gave me a tour of the shop, I just had to show my daughter, Liz, the lounge area downstairs.  It was there that we met two "friendly strangers," Alison and Manuela, who were visiting the shop for the first time.  We chatted with them for a while then returned to the Crawl group.  Everyone was ogling over Marie's baby, 5-week-old Cayle, who was making his Coffee Crawl debut.... what a beautiful baby!!!
Once Cayle dropped off to sleep each of the Crawlers took the opportunity to explore the coffee shop.... bakery display, lounge, deck, .... and check out Joff's artwork. 

Friendly Strangers
Alison, Liz, Manuela

Colleen happened to have one of the new SA Rand bills that just went into circulation days before.  Like anything new, these bills will take some getting used to.  I personally like them.... not only do they include the "Big Five" animals (buffalo, rhino, elephant, lion, leopard) as the old bills did, they now feature a portrait of Nelson Mandela on the front.  The colors are way more vibrant as well.  The new Rand bills have quickly become known as the "Randela."  :)  Dameon and Tabita, hopefully you guys are making "leopards" hand over fist in your new shop!

~Thank you to Dameon, Tabita, and the Friendly Stranger staff
~Thank you to Donovan McLagan for recommending Friendly Stranger... class act, Donovan

Until next week,

Ellen