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!!!!

The Coffee Shop

The PE Coffee Crawl earned its name last Thursday.  The plan was to meet at Victoria Tea House for the Crawl.  We arrived at the Richmond Hill shop only to find it closed for the duration of the school holidays.  Now, I served on a month long Federal Court case in NY about ten years ago, and it was easier for the 12 jurors to come to consensus on a total of 12 counts against three defendants than it was for 13 Coffee Crawlers (I think Margaret must have been #13) to decide on another shop to visit.  Finally we decided and off we went to Wezandla in Central.  Once there, we found all the municipal parking lots to be full due to a conference/convention that was being held nearby.  Well, much to the distress of one of the attendants we held a confab right in the middle of his lot to decide on yet another coffee chop.

With this dubious start to the day we thought to just throw in the towel (I imagine Margaret wishes we would have), but the Crawl must go on....!  So, off our convoy crawled to The Coffee Shop (really, that's the name of it... brilliant!) just a short distance away at 7 Bird St. (it's all in the name) in Central.  Given what kind of morning we'd had up to this point The Coffee Shop had two things going for it: 1) it was open and 2) there were places to park.  Once assembled at the shop we all decided that, since it was such as beautiful day, we'd  take advantage of the outside seating (yet another decision Margaret would soon regret).

The Coffee Shop has been owned and operated by Willem and Adel van Rensburg for 13 years.  Willem especially likes Masterton's Sweet Italian Blend coffee and so he uses it in all of the shop's coffee beverages.  This Bird Street shop is open Mon-Fri, 8:30-5 offering breakfast/lunch/cakes.  Willem and Adel also open the shop on weekends for special functions, and they cater anytime for off-site events.  The Coffee Shop seats about 60 people, 40 inside and 20 outside on a nice tree-shaded patio (perhaps Margaret should have sat inside!)

This Week's Crawlers
Colleen, Sylvia, Gail, Stella, Beryl, Beth, Nomusa,
Margearet, Blessing, Fran, Keith, Eugene

Meet the owners and our Waitress
Adel, Willem, Leanne

Aside from the numerously aforementioned Margaret Zoetmulder, those joining me on Thursday's Crawl included Colleen Le Roux, Eugene Olivier, Fran and Keith de Beer, Beth Vieira, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Sylvia Mynhardt, Gail Darne, and Nomusa and Blessing Nkomo.  Welcome to first time Crawlers, Eugene and Blessing! 

Our Barista
Willem

After taking some pics I spent my Crawl time in a fairly deep discussion with Colleen, Eugene and Sylvia about life, death, faith and..... cochineal extract.  Yeah, that last bit I had to throw in just to lighten things up.  I heard on both BBC and CNN recently that some Starbuck's customers are miffed about the fact that the coffee shop chain uses the red-colored extract from the cochineal insect as coloring in its Strawberry Smoothie/Shake!  My cochineal story did lighten up the mood at my end of the table, but there's nothing like a bird dropping a load on someone to get a party going!  In this case it was Margaret who was the lucky recipient of said dropping.  Unfortunately for Margaret in her pink shirt, her bird hadn't been munching on cochineal but rather something blue which she (reported later) had a heck of a time getting out in the wash.  As Keith said in response to the whole incident, "The blue bird of happiness dropped his load on the oldest bird at the Bird St.Coffee Shop." 

I'm ending this post with a quote from one of my favorite movies, Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates.... you never know what you're going to get."  Truer words have never been said, right, Margaret?

~Thank you to Willem, Adel and our waitress Leanne
~Happy Easter to All
~Happy Birthday to my nephew, Eric (April 6)

Until next week,

Ellen