Ground Floor Cafe

Back in January the Crawlers revisited Brioche.  We received excellent service from our waiter, Bright, plus a recommendation to visit Ground Floor, the coffee shop where his twin brother Brian works.  It took us a few weeks to act on Bright's suggestion but on Thursday February 12 the Crawlers headed to Ground Floor, located at 20a Stanley St. in Richmond Hill.  As a point of reference, Ground Floor is situated between The Granary and The Love of Wine.  Owner Janey Nortje, along with her right hand man/barista Brian opened Ground Floor in November, 2014.

Meet the Owner
Janey Nortje

Wise words!

Though relatively new Ground Floor has become very popular among PE coffee lovers.  A personable hostess, an efficient staff and Brian's excellent barista skills make a visit to Ground Floor quite enjoyable.  The shop seats approximately fifty patrons and offers breakfasts, cakes. light lunches and a variety of beverages.

Meet the Barista
Brian, Bright's twin brother

A Valentine cappuccino

The Ground Floor's hours are Mon-Fri, 6:30-5; Sat, 8-2; Sun, 8-1.  Call Janey at 041 582 2081 for a booking or to order take-aways.

Though a few days early, Crawlers Beth Vieira, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Gail Darne, Leanne Waller, Colleen Le Roux, Jenny Fowler, Vicki Minnaar, Nicolette Hijmans, Eliza Pretorius, Margaret Zoetmulder celebrated our Valentine's Day Crawl at the Ground Floor.  It was a beautiful morning so we all decided on outside seating to take in the atmosphere only Stanley Street can offer.

This Week's Crawlers
Beth, Beryl, Elize, Stella, Leanne,
Vicki, Gail, Nicolette, Jenny, Margaret, Colleen

More of Brian's barista skills

As we enjoyed our Sumatran brand coffees and Ground Floor's freshly baked cakes (and the Valentine's chocolates I brought) conversation centered yet again around what has become the bane of existence in SA.....load shedding.  And, alas, at 10:00 on the dot, the power went out!  AAARRRGGGHHH!  Thank goodness Janey has access to a generator.....the coffees kept coming, uninterrupted.

Conversation then turned to Pres. Zuma's State of the Nation address scheduled for that very evening.  Eskom assured citizens that no power interruptions would occur during the President's televised speech.  The Crawlers were all planning to watch the address in anticipation of  interruptions of a different kind!  TIA

~Thank you to Janey, Brian, and the Ground Floor staff
~Thank you to Brian's twin brother, Bright, for recommending Ground Floor

And, for the last time......
Until next week,

Ellen

Inside dining area

Fratelli Foods

Prior to our February 5 Crawl, it had been three months since we've visited a new coffee shop; revisits have been the norm.  However, thanks to the ever watchful eye of Leanne Waller, our Crawl #162 took place at the newest coffee shop in PE.

Fratelli, located on Alabaster St. in Baakens Valley, opened its doors in mid January of this new year.  Owner Michelle Puggia has been a distributor of Fratelli Italians Foods for a number of years and decided to expand her business to include the cutest little coffee shop in town.

The only way I can think of to describe Fratelli is "Italian Rustic."  With seating at tables and bars surrounded by Italian goodies, continental wines and liquers, and fun old black and white photos of "the fam," up to thirty patrons can be treated to one of the best cappuccinos in town.  Barista Pique whips up not only cappuccinos but a variety of coffee specialties using Fratelli's own blend of La Dolce Vita brand coffee.  A selection of other hot and cold beverages along with cakes, baked goods, light lunches and deli items make up the menu that appears chalkboard style at the entrance to the shop.

Meet the Owner
Michelle Puggia

Everything looks yum, but as aside......when Leanne and I made our scoping out trip to Fratelli to make the February 5 Crawl reservation I ordered the chicken and butternut salad......probably the best salad I've had in my life.......no kidding!

PE residents, a visit to Fratelli, our town's newest coffee shop, is a must!!!!!
Fratelli's hours are Mon-Sat, 7:30-4.

Meet the Barista
Pique

It was nice for the Crawlers to visit a new shop after so many revisits.  The excitement was palpable as Crawlers June Nash, Leanne Waller, Nomusa Nkomo. Jenny Fowler, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Sylvia Mynhardt, Gail Darne, Margaret and Arthur Marshall, Margaret Zoetmulder, Colleen Le Roux Nicolette Hijmans, Pierrette De Winne and her daughter Nathalie settled in for the first February Crawl of 2015.

February 5 Crawlers
Beryl, Sylvia, Gail, Nomusa,
Pierrette, Nathalie, Nicolette

More of Thursday's Crawlers
Arthur, Margaret M., Margaret Z., Jenny,
Leanne, Stella, Gail, Colleen, June

Now, after just about four years of Crawling we've certainly had conversation repeats but I believe that Thursday's topic was a first.  Our discussion on the Six Degrees of Separation (theory developed in 1929) started after Gail revealed that her son and his fiancee recently had the opportunity to be photographed with Barack and Michelle Obama.  Sooooooooo, does that mean the Crawlers are all 3 degrees from the President of the USA?  Well, why stop there?   After we all shared various almost famous people we or family members have met, and after much deliberation, it was determined that all of the Crawlers are 3-4 degrees from: Mother Theresa, Pope Francis, pretty much everyone in Hollywood, Bill Gates, numerous international sports and political figures, everyone in PE, and, if fictional characters count, Juan Valdez!

~Thank you to Michelle and Pique - we wish you good luck with your new business venture!

Until next week,

Ellen

Fresco- Crawl #63 Revisited

The Coffee Crawlers finished off the first month of 2015 with a Revisit to one of our favorite coffee shops in town....Fresco.  We first visited Fresco, located at 20 Nile Rd. ( Norvic Dr., The Acres) in Perridgevale, in June of 2012, shortly after its grand opening (see June, 2012 post).  We all immediately fell in love with the shop's decor and fun atmosphere, not to mention barista Addie's deft hand at the coffee machine.  In the three years since our first visit the ownership, management, waitstaff, and coffee brand have changed.  However, those things which we adored in 2012, the clock motif, eclectic furniture, pleasant surroundings, and Addie's incredible barista skills still remain the same......fortunately for us!

Meet the Barista
Addie

Addie's barista skills

Even though Fresco was quite busy on Crawl Day, manager Wesley and waitstaff members Fatima and Syno made us feel welcome and took the time to chat a bit with the Crawlers.  The service Thursday morning was excellent and the breakfasts, cakes, and Peacock coffees, outstanding.  As a result Fresco remains one of the Coffee Crawlers' favorite coffee shops in PE.

Meet the Waitstaff
Syno and Fatima

Outrageously good caramel cheesecake!

Fresco seats a total of approximately 60 guests upstairs, downstairs and at outside tables.  The shop's hours are Mon-Fri, 7-4; Sat, 8-4; closed on Sunday.  Call 041 363 0990 for information or to make a booking.

This Week's Crawlers
Nomusa, Sylvia, Ellen, Beryl,
Beth, Stella, Gail, Margaret, Colleen
not pictured - June and Leanne

Conversation at the table on that very warm last Thursday of January centered mostly around the load shedding that SA had experienced regularly throughout  the month.  Crawlers Colleen Le Roux, Beth Vieira, June Nash, Leanne Waller, Nomusa Nkomo, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Gail Darne, Sylvia Mynhardt, and Margaret Zoetmulder did approach the situation with a sense of humor, though......and as long as it doesn't impact our Thursday morning coffee we're all good!

~Thank you to Wesley and the Fresco staff
~Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!
~Happy Birthday to my son, Jeff, in Indianapolis, Indiana - February 17
~Happy 1st Birthday to my grandson, Matthew, in Birmingham, Alabama - February 22
~Happy Birthday to Crawler Beryl Dawson - February 22

Until next week,

Ellen

Brioche - Crawl #62 Revisited

The PE Coffee Crawl has reached the #160 mark!

Brioche, located at 181 Main Rd. in Walmer, was the site of our Wednesday, January 21 Crawl.  Our usual Thursday morning was switched to Wednesday for the Brioche Revisit to accommodate the schedule of Crawler newlyweds Lee (Rodwell) and Graham Wood as they were visiting PE from CT that week.  For most of the Crawlers it was the first time seeing the happy couple since their nuptuals in October.  It was wonderful spending the morning catching up with them and enjoying the relaxed and homey atmosphere at Brioche.

We first visited Brioche in April, 2012 (see April, 2012 post) only three days after the official opening of the shop.  It quickly became one of the most popular coffee establishments in PE.  From the outstanding freshly baked artisan breads and other amazing baked goods to the menu of tempting breakfasts and lunches to the delicious Illy brand coffee beverages and homemade lemonade and ginger beer, Brioche provides delightful eats (and drinks) to satisfy every taste!

Meet our Waitress
Celestine

Meet our Waiter and the Barista
Bright and Dan

The management and much of the staff has remained the same in the three years since Brioche opened its doors.  Celestine (who served us at our 2012 Crawl), Bright, and barista Dan made sure that Crawlers Lee and Graham Wood, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Leanne Waller, Elize Pretorius, Colleen Le Roux, June Nash, Gail Darne, Margaret and Arthur Marshall, Sylvia Mynhardt, Margaret Zoetmulder, and I  enjoyed the revisit as much as our first visit.....and we certainly did!

Health Muffin

This Week's Crawlers
Arthur, Margaret M., Elize, Graham, Beryl, Stella,
Margaret Z.,  June, Leanne, Gail, Sylvia, Lee, Colleen

So, with all the cake and muffin choices available it was difficult for me to decide on what to partake of, but with a little nudging from Gail, I ordered the Famous Brioche Cinnamon Bun.  Now, I'm a real fan of the Cinnabon brand cinnamon buns that can be got at any mall or airport Stateside.....I even "liked" Cinnabon on FB just so I can get a glimpse of their luscious cinnamon bun pics every day!  I must say that the Brioche buns come pretty close....kudos to the Brioche bakers!  PECC readers, make it a point sometime soon to stop into Brioche and try a cinnamon bun.....you'll be soooooo glad you did, even if it means extra hours at the gym.

Brioche is open Mon-Fri, 7:45-4 and Sat, 8-3.  No need to make a booking but for all inquiries call 082 927 5986 or 041 581 2136.

~Thank you to the Briioche staff

Until next week,

Ellen

Crawling Cousins!