Cassis

27 November 2019

CASSIS SALON DE THÉ

Gardens Centre, Cape Town

This Cassis (I think there was one other branch, that went belly up) has been going strong for many years now, even if its neighbours on the other side of the upper level of Gardens Centre have come and gone. Once the opposition was the Blue Cat Café, which offered a really good value for money sushi platter, and most recently Pulp Kitchen, which survived a terrible explosion in its kitchen and came back as strong as ever. Or so It seemed. It was a bit of a surprise to find that It'd closed.

Now the Bootlegger group is prepping the space where  Pulp used to be for the latest outlet in the ever expanding chain. Today, the barista counter at the “outside” seating area is up and running if you want a takeaway coffee, as if the centre needs another one. I’m watching the well-covered restaurant space with interest, though.

Back in the day, I used to eat breakfast at Cassis every Friday morning until I’d eaten my way through the menu and also realised there were many options in the CBD if I were only a tad adventurous. It helped that I could slouch into the office later on a Friday.

Since those days there have been changes at Cassis and to its menu, physically and conceptually, yet with solid old favourites (like its famous (so they claim) potato croquettes) ever present, and the variety of typical breakfast dishes, without anything very exotic, should be enough to make any early bird happy. There has been turnover in the waiting staff, but the coffee is still proudly Illy in these days of local roasteries.

Today my choice was the "crêpe surprise" (R76) (I’m guessing it’s French and not English), and my question is: how is it a surprise package if you state the ingredients (mushrooms, scrambled eggs, cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers, sweet chilli sauce and white cheddar) on the menu?  I said a "hell, no" to the famous croquettes, alternatively, French fries, and virtuously chose the salad instead.

The salad was fresh and lovely, with tangy dressing, and the filled crêpe with cheesy sauce was very tasty and filling. The only slight downside was an overt sweetness and not enough chilli.

The generous espresso is R20 and the flat white is R24. The total bill before tip came to R120 and I'd say it was worth it.

Cassis and Pulp seemed to co-exist happily, yet each did well, both crowded on a weekend morning. I imagine Bootlegger is going to compete seriously. Possibly the two eateries appeal to different demographics, and obviously the food will be different, but if Cassis steps up and maintains its quality, it need not fear.