Mountain and Moon, Paarl

12 January 2020

MOUNTAIN AND MOON

Frater Square, 40 Main Street, Paarl

Adieu Melissa’s, bonjour Mountain and Moon, which seems to  be pretty much a new body on an old chassis, with even “The Food  Shop” still proudly in place on the interior wall above the entrance, and with the recognisable Melissa’s black and white tiled floor and furniture. It’s also still a mix of deli and upmarket tourist shop.

Frater Square is a very large, old building, amidst vineyards as much of old Paarl along the Main Street seems to be, at the lower end of the Main Street, and also houses a couple of shops at the front and The Copper Club eatery at the back.

Mountain and Moon, on the side of the building, offers outdoor seating under umbrellas but on a hot summer’s morning in Paarl even that shade affords little coolness and the wife and I, having skipped breakfast at our guesthouse in favour of a longer snooze, elected to sit inside, at the banquette against the one side wall, with a mural reminiscent of a jungle painting by Henri Rousseau.

It’s a comforting, welcoming room, with rustic looking tables, and floor-to-ceiling shelves against the rear wall displaying deli products, and some handbags, and a double volume interior space. It’s that happy combination of homey and elegant that we find so enticing and love to hang out in. 

The breakfast menu isn’t adventurous or ground-breaking and offers the usual   variety.

The wife and I chose the smashed avo on 2 slices of sourdough toast (R68) with one poached egg (R10) and, in her case, extra bacon (R25.)

The bread was good, with an abundance of avo spread over each slice.  I thought my supposedly soft poached egg was overcooked but the wife said her’s was perfect. It was a delicious, light yet filling breakfast and the accompanying coffee (R22 for an espresso and R28 for a flat white) was excellent.

I tried a slice of the baked cheesecake (R54),

which was cumulatively far too sweet for me and overwhelmed any cheesiness.  The wife bought a 140g pack of Hollandsche stroopwafels (R48) from the deli counter and ate a couple with her coffee. They were crisp and not overly sweet. I’d say that the stroopwafels were better value for money, by far, than the cheese cake.

Afterwards, having eyed it all through breakfast, the wife bought a hand made leather handbag at what I thought of as quite a good price, and also an artisanal  sourdough rye bread.  I looked at various deli items but was a bit put off by the prices. In this respect Mountain and Moon carries on the Melissa’s tradition.

The bill came to R361 before tip.

I’m not an expert on Paarl restaurants but I’d say breakfast or brunch at Mountain and Moon is worthwhile. Think twice about the cheesecake though.