Lazari rides again

 21 April 2022

 

Lazari

221 Vredehoek Avenue, Lower Vredehoek, Cape Town

 

A fresh new Lazari has risen from the proverbial ashes of the old, faded Lazari (no, the  original one didn’t go up in flames, it simply changed ownership) and it seems destined, going by its popularity a day after reopening, that it will continue to bestride lower Vredehoek Avenue like a colossus.

 

The old joint, much loved as it was,  had been in dire need of renewal. One of my favourite stories is, after we recommended  the place to them as one of our favourites, that the in-laws refused to eat there because they saw a plastic crate on a table at the entrance and this downmarket vibe was too much for them. 

 

The new Lazari is pretty far from downmarket.  The new people have cleaned up the space, repainted and redecorated, and chucked out the old furniture and replaced them with a fun mix of  chic small tables and eclectic chairs, banquette seating against the side wall and counter seating looking out on Vredehoek Avenue on the Maynard Street side of the premises. The light fittings have been renewed, plants hang from the ceiling and there is a slightly odd curtain of white porcelain cups dangling above the service counter. The latter is still in the same place but also revamped and the kitchen looks tidier too.

 

The space is blessed with plenty natural light and this gloriously  enhances the vibey new ambience.

 

The menu is no longer displayed on a blackboard. I was given two menu cards when I sat down, one with drinks and one with the food. 

 

The breakfast options have been reduced and changed. There’s “low carb on the go,” three health options, avo on toast, eggs Benedict, vegan and non-vegan shakshuka, chicken livers, Turkish eggs and the opportunity to build your own breakfast from various elements.   Some dishes feature add-ons at additional cost. 

 

It's your basic trendy breakfast ethos.

 

I tried the Turkish eggs (R105), which is a far more elaborate, and not purely Turkish, version of the dish than the çilbir I love.  Not only does one get two poached eggs and garlicy labneh (Lebanese, innit?), but also green zhough paste (the chilli element and, on good  authority, from The Lebanese Bakery in Claremont), wilted baby spinach, dukkah and peppery cherry tomatoes.  

 

Çilbir, as I know it,  is a simple combination of two poached eggs on garlic yoghurt and with a chilli butter sauce, served with bread.  The eggs could’ve poached for a few seconds less but were still runny, I liked the spinach and the zippy hit of chilli, could’ve done without the tomatoes and the crusty bread was excellent.

 

This Frankenversion reimagination of  çilbir is a dish where the chef has chosen to pomp up an originally simple, delicious dish that doesn’t cry out for “taking it to the next level.” I choose çilbir because I want çilbir, not some  overgilded “Mediterranean fusion” variant.  Call it Middle Eastern eggs, then.

 

Oh yes, the bread. Afterwards, I noticed that the menu stated I could expect toasted pita or bread of my own choice.  The dish was served with excellent, toasted sourdough and not the apparent default. I wasn’t asked whether I wanted another kind of bread other than pita.

 

At R26 for a single shot, the espresso is rather expensive. A  double shot is R28 and therefore I ordered that. It was served in a very beautiful cup but it didn’t seem as if the double shot was that much more than a single shot. At R30 a cup, the Americano is much better value for money. I drank two of those. One was served black, the other with milk on the side. Again, I wasn’t consulted on this.

 

The coffee is good, though.

 

There is a variety of sweet things on display at the counter but the famous Lazari cupcakes, that the wife adored, were absent.

 

I had a dauntingly large slice of banting chocolate cake (R60), which is like a mousse cake with crust. It was smooth, creamy and deeply chocolatey. The distressing thing was that the crust had the texture and taste of chocolate ProNutro, and  not in a good way. 

 

That’s the positivity.  Now for the curmudgeonly gripe, as gripe curmudgeons must.

 

Although I received the two menu cards as soon as I sat down, the two waiters buzzing around me serving other patrons, ignored me for maybe 15 minutes, though they passed by directly in front of me and must’ve seen, had they bothered paying attention, the menus on the table. Of course, I didn’t raise my hand or my voice to request service, as I was keenly interested in seeing how long I’d have to wait. I checked Facebook and Twitter and opened my MacBook to start this review. You can imagine what the original opening lines were.

 

At long last, the guy who handed me the menus in the first instance, came to ask me whether “everything was in order.”  My terse response was muted compared to my thoughts on his absurd inquiry.

 

I ordered my espresso and meal at the same time and though it took a while for the espresso to be served my breakfast  arrived quite soon thereafter.

 

From my lengthy, undisturbed observations, it seemed that the other patrons received prompt service. For once, I was the anomaly.

 

The bill came to R253,00 (main, dessert, espresso and two Americanos) before tip and, let the record show. I did tip 10%.

 

Lazari was  well patronised and presumably it will continue to be the popular neighbourhood coffee shop it’s always been but with new, improved, cheerful ambience and an updated menu.