Waffle time at Labotessa Café & Terrace

 27 May 2022

 

Labotessa Café & Terrace

Church Square, Cape Town

 

Probably about 4 years agon, pre-pandemic, there was a mooted renaissance of eateries around the immediate neighbourhood around  Church Square and I think none of the first wave survived. There’s still FYN and Pilcrow & Cleaver (though, I believe, the latter is for sale) and Seattle Coffee Co, but Kleinsky’s is gone, replaced by Fideli’s, and the French bakery café, once on the Parliament Street corner of the square, lasted less than a year. 

 

The good news is that there’s a McCafé on the other side of Spin Street, oh, and there’s Labotessa Café & Terrace tucked away in the Church Square corner nook. If the latter hadn’t existed, it would’ve been imperative to invent it.

 

The elder goddaughter mentioned Labotessa to me some time ago but it had slipped my mind until this morning when the wife suggested that I pop in for breakfast, so here I am.

 

The rather overgilded write up on the  website blurb claimed, amongst other things,  that Labotessa is a peaceful haven where one can avoid crowds but it seems that the masses have found the joint. It was crowded between 10h00 and 11h00, when it was suddenly empty, as if there was a pre-planned exodus.

 

The terrace is the outside section with small, round tables, a fountain and an herbaceous border, well, plants in pots, that mask the square and provide the feeling of an intimate garden.

 

There are three tables inside on the ground floor and more tables on the mezzanine floor of the double volume interior, which is quite lovely and presided over by a large wall painting of a famous Vermeer picture.

 

I sat upstairs in glorious isolation because it was too cold outside for me and no vacant tables indoors. No worries. I had a view to the terrace and could eavesdrop on the patrons below me. The service was still exemplary.

 

The menu is simple and shakshuka(sic) and aloo tikkie with poached eggs are the two most exotic options.  The all-day breakfast also includes health rusks, croissant with cheese and preserves, breakfast waffle,  muesli, avo on toast, breakfast wrap, eggs with add-ons, and there is a list of extras with which one can build one’s bespoke breakfast.

 

Apparently, the restaurant glories in its eggs Benedict ( I’ve heard that story before) but the aloo tikkie enchanted me and I was served two perfectly poached eggs on two soft, smooth potato cakes with a delightfully spicy  tomato relish R100.). For me, this dish was a happy surprise that could easily replace eggs Benedict. 

 

My second course was the breakfast waffle with fresh fruit, whipped cream and syrup. (R93) This waffle was FINE and easily the best waffle I’ve eaten in this city, with a delicately crisp crust and soft interior, with just enough subtle sweetness in the batter to make the syrup redundant.  I ate the waffle with only the fruit and the cream, relishing each mouthful.  

 

I sometimes giggle and smile like a goofus when I eat something that is ridiculously scrumptious. With this waffle I had to stifle a joyous outburst of crazy laughter.

 

You don’t get a lot of espresso for R26 but the Americano (R28) is generous.

 

The total bill came to R239,00 before tip.

 

The interior is lovely, it would be very pleasant sitting outside on a warm day and if my two dishes are anything to go by, the food is good. I’d return to Labotessa for just the waffle alone.