Mozart on Church is a ghost in its shell

 16 September 2022

 

Mozart on Church

27 Church Street, Cape Town

 

Sic tempus fugit. How things have changed and not necessarily for the better.

 

I’ve been out of town for roughly a month and chose this place as my first featured breakfast spot after my return because I was enticed by the photographed menu on the website  and because, way back in pre-history (the ‘90s) I was a lunch regular and from roughly 2003 I often had brunch at what was then simply Café Mozart.  It was kinda funky, kinda quirky and very popular.

 

I was shocked today by how few patrons there were compared to the bustling café I used to frequent.

 

There are lots of small tables outside under the trees, although the Astroturf  that covered the paving is gone, taking with it some of the garden atmosphere, and there are as many small tables inside , with banquette seating against the walls, colourful wallpaper on one wall and a general feel of chic, cosy bistro but it was as empty as if I were in some dystopian depopulated future.

 

To be fair, there were about three patrons outside when I arrived, and by 11h00 more people were arriving but it was a far cry from how it used to be.

 

I think it was the owner who served me and though I hadn’t asked, he offered the explanation that the CBD hadn’t fully recovered post-pandemic because so many people are still working from home. I suppose those who work hybridly, partly at home  and partly in the office, are likely to choose Friday as the home day, hence the lack of patrons at Mozart on Church. 

 

Disappointingly, the menu is nowhere near the one I’d seen on the website. The alluring breakfast options I’d been looking forward to were glaringly absent and the choice is reduced to the bare bones of various items (eggs, bacon, mushrooms, avocado, smoked salmon) on toast, bacon and banana pancakes or classic pancakes.  You can also upscale your basic dishes with various other elements.

 

No eggs Benedict, no shakshuka, no “Turkish eggs,” no huevos rancheros, no healthy option and no vegan option.

 

I guess, if your breakfast trade is as minimal as it was today, you aren’t going to go all out on the exotic offerings.

 

A double espresso and an Americano cost the same, R28,00, and the coffee is good.

 

My choice was the smoked salmon, avocado and cream cheese on toast (R95) with scrambled eggs (an additional R20).

 

It was a good, satisfying meal, with plenty avo, a good amount of salmon and a generous portion of eggs on a lovely seed loaf bread. 

 

My sweet treat was two pancakes with cinnamon sugar syrup. The pancakes were excellent and my only niggle here is that I prefer the cinnamon sugar strewn onto the pancake before it’s rolled up rather than the flood of syrup on top,  which doesn’t penetrate into the otherwise doughy, unsweetened pancake.

 

The total bill came to R216,00 before tip.

 

If you want an interesting, exotic breakfast (or just eggs Benedict) amidst a happy throng of fellow-diners, Mozart on Church will not be for you. If you want a decent, simple yet tasty plate of food and introspective contemplation in peace and quiet (if the present trend continues) in the heart of the city, this is your joint. It’s probably still quite entertaining sitting outside on a warm morning, watching the passing scene.