No cognitive dissonance at Cognito

 30 August  2023

 

COGNITO

137 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch

 

Cognito is the favourite Stellenbosch eatery of someone I stalk on Twitter and when I passed it today, looking for a brunch spot, I thought, why the heck not. If it’s being promoted on Twitter (and probably Instagram) it must be the place for me.

 

The restaurant is in one of the many Cape Dutch buildings on Dorp Street, the upper part of the street,  and when I was an introverted, alienated teenager in Stellenbosch the premises were an attorney’s office. Today, one side is the eatery and the other side is a bicycle shop (which explains the preponderance of patrons in cycling outfits.)

 

There is a large, broad stoep/deck with a bunch of tables out front and a narrow L-shaped space inside, with banquette seating and small tables along one wall and just small tables and chairs on the other.  I can’t see many customers lurking inside on warm, wind free days, as the exterior space is much more inviting.

 

The breakfast menu is simple, offers the usual (no shakshuka, Turkish eggs or huevos rancheros) and is served until 11h59.  Every dish reads as tempting; I almost went for the bacon and cream waffle. Next time.

 

I chose the salmon Benedict (R110) and was well happy. The eggs were perfectly poached to order, there was a generous amount of salmon and the equally generous quantity of Hollandaise sauce was proper. I don’t know whether this is the. best Benedict in Stellenbosch but it sure was the best Benedict I’ve eaten in a while.

 

I encountered one challenge and that was that the pain au chocolat proudly offered on the menu wasn’t in stock. The only sweet alternative was a chocolate chip cookie (R20.)  The server assured me that the cookie wasn’t large and I ordered two.  He and I must have different perspectives on size. The cookie was, I thought, quite large and if I’d known, I wouldn’t have ordered two but I did, and I ate both.  Good crumb, an elegant sufficiency of choc chips and cumulatively slightly too sweet.

 

The bill came to R197,00 (with espresso and Americano) before tip.

 

The coffee is good, the food delicious, the service excellent and the ambience quite pleasant though Dorp Street does carry a great deal of traffic, which can be disturbing if you’re relaxing on the stoep.