Meraki is not miraculous but it's a revelation

 3 October 2023

 

MERAKI

Corner of Church  and Van Ryneveld Streets, Stellenbosch

 

Frankly, our choice of a lunch venue today was determined by the availability of parking.  Our original destination was elsewhere and was totally bereft of parking close by. The wife drove around the very busy Stellenbosch CBD until she miraculously found a parking spot in Van Ryneveld Street, about 50 metres from Meraki, which looked nice enough and, most importantly, was close, so that’s how we ended up there. 

 

It’s a peculiar set up, with a small, cosy interior dining area at  the corner of the building but with most tables set up on an L-shaped stoep, along the Church Street and Van Ryneveld Street sides of what otherwise seems to be a residential building.

 

The Van Ryneveld street side, closest to the interior space, seems to be the fancier of the halves, with larger, white tables and chairs, while the Church Street space seems to be the café section, with banquette seating against the boundary wall and small round tables. That’s where we sat, right opposite the barista counter.

 

Lunch is served from 12h00 but even though we were about 10 minutes early, we could order from that menu.

 

The hearty lunch items included Thai green curry, Parmesan veal, plankie steak, beef burger, braised beef short rib nachos.

 

The wife wanted something lighter and chose a crispy chicken wrap, from a different section of the menu,  and my interest was piqued by the braised beef short rib nachos, which I thought would also be a light meal.

 

The soft wrap with neat grill marks, cut in half as is customary,  and filled with luscious chicken was very tasty. 

 

The nachos, on the other hand was a mildly astonishing mound of elements (shredded beef, guacamole, sour cream, pickled tomato and onion salsa and melted Cheddar) on top of tortilla chips large enough to float down the Eerste River on. 

 

The beef was succulent and flavourful, the nacho crisps were, well, crisp, the other elements elevated each mouthful  to a level of sublime that made me want to do a one person Mexican wave. 

 

The  dish is probably not as authentically Mexican as one might want to believe but taste trumps authenticity. The portion was so generous that I feared I wouldn’t be able to manage all of it.

 

We  shared a slice of carrot cake, one of a good variety of sweet things on offer, and it was a disappointment. The crumb was far too dry and one needed the thickly applied icing to lubricate it a little, and I’m not one for icing, usually excessively sweet, preferring the cake part.

 

This is why, as is the case with pork belly and lemon meringue pie, I’m reluctant to order carrot cake at restaurants anymore. There is no guarantee you’ll get the proper thing.

 

The coffee was good and well-priced at R18 for a single espresso, R20 for an Americano and R28 for a flat white,  and the service was friendly and efficient.

 

The bill came to R369,00 before tip.

 

It was rather lovely sitting outside on the stoep on a splendid Stellenbosch Spring day, eating well, drinking good coffee and watching the passing scene. I grew up in this town and the current iteration of it might as well be a planet far, far away in a different universe. When I was young, it was dusty and dull; today it’s exuberant and vibey. 

 

I’m biased but I will always contend that Stellenbosch is the best destination in the Cape Winelands.