Lookin' for my Ya-Ya Café

 23 May 2024

 

YA-YA CAFÉ

8 Dorp Street, Stellenbosch

 

This was my first solo excursion to Stellenbosch since late 2023 and the wife, ever alert to possibilities, researched and found this establishment at almost the lower end of Dorp Street, far from the CBD for me to try and report back on.

 

There’s been some café or restaurant on this site for years, but it always seemed so isolated from central Stellenbosch that I paid no attention and I was mightily surprised to step inside a fully packed house at 11h00, with even the outside tables on two sides of the building almost fully occupied. Having said that, the interior had almost emptied by 11h20.

 

There is lots of banquette seating against the interior wall, and many, many tables crowded into the space. The joint feels a bit claustrophobic and is very noisy when it’s in full flight. In theory there should be plenty of natural light from windows on two sides but the interior was dimly lit.

 

 There is a central barista and service counter and the kitchen is at the rear of the long space. My first reaction, though the style and get up are not the same, was, “a Stellenbosch version of Tashas.” Which does not mean to say it is a bad thing.

 

The restaurant abuts what looks like an emporium purveying furnishings for the interior decorator who specialises in the mood and style of the pre-modern past.

 

Ya-Ya Café doesn’t have Tashas menu though. For a start, the menu I was given was falling apart (I guess it must be from being handled by so many customers) and the offerings are pretty common-or-garden but cover most options. There’s a section of breakfast and super food bowls for the extremely health conscious.

 

The “traditional English breakfast” is far from being traditional, being eggs, bacon, tomato & onion sauté and toast.

 

The most exotic item is called “Turkish toast” but for the life of me I can’t tell what makes this dish particularly Turkish. Perhaps it’s the hummus.

 

I don’t get this type of inaccurate characterisation of dishes.  If you can’t offer a proper English breakfast, call it something else. If you’re clueless about what Turks eat for breakfast, don’t try to take me for a fool.

 

I chose the poached egg with herbed mushrooms and truffle oil (R102) and added two rashers of bacon (R18). It was a workmanlike, decent meal with creamy mushrooms and the lushness of truffle flavour, though the egg was just the right side of soft poached and the bacon was that weird combination of crisp and chewy that baffles me.

I had apple crumble and cream (R62) with my second coffee.  The apple was far too sweet, the crumble was okay and I thought the dish is overpriced for what you get.

The coffee was good and the service was friendly and efficient.

 

The bill, with two coffees, came to R232,00 before tip.

 

Clearly, Ya-Ya Café is very popular, for those who simply come to meet and eat and for those who are keen on working from restaurants (typically, they take up the banquette seating). When full, it’s a tad overcrowded and noisy and it doesn’t have the cosiest of ambiences but it’ll do for a good, unpretentious breakfast.