Respek...en eiers

I love the wordplay of this tiny coffee shop in the Moot. They opened on 1 December this year. The interior is strikingly simple and I don't think this shop is much bigger than 40 square metres. It is part of a mixed-use centre (Moulton Centre) with small shops below and apartments on the top floors. We had very good cuppachinos and a delicious, moist carrot cake slice.

Please go out, explore and pay your respects - the world needs more sweet little spaces such as this one.

Ginger and Fig

This lovely new eatery recently opened in P-town. I am totally smitten with the interior design and their coffee and breakfast is great. This beautiful shop is the brain-child of Zane Figueiredo, who made a career change after 10 years in IT. You can certainly see and taste the passion that went into making this dream a reality. I hope they have many many customers for many successful years.

You can also see the progress report on Mia Widlake's blog, Studio number 19.

For more info, like their facebook page, visit their website or simply pay them a visit. Very friendly staff and great service.

Shop no. 5, Brooklyn Centre, Cnr Lynnwood and Jan Shoba. 

Best thing is that they have free Wi-Fi and they open at 6am from Tuesday to Friday.

Because life is just too short for bad coffee

This masculine, no-nonsense coffee shop is one of my favourite hangouts in Pretoria. Aroma Gourmet Coffee Roastery is located in Lynnwood road, opposite Hillcrest Boulevard and is headed by Rael Shiller. They work on the philosophy that coffee beans should be freshly roasted in order to maintain their peak flavour. And yes, their coffee is great. And no, you won't get a little biscuit and a saucer with a doily with your amazing cuppachino. I also like the fact that their menu is super simple - make sure to try out the Belgian chocolate croissants, to die for!

Sunday mornings

On Sunday mornings we do real. We do dishes. We make breakfast. We don't comb our hair. We let our skins breathe. We walk the dogs. We sometimes cry. We groom. We do comfort. We recover. We do good coffee. We stay in our pajamas as long as we can.
These are the details of an ordinary Sunday morning at Casa El Sol.

Confession #342

When I grow up, I want to be a barista.
I would love to own a big, beautiful coffee machine (I don't know which one yet but it will surely be bigger than my Breville). I would make the most beautiful, elegant cappuccinos and produce espressos that have the perfect colour, consistency etc. I would make the most amazing, delightful froth (and not burn it) and I would pour the most exquisite little floral pattens. (Obviously I don't know what I'm talking about but hey, one can always dream).
In the meantime, I'll just take pictures of beautiful coffee machines and order coffee from Tribeca or Woollies.

The cool barista at Tribeca. Photo by Riette Basson

One of the beautiful numbers. Photo by Riette Basson