So needing to get some me time whilst in CT recently with my son, visiting my daughter, I grabbed my phone and relied on that old stalwart, Google, to find me a "coffee shop in Southern suburbs" - amongst those it gave, Starlings had one of the highest ratings and a great description, so off I went with the trusty Uber.
On the website it did rate the time I chose, 11am, as one of it's busiest times. They were not joking. From outside it looks like a house, with a hedge and a fountain. Easy to find as the photo on Google is spot on. Needless to say it was packed, but the very charismatic gentleman doing the "find you a table" thing, assured me that as I was only 1, he would get me a table quite quickly and invited me to wait on the benches by the fountain, which seem to be for that purpose.
The layout is attractive, somewhat like being in someone's house and garden, but just with a lot of furniture. Inside there are both individual tables as well as a shared space at a long counter, broad enough to allow you to not sit nose to nose with the person opposite. However wanting to read my paper, I was glad to be shown to a table outside. The garden is lovely.
So to the food:
Cappuccino - The first one was as ordered, hot and strong. I always specify hot, because I am a coffee addict and do not want to drink it lukewarm. The second one was less hot and by the third one we had moved to luke-ish and I had to send it back to be reheated. However I must note that it was creamy and delicious.
Breakfast - I chose a wonderful and unusual brekki for me - avocado, housemade pesto, roasted tomatoes and toast. I had rye toast which was done well, not floppy warm bread and they are very generous with the amount of avo they give you.
Service - I am not sure if I arrived in a shift change, but the waiter I started with and the one I ended up with were 2 different people. The former was attentive without being annoying, checked if all was satisfactory and asked if the coffee was hot enough (cup 1). The latter waiter arrived when I moved to cup 2 and was at the tail end of my food. I never saw him except for when he brought my coffee, and it seemed to take long to get his attention to order it. However the great service of the first waiter was what gave me my lasting impression.
Value for money - Fantastic. Cappuccinos were well priced and the brekki at R65 was well worth it, given that I had rye bread and a hefty serving of avocado.
If you live in Cape Town, I am sure you are familiar with Starlings. If you are from out of town - well worth the visit.
Starlings
94 Belvedere Rd
Claremont
Phone 021 671 6875
Open Mon - Fri 7am to 5pm
Sat 8am to 4pm
Sun 8am to 2pm
till soon
K
Note: No establishment ever knows I am writing a review, I send it to them afterwards
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