Four & Twenty – Cafe and Pantry (Breakfast nook) in Chelsea Village

Inspired by “La Parie”, this little café & pantry is a must see! Huddled in the Heart of Chelsea Village lies this manifestation of a dream born at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, over a box of Parisian macaroons! This dreamy description definitely warrants a visit!

So off I went on a Saturday morning to try out their breakfast menu. I arrived at about 10am and realised that Wolfe street is not the best street to find parking unless you can parallel park… (which I can of course!). Anyway, it was about 30 degrees this particular morning as Cape Town experienced its weekend heat wave. Arriving there, I was quite taken back by the French influence including the chalkboard menu and vintage bicycle placed outside the cafe.

Upon entry, I was greeted by a waitron who quickly took us to our seats at the back of the cafe, very close to the kitchen. After waiting about 5 -10 minutes, we finally got our menus. The funny thing was the menu was A4 sheets placed on a clipboard.  Strange thing was that both menus were not exactly alike….. So it was somewhat confusing (I suggest that they clip their menus on correctly). Check out their online menu here

Being so close to the kitchen, I had to do a little inspection and was quite delighted to see that the kitchen was extremely clean, therefore freshness and cleanliness was guaranteed.

The decor was classic French style complemented by a Pantry with local produce, home-made deli items, artisanal pantry-fillers, fresh daily pastries and hand-crafted confectionery. A canvas of colour for the eyes and a mouthful of delights for the taste buds. I had a look around and everything was cute!. I absolutely loved everything about the place.

Eventually the waiter took our order which consisted of : One flat white, 1 glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, the “EGGS BE-LEAN “(Two Free-range Poached Eggs on an Aubergine, Mushroom & Truffle Rosti with Confit Baby Tomatoes & a light Yoghurt Hollandaise R65) & a pastry with poached eggs, rocket and brie cheese.

The breakfast was fresh and tasty. The wait felt quite long though, but I imagine that it’s because it gets quite busy so try and be there around 9:30am for breakfast and avoid the rush. I did feel that the service was extremely slow and a lot of the times I kept waiting for things such as cutlery, a glass of water, the menus, the bill. But no harm, no fuss, the wait was worth it.

I would definitely go back to try some of the yummy pastries I happened to see when I walked in. A moment on the lips and a lifetime on the hips….., but I guess this time, we can just ignore the saying and indulge a bit. So in the famous words of Queen Marie Antoinette (with a slight twist), Let us ALL eat cake

 – Jihan

Deets:

Website : http://www.fourandtwentycafe.co.za/

Address : 23 Wolfe Street
Chelsea Village
Wynberg
7800

Telephone: 021 762 0975
Email:  info@fourandtwentycafe.co.za

Operating hours :

Tuesday to Saturday:  8am to 5pm

(hot kitchen opens at 8h30 closes 15h30)

Sunday: 9am to 4pm

(hot kitchen opens at 9am closes 14h30)

Images from:

• Four twenty
• I heart your outfit
• self taken