Luxurious chocolate eclairs baked at Cassis are innocently lined up to tantalise your tastebuds.Photo : Emma Graham

Words : Harriet Perks

My grandpa used to say that we have two tummies: one for main-courses and one for puddings. Stirring Cape Town’s melting pot of cultures and nationalities, you will find abundant bakeries, restaurants and cafes to fill your second stomach. German, French, South African, Italian and specifically Milanese, the five iced gems are guaranteed to hit the spot...

‘Arrogance.’ ‘Elegance.’ Whichever word you use to portray Paris itself, it’s the latter that ‘Cassis, Paris’ brings to us in Cape Town. Its pristine-white interior sets off beautifully crisp pastries and moist cakes, made with imported French flower. Headed by the famed Patrick Moreau, who has baked for Morocco’s King Mohammed VI, Cassis is unsurprisingly ‘a little bit expensive, but every once in a while, a nice treat’ as customer Linda admitted with a cheeky smile. Fresh macarons with a cool, chewy centre (R6) and ‘absolutely fabulous’ croissants (R11) are rivalled closely by the thick, creamy cheesecake (R26), which waiter Yusuf reveals is not baked, to avoid a ‘flowery taste’. Passing two hungry Frenchmen on my way out, I could safely wish them a ‘bon appétit’.

Truth staff member Luyolo, one of South Africa’s Top 12 Baristas gives us a little taste of what he is capable of.Photo: Atsushi Hirao

Words : Christine Kolland

Some would say, there are two main kinds of coffee drinkers: first the junkies (easy to recognise as they are either slumped in some corner or they are perky and upright with a great cuppa joe in their hands. And second, the part-time drinkers, always keen to sip a cup of coffee with friends, so in their books, coffee = socialising. Luckily, Cape Town has a variety of cafés to satisfy need, both the junkies’ next shot and the socialiser’s enjoyment, or anything else in between. Because sometimes, all you really need is a first class cup of steaming coffee.

The first cup in the morning: Truth. Those of you who really need that extra hard ‘kick’ in the morning, ‘Truth’ is the place to go. This is the kind of place where it’s just you and this steaming cup of tasty coffee. The open and really light cafe space has a similar affect to a little bit of sunshine leaking through your curtains on those ‘I-REALLY-don’t-want-to-get-up’ days and finally gives you life. And honestly, the coffee is just great with an espresso setting you back R14 and a cappuccino R18. It’s that (rare) kind of coffee that tastes good, has to be enjoyed and leaves you feeling certain that it’s going to be a good day. Just when you thought this place couldn’t get any better, there is a coffee academy ready to be launched as well as a second shop in Buitenkant Street, and a new (well, year of birth is before 1950) roaster has just been bought.

The iconic croissant logo above the doorway marks the entrance to Jason Bakery.Photo: Katharina Langseth

Words : Lukas Loose

Where would the hipster, wearing nerd-glasses, a cardigan and black, skinny chinos go when he wants to have fun in Cape Town? Long Street? Too mainstream! Kloof Street? No, too passé. The answer is Bree Street. This place is literally the hipster’s paradise, filled with designer-bars, organic food restaurants and unique shops offering extraordinary clothes and crazy furniture. On a sunny Wednesday morning this hipster went to Bree Street to check out the coolest spots in this neck of the woods.

Are you hungry? Of course! Every good day starts with a good breakfast and after you have seen those bad cereal commercials you should be motivated enough to go to Jason Bakery! First of all, the owner of the place is called ‘Captain Bread’, which already tells you a lot about the place. As you enter, the hip and busy atmosphere welcomes you immediately. The interior design is very trendy, it consists of a lot of wood and some black elements such as the counter, behind which a wide range of freshly-prepared products attract your attention.