Flavourcape

Six of us tried out Open Door’s new breakfast deck on Sunday and had a tastily lazy morning. There are plenty of good breakfast spots in Cape Town but most are indoors. The appeal of Open Door is that you can sit outside and enjoy rural views of a BMX track with lovely mountains behind.

Executive chef Annemarie Steenkamp and pastry chef Christine de Villiers put their heads together to make the cereal and hot options more creative than the usual breakfast fry-up. They’ve both worked at Le Quartier Français in Franschhoek at some point, where even the buffet selections pitch way above the average hotel breakfast, and nothing is out of a box. So a similar attention to detail shows at Open Door.

We had two children under seven that hopefully didn’t annoy too many adults with their running about outside. A plus is a great BMX track within walking distance – they charge R50 a day for kids of all ages. It’s just a little far away to watch your kids from an Open Door breakfast table – now that would be styling. But could become a handy combo with breakfast all the same. We vowed to return with mini bikes to spend some time getting dusty.

What to eat The beetroot yoghurt with homemade nut, seed and coconut granola sounds unusual, but we stuck to hot items. A thick slice of toasted brioche with two poached eggs, tangy citrus hollandaise, chorizo and sweetcorn is the flat-out winner here. Bits of fatty bone marrow are hidden under a velvet coating of sauce. If you’re lusting after comfort food, a baked sausage, poached eggs and spiced tomato sauce dish with melted gruyere cheese is a good alternative. Only a little lacking in chili heat.

Two food-inclined boys were happy with a homemade croissant and scrambled egg (an alternative was boiled eggs with sourdough toast soldiers). The only disappointment was the waffle topped with maple syrup, crispy bacon and two fried eggs. Nothing intrinsically wrong, although a waffle’s ability to soak up syrup and seem dry never helps. It arrived in an old black frying pan and seemed to be more about presentation than a well-matched combination.

When to go Breakfast is only served from 9am to 11am.

Who to take Well-behaved families, couples and groups of friends will all enjoy this.

What to drink The juices are made properly. The apple zing (apple, carrot and lots of fresh ginger) gets my vote.

How much? Gourmet granola R68, freshly made juices R38/R45, flat whites/cappuccinos R24, homemade croissants with scrambled egg R42, creative savoury dishes (benedicts, waffles) R72 to R82.

OPEN DOOR, Constantia Uitsig, Spaanschemat River Road, Constantia. Monday to Saturday for breakfast. 021-794-3010, Open Door

Also see Open Doors at Constantia’s original Spaanschemat restaurant