Café Crème: when coffee meets cute

Ryneveld seems to be taking over as the coffee street of the Stellenbosch Coffee Project. As soon as we finish at one shop and take a further step on our adventure, we land straight on the doorstep of yet another coffee haven and Café Crème was no exception.

Tucked away under black awnings and set into the building, it's not quite so easy to pass this one by. The atmosphere draws you straight in. In the warmer weather, an assortment of tables stand crowded onto the pavement, seemingly calling to passers-by to sit down for a quick something. 

We ventured a bit further into the shop and weren't disappointed, before we even got to the caffeine (after all, while the coffee is vital, the vibe needs to be there too). This is undoubtedly one of the coziest coffee shops in Stellenbosch thus far and finding a room with more buzzing atmosphere will be a tough task. 

The coffee is good, if forgettable and slightly on the wrong side of "not hot enough", but still provides a pleasant accompaniment to the delicious variety of treats on hand.

Word must be out about what a lovely experience this particular stop; the constant traffic and scrambling for any table that's available is testament to the fact that this 8 month old café is doing something right. Having the owner on hand and actively involved in the experience is also a huge plus that seems to be a common trend in the coffee shops that always make you want to go back for more. (See The Blue Crane and the Butterfly for another example)

For more info and updates on specials, go check them out on Facebook here.

Note: no wi-fi available yet so you'll have to put the laptop away and soak in the surroundings.

    

A delight to the Taste Buds

Last week, in the brief respite Stellenbosch was granted from otherwise miserable weather, a walk down Ryneveld landed us on the doorstep of Taste Bud Eatery and coffee shop, situated in the Skuinshuis. As far as initial impressions go, it's easy to walk by this particular door without giving it so much as a second glance, but you'd do well to pay attention to the adage of "don't judge a book by it's cover" and sit down for a quick cuppa.

A self-described "soul food" restaurant, the coffee menu is definitely good enough to do some soul soothing  of it's own. The menu is fairly varied, and a cappuccino and iced-latte were the choice of the day, just to change it up.

When the first words that come to mind with the first sip are "wow this is the best cappuccino I've ever tasted", it's definitely telling and the rest of the cup didn't disappoint. Strong, hot and creamy: all three boxes checked and then some. The iced-latte was equally wonderful, and a definite must for the warm days which will hopefully be showing their faces around these parts soon. The general consensus was "...at the moment this is the tastiest cup of coffee in Stellenbosch..."

The coffee is the only real drawing point though; if you enjoy the atmosphere that comes along with the best coffee shops then you will leave here with a sense that something is missing in amongst the eerie silence and whitewashed decor. If, however, you enjoy feeling as though you've stumbled across a table in the middle of a street where coffee magically appears on your table, then this is the place for you.

Regardless, whether you enjoy a bustling; quiet; eclectic or minimalism feel, if you enjoy good coffee then be sure to add Taste Bud to your coffee bucket-list.

www.tastebudeatery.co.za