Breakfast on Albert? No, Superette.

Posted on | July 19, 2012 | No Comments

Albert Road, Woodstock is mixture of the skanky and the stylish. Abundant in untenanted or not-so-appealing commercial premises (though Cape Bag Depot, more alluringly called “Cape Jute” in the olden days has always exuded a certain fibrous charisma) and what about the Rainbow Tavern where humid beer odour and sporadic phlegm projectiles both travel streetward though the doorway?

For stylish there is a shop celebrating the woodeness of all things. Not just spinning tops and curved planes of plywood turned into barstools but sunglasses and wristwatches too. Old Biscuit Mill is alright. The coffee shop coexisting in a working setting: in this case the work context is a barber shop in a leathery Cluedo study: Wilbur done it with a cutthroat and a bottle of Vitalis. What about the World of Rustic Picture Frames owned by Victor of Madeira (Bom dia)- for old style image upload?

On our way to buy a wardrobe full of towelling dressing gowns from a factory outlet for towel and linen it was Superette with its spacious dining roomy look and well laden plates of food that sent out an irresitable tractor beam to our breakfastless insides. We shrugged off the urge to press our faces to the big windows and got the gowns.

Then we came back with bulky plastic bags packed with robes and some impulse buy waffle-weave tea towels. Superette was even better from the inside. A big Tonka toy yellow deli fridge with a wooden frame holding a square of fresh honey comb dripping like a syrupy hourglass into a vessel underneath: any fresher and it would be swarming around stinging you. A table with muffins, cakes and those green vegetables that look like 3D chaos theory models. There are little things to ponder like a big single digit timer that repeatedly counted down from 20 to 0 (which I found hard to ignore [and better than a big TV on a sport channel]), a decorated “pump pot” flask that used to gasp and splutter lukewarm tea into mugs across the country in the early 80′s. Good old evergreen retro, nice furniture, a bit of art on the wall and just enough humans to make it buzzy and inviting.

But its all props and pretensions without the food. And we found the food to be good: an All Day Breakfast Sandwich and an Americano each. Bacon, scrambled egg, roasted cherry tomatoes and leafy greens on sourdough toast. Quality farmyard fats and proteins done right take a lot of beating. Good bread and a free glass of crispy cool cucumber water tame those beasts and round it all off.

Superette, 218 Albert Rd, Woodstock, Cape Town

info@superette.co.za, +27218025525