Cape Town – right under your nose

The unreleased tracks and B-sides of Cape Town – right here.

The pavement, the counter and the pot plant: Clarke’s Bar and Dining Room

Posted on | July 10, 2012 | No Comments

Who is Clarke? I dunno. Owner’s surname or first name or a reference to those shoes?
Saturdays in Cape Town in the Bree Street hood can be a bit lame. Offices and shops are closed and so too are the food places and coffee shops that supply the condemned and their customers.

It loomed up, it was open, had an alluring name and a table standing still on the pavement.Presently it was supporting our coffee and toasted goat’s cheese sandwiches on milk bread. One with added jalapeno. O, the satisfaction of gazing up and down Bree Street with a mouthful of molten cheese and hot toast. Massive 86 year old gumtrees  on the right and younger acacias up the road with a shopful of presentably clad clientele dressing the window of the diner behind us.

The next time we sat at the counter. From here you can see the burgers being grilled, the chips deep-fried and big sandwiches built by the latex begloved hands of the big sandwich builder. 2 Americanos and a reuben was our order (see the bill pic). ZAR14 for a cup of coffee is bearable but only if each mouthful gives 50c worth of palate pinging flavour. 7 point 5 out of 10 for this one. The bread was a kind of sourdough rye with lots of sliced beef. Paler than the brisket or pastrami I’m used to but so what, I’m no authority. Red sauerkraut, white cheese and a gherkin the size of a D battery. Give me more.

Clarke’s Bar and Dining Room, 133 Bree Street, Cape Town. Tel +27214227648

Inside Clarke's, Bree St, Cape Town

Only the strong survive behind the counter

Driving the toaster round Cape Town

The master of sandwiches

The Reuben

A reuben all of my own

The bill of Clarke's

File under "Food"

 

Category: Cape Town restaurants, Cape Town under your nose, Travelers and visitors
Tags: > >

Comments

  • Archives