Café Felix in Riebeek-Kasteel will certainly take your mind off the ills of our times. For here’s a place where you go with friends to get lost in the chatter, only then to realise how well you’re being fed.
Named after the original owners’ cheeky black cat, who sadly is no more, today, equally sassy parakeet Felix has become the new mascot.
Starting life as a tobacco barn, the restaurant building at 7 Church Street dates back to about 1860. Homely, with a touch of the old and new, the dining room – with tables and chairs reassuringly spaced – is designed to keep the world at bay. But summer surely calls for alfresco dining under the magnificent oaks.
Offering seasonal dishes that have French roots with an occasional Asian or South African flourish, the menu has something for every palate. Starters are a bugle call for greater things to come: a crisp Tom Yum prawn salad, zingy peri-peri chicken livers and chilli jam fish cakes.
Mains include a compelling chicken pie; an engrossing pork belly with pommes anna, plum chutney and red wine jus; and a stridently spicy butternut, spinach & red pepper Madras. Ooh, and the Pizza Sophia Loren with crispy bacon, avo, goats’ cheese, sun dried tomato and rocket definitely demands attention.
The wine list comprises both budget-friendly local wines and those from estates further afield. Add to this the chipper service and the restaurant becomes a triple thumbs-up.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, phone 022 4481170 to book.
