I always get very excited when I discover new places in my area. I assume that after living here for almost two years that I would have tried it all. Seems I’m wrong. Tucked away and just off Main Road lies Café Nood. It’s a European-style coffee shop that serves also as a place to buy or sell art. It’s very eclectic while still being very open, fresh and uncluttered. Their menu is varied and they have a big focus on the healthier side of things — well other than their cakes, of course. The table next to me was indulging in cakes and milkshakes and they looked amazing. But, alas, it’s January and I’m trying to be good.
I had an orange juice and my husband had the carrot, apple and ginger juice. I’m not a fan of ginger but I must say his juice was very refreshing and quite tasty.
For lunch I went for the roasted butternut and carrot salad which came with butternut, carrot, feta, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and mixed leaves. Despite ordering a salad, I’m still a bit of a glutton, so I added bacon. Great choice. The salad was beautiful. It was big, colourful and very tasty. The bacon was a good addition, but I think I would have loved it without too.
My husband went for one of the wraps on the specials menu. It had chicken livers, couscous and sweet potato. I love that they offer things that most places don’t. He said it was very good and far more filling than it looked.
It was about 35 degrees Celsius in Cape Town that day, so I declined on the coffee. I’ll just have to go back. Lovely little place and definitely worth a visit.
William Banting, a British undertaker prone to obesity, was vilified when he proposed a high fat, low-carb diet in his 1863 booklet, “Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public.”
His ideas stood the test of time — ever heard of the Atkins Diet? — and restaurants such as Café Nood in Cape Town still offer Banting specials and Banting bread that’s very much in demand, according to owner Margo Dekker.
Some items on the menu at this Claremont restaurant are accompanied by a key (H for healthy, VH for very healthy and V for vegetarian.)
The restaurant is not 100-percent gluten free, Dekker told me, but Café Nood has a certified pastry chef who makes gluten free pecan and date coconut bars; flourless ricotta, berry cake, and pear, pecan and cranberry polenta; and flourless 75-percent chocolate cheesecake (one of the top sellers, along with lemon meringue.)
It’s all made with butter — no margarine.
I was fascinated when I saw on the menu Red Espresso, a rooibos espresso tea, and Red Cappucino. I tried the espresso tea which came with honey and froth on top. It tasted like a full-bodied version of rooibos. More than the taste, it was an interesting experience because all my life I thought coffee owned the market on the words espresso and cappucino.
The Café Nood name has no meaning, Dekker told me, but then she added this footnote: “The word ‘nood’ actually means ’emergency’ in Afrikaans,” she said. This became significant when she mentioned there was a hospital across the street.
Food is prepared fresh daily on the premises using local produce and there is no microwave. The website describes Café Nood as European-style coffee shop that offers a variety of food from salads to pastas.
The restaurant attracts foreign visitors, and locals who use a nearby gym. It’s also used for functions and serves as exhibit space for local artists.
I ordered a breakfast sandwich that came on dense, gluten-free, flax-seed toast with bacon, green beans, poached egg, red onion, pecarino cheese and rocket (arugula) for 55 rand ($4.74 USD). The meal was presented beautifully.
For dessert, I tried a variety of pastries and sweets: coconut ice, shortbread and florentine.
Not everything is gluten free at Café Nood. You can order Amstel, Castle or Windhoek beer and Thelema wine while admiring the large Buddha picture that dominates the restaurant’s decor.
Expert Review
I always get very excited when I discover new places in my area. I assume that after living here for...
I always get very excited when I discover new places in my area. I assume that after living here for almost two years that I would have tried it all. Seems I’m wrong. Tucked away and just off Main Road lies Café Nood. It’s a European-style coffee shop that serves also as a place to buy or sell art. It’s very eclectic while still being very open, fresh and uncluttered. Their menu is varied and they have a big focus on the healthier side of things — well other than their cakes, of course. The table next to me was indulging in cakes and milkshakes and they looked amazing. But, alas, it’s January and I’m trying to be good.
I had an orange juice and my husband had the carrot, apple and ginger juice. I’m not a fan of ginger but I must say his juice was very refreshing and quite tasty.
For lunch I went for the roasted butternut and carrot salad which came with butternut, carrot, feta, cherry tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and mixed leaves. Despite ordering a salad, I’m still a bit of a glutton, so I added bacon. Great choice. The salad was beautiful. It was big, colourful and very tasty. The bacon was a good addition, but I think I would have loved it without too.
My husband went for one of the wraps on the specials menu. It had chicken livers, couscous and sweet potato. I love that they offer things that most places don’t. He said it was very good and far more filling than it looked.
It was about 35 degrees Celsius in Cape Town that day, so I declined on the coffee. I’ll just have to go back. Lovely little place and definitely worth a visit.
Expert Review
William Banting, a British undertaker prone to obesity, was vilified when he proposed a high fat, low-carb diet in his 1863 booklet,...
William Banting, a British undertaker prone to obesity, was vilified when he proposed a high fat, low-carb diet in his 1863 booklet, “Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public.”
His ideas stood the test of time — ever heard of the Atkins Diet? — and restaurants such as Café Nood in Cape Town still offer Banting specials and Banting bread that’s very much in demand, according to owner Margo Dekker.
Some items on the menu at this Claremont restaurant are accompanied by a key (H for healthy, VH for very healthy and V for vegetarian.)
The restaurant is not 100-percent gluten free, Dekker told me, but Café Nood has a certified pastry chef who makes gluten free pecan and date coconut bars; flourless ricotta, berry cake, and pear, pecan and cranberry polenta; and flourless 75-percent chocolate cheesecake (one of the top sellers, along with lemon meringue.)
It’s all made with butter — no margarine.
I was fascinated when I saw on the menu Red Espresso, a rooibos espresso tea, and Red Cappucino. I tried the espresso tea which came with honey and froth on top. It tasted like a full-bodied version of rooibos. More than the taste, it was an interesting experience because all my life I thought coffee owned the market on the words espresso and cappucino.
The Café Nood name has no meaning, Dekker told me, but then she added this footnote: “The word ‘nood’ actually means ’emergency’ in Afrikaans,” she said. This became significant when she mentioned there was a hospital across the street.
Food is prepared fresh daily on the premises using local produce and there is no microwave. The website describes Café Nood as European-style coffee shop that offers a variety of food from salads to pastas.
The restaurant attracts foreign visitors, and locals who use a nearby gym. It’s also used for functions and serves as exhibit space for local artists.
I ordered a breakfast sandwich that came on dense, gluten-free, flax-seed toast with bacon, green beans, poached egg, red onion, pecarino cheese and rocket (arugula) for 55 rand ($4.74 USD). The meal was presented beautifully.
For dessert, I tried a variety of pastries and sweets: coconut ice, shortbread and florentine.
Not everything is gluten free at Café Nood. You can order Amstel, Castle or Windhoek beer and Thelema wine while admiring the large Buddha picture that dominates the restaurant’s decor.