A heady, homely brew

sun and enjoyed a top-class cappuccino (R28), rich, full flavoured and decidedly rewarding.

My friend’s latte got the thumbs up. We washed it all down with a superb chocolate brownie. The shop offers a small range of artisanal baking, and a few sandwiches with fillings like Brie, bacon and onion marmalade.

Unfortunately Savior Courtyard was closed the day we trawled the strip. It’s worth a visit for its scrambled egg croissants and signature coffees.

Next up was the coffee shop inside the Apple Shop on Florida Road. As we drooled over the latest selection of drones (we didn’t ask the prices), we enjoyed another superb cappuccino (R30) made from Tribeca beans, and pulled by DC who many will remember as the barista from Mark Gold.

It was one of those where coffee, milk and foam had merged into a deliciously rich flavourful beverage.

We popped into Kauai next door, where the coffee was disappointing. Known for their delicious and healthy smoothies and wraps, the cappuccino (R29) was scaldingly hot and when it cooled tasted of little more than boiled milk. It even looked blonde.

Further down the road is the Seattle Coffee Company, whose cappuccino (R30) was unfortunately erring on the bland side. It was pleasant enough but not challenging. One was left with that pasteurised, homogenised feeling.

A little lower down, on Eighth Avenue, off Florida Road, is Col’Tempo, the Italian deli and charcuterie that also serves light lunches and excellent coffees. We sat in the courtyard enjoying another beautiful, rich cappuccino. And we couldn’t leave without a packet of goodies that included artichoke ravioli and amaretti biscuits.

At the bottom of the street is City Roast, the coffee outlet that shares premises with Fresh Flowers International and the Falafel Fundi, giving a

decidedly unique feel. Etched onto the glass shopfront is “Coffee can’t solve all your problems, but it is a great start”. And their cappuccino (R27) certainly was a great end point. Another beautifully rounded full-flavoured beverage. It regularly accompanies a falafel salad for lunch when stuck in the office.

Walking back up Florida Road to the car we decided we were peckish and could face one more shot of coffee, so we stopped in at Istanbul for their signature Turkish coffee (R30).

Comparing this to a cappuccino is a bit like comparing apples and oranges, but it is one of the street’s distinctive offerings. This was a cup full of intense coffee goodness that is a real wake-up call.

We shared a kunefe (R60), a Middle Eastern pastry made from shredded semolina dough wrapped around cheese and pistachio nuts and soaked in a rose water syrup. Delicious.

We thought back on the many coffees we had drunk. We weren’t going to declare winners because most of them are winners, but the overriding impression was that the small, independent outlets outplayed the big commercial coffee chains.