Ok, so I may be pregnant and finally able to eat after months of HG, but irrespective, this list would still stand. Baby belly or not, my obsession and history with dessert is a long one. In fact, it was to my birthday cake that I took my very first step at my first birthday party – the very beginning of my endless and insatiable trek towards cake.
This is by means an exhaustive list but these are my top 5 dessert spots right now in the Mother City:
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Jason’s Bakery
Duh. If the famous and impossible-to-get-your-hands-on doughsant wasn’t enough, Jason’s Bakery on Bree Street has now brought out a croclair, because why the hell not? A cross between a croissant and an eclair, this thing has my cravings written all over it. An eclair-shaped croissant filled with proper Chantilly cream and dipped in chocolate? And dessert for breakfast? Um, yes please. You’ve gotta be quick though (and pretty ruthless, which is a perfect way to describe any pregnant lady) – unsurprisingly, these babies sell out fast.
2. Localli
Dammit, these guys beat me to it. After seeing the mille-crepe cake trending all over Pinterest for some time, I was wanting to try my hand at it, but Localli got there first. And I’m glad for it – who am I kidding? I suck at pancakes. But having them prepared for me, by the thousand (literally, mille means ‘thousand’ for the layers) sounds right up my alley. Ok, fine, there’s only like 20 pancakes in each stack, filled with different flavoured creme patisseries including matcha, fresh strawberry and creme brulee. Oh, and all made using locally sourced ingredients. Find them in St George’s Mall.
3. My Sugar
I remember when these guys opened and I interviewed owner and chocolatier, Kaylah Greenberg, for a feature in House and Leisure, back when I was Online Ed, and yes I went home with a shit-ton of chocolate for dessert. This girl is talented and, as I told her at the time, she is literally living my childhood dream of working in a chocolate factory. That factory is a little sidewalk cafe in Sea Point just bursting with artisan chocolates, stuffed doughnuts, ridiculously indulgent milkshakes and other gorgeous, yummy, decadent things. Also, she’s such a wonderful and inviting host – go chat to this woman! She’s doing amazing things.
4. Cookies & Cream
Ok, so I’m a little biased with this one… Owner and founder of this amazing ice cream sandwich/bubble waffle shop, Terri-Lee, happens to be a friend of mine and someone I admire immensely. Not only did she start her own business (hello, dream!), but her entire idea, logo, concept and design were literally stolen from her by another similar, highly publicised company-that-shall-not-be-named that had more resources and more connections than her, AND YET, she slowly and patiently rebuilt her business to what it is today. She now owns her own store and is kicking ass, just as she so rightly deserves! Get her amazing ice creams until late from Cookies & Cream in Buitengracht Street.
5. Honest Chocolate Cafe
One of the only reasons I miss living in the city centre was being so close to Honest Chocolate and their gorgeous, hidden little courtyard to escape the hustle and bustle. I don’t even know how many times I’ve popped round to just inhale deeply that wonderful chocolate scent and stare at that long dessert menu. I was there for their launch a couple years ago and tried my first ever chocolate guac – genius! My favourite though has to be their famous Bunny Chow made with banana bread and filled with ice cream and topped with chocolate ganache. Oh. My. Goodness.
Happy drooling! – ♥ Dani