Observatory is one of those “special” spots in Cape Town… slightly dodgy in some areas (I won’t lie), the locals can be quite strange (otherwise known as “arty”) and it’s not usually a very happening place for new, exciting party or dining spots.  But boy the place packs a lot of charm and for that there’s always been a small part of me that secretly loves it.

About 2 weeks ago my friends and I discovered a true dining gem there though.  It’s called Gypsy Cafe and you’ll find it at 87 Station Rd.

It’s only about 5 months old, but from the reviews I’ve seen online already, I’m betting it’s going to become a regular “foodie” hangout.  The interior is quirky & fun, decorated with the most interesting flea market finds, fairy lights and great pops of colour…

To drink we had some Protea wine.  I had not heard of this wine before, but turns out it is from a Anthonij Rupert wine collection (the people who also own L’Ormarins).  We had the 2010 Merlot and it was a really nice, easy drinking wine.

For starters we got a selection for the table so we could each get a little taste of all the different goodies on offer.   From left to right below you have:

• veg spring rolls R32
• tacos (was a special – so didn’t get the price)
• chicken livers R32

If I had to rank them, I'd say the livers were the best, then the tacos and then the spring rolls.

We also had a salmon dish – but I didn’t really like that to be honest.  It was a cold dish and I was expecting it to be warm.  So the texture just wasn’t for me.  Anyhoo, not a train smash as I was way more excited about the mains.  All the options sounded absolutely delicious when they explained the menu to us and was eager to dig in.

Being torn between the Mexican chicken breast stack (R69) and the Venison (which was ostrich – R89), my friend Mike and I made a pact to give each other a little piece of their dish so we could sample both.  He got the chicken:

And I got the ostrich:

Btw, R89 for a venison dish is a reaaaally good price...

Oooh and look at my cute heart shaped chip dish:
Both dishes were really great.  So much flavour, the meat was super tender, the chippies rocked and I could have totally licked the plate.

For dessert, Mike & I decided to share again and we got the bread & butter pudding.  But this was no regular bread & butter pudding… it had no icky raisins  (I HATE raisins in baked goods or desserts… blegh) and it also came with a creamy milk chocolate sauce… yum!

Another nice dessert at the table was this mini apple crisp tart with homemade ice cream on the side:

When our bill arrived, even that was super cute.  We got little after dinner chocolate coins (that totally took me back to my childhood – used to love chocolate coins, mostly cause I love both chocolate & money, so this was a perfect mix! haha) and our bill was rolled up like a little scroll.  Luv the attention to detail.

So yeah, wanna try a new & different spot?  I highly recommend this one and it gets a Miss K Kiss-o-Meter rating of:

Just important to note:  Take cash.  They haven’t yet sorted out their card facilities.  But they do have an EFT facility there if you’re in a bind.

xxx