Starlings — Restaurant in Claremont

Starlings

Starlings Cafe has always been very near and dear to my heart. My mom and I used to visit this beautiful spot quite often back in the day. It is such a serene venue with lovely seating outside underneath the trees. It feels like your family house backyard mixed with a fairy forest. There is also seating inside but I much prefer sitting out in the garden. I visited this home away from home last Tuesday, where I met my gran and aunt for breakfast. Well, I had breakfast and they had cake. Actually, I had breakfast and finished both of their sweet treats. It was my birthday so it’s allowed! I got there a little early and I’m very happy I did as I managed to get the last table in the garden area. The table itself was exquisite. It was large and mosaiced. Another thing I used to do with my mom, so it brought back many fond memories. Soon after, my family arrived and we ordered our drinks. I ordered my usual, flat white with almond milk. It was smooth yet creamy and delicious.

For breakfast, I was craving something filling and comforting. I opted for the curried mince on toast with poached eggs. My gran ordered the milk tart, and my aunt ordered the carrot cake. I must say, we all chose very good options but in all honesty, everything at Starlings is just divine. Not too long after ordering, our food arrived. I’m not sure if it was fast or we were all just enjoying a lovely catch up in beautiful surroundings. Either way, I was happy. When I saw my meal placed in front of me, my mouth started to water. I was so excited to dive in, it felt like time slowed down. Soon enough, I took the perfect first bite of crisp yet soft sourdough topped with beautiful spiced, not spicy, but well spiced mince and all coated by the golden yolk. Let me not forget to mention the delicious tomato relish it came with. It added the perfect about of sweetness and freshness to this heartwarming dish. I cannot fault it. The table grew very quiet and that was a sign of the three of us thoroughly enjoying our food. I was incredibly full and happy after my meal but my aunt and gran both left 2 bites of their treats. I definitely wasn’t going to let that go to waste. I started with the milk tart. The crust was so buttery and the filling was silky smooth and topped with just the right amount of cinnamon. I would have to agree with my gran, it is definitely the best milk tart I have ever had. Moving on to the carrot cake, let me just say, oh my word. This was absolutely phenomenal. It was super moist and dense. It was absolutely smothered in thick cream cheese and topped with walnuts. This is definitely one of the best carrot cakes I’ve had, and it was my favourite dish of the day. Overall, I give the food an eleven out of ten. The portions are all generous and beautifully plated.

I’ve been coming to Starlings for years and I’ve only ever had positive experiences. From the food to the staff to the setting. It is all impeccable.

I’ve only ever come here to meet family for breakfast, but I did notice quite a few people working on their laptops from the shared tables. I think I will definitely come back sooner rather than later, and get some work done all at the same time.

Unfortunately, I did not take a photo of the menu and my gran so kindly paid for my birthday breakfast so I don’t know what the bill came to. But what I can say is that the quality is excellent, and I feel it is most...

STARLINGS (Claremont, CT) | ☆☆☆☆ | 4.2

Im just the average food lover on an adventure to find The Best Eggs Benedict & Coffee Combo (EBCC) in SA, Iv started in Cape Town and my journey is still young, but Starlings is holding No.1 so far on my list at the time of this review, with a 4.2 of a 5☆ rating.

VENUE: A rad little place, I like the fact that there is no signage just a gate in a hedge, which makes it feel like a secret surfer spot. It has a bit tight inside yet still cosy, but on a sunny day, the garden is perfect.

SERVICE: Starlings in general has amazing service and the time from order to munching is fast with no sacrifice to quality.

PRICE: Really good value for quality and quantity.

● Coffee R22.00 ( standard size cup )

● Eggs Benedict R75.00 ( 2 eggs, 4 bacon, 1 large toast)

*You can ask for a second slice of toast.

AVAILABILITY:

**Breakfast is not served all day

Weekdays seem busy, but there are open spots. Breakfast ends at 12:00

Weekends seem very busy, with a moderate waiting time. Breakfast ends at 12:30 on Saturdays and at 1pm on Sundays.

• STAR RATINGS *

■ COFFEE | ☆☆☆| I always go for a cappaccino as my choice, they use Origin: Spring Blend Beans and has a fairly good taste without sugar and works well with the EB. I would say its more of a Flat White, to those who are specific about their foam. The coffee does not clash with the EB for taste bud attention.

• Not a 4 or 5 star because I have had better, but 3 is still worth it.*

■ BREAD | ☆☆☆☆ | You have a few choices, I have had the homemade whole-wheat and the the sour dough, which are both very nice. I haven't tried the rye yet.

• The bread is slightly over toasted for me and can be a bit hard to work with, so ask for slightly toasted if hard toast is not your thing.*

■ BACON | ☆☆☆☆☆ | Tasty and varies between normal to slightly crispy.

■ EGGS | ☆☆☆☆☆| Well cooked and reliable to how you ask for them.

■ HOLLENDAISE | ☆☆☆☆ | It tastes like it has an English Mustard touch to it, with a good thickness and an all round tasty flavour.

OVERALL:

The Good: I keep going back, because it's just that good.

The Not So Bad: I work freelance hours, so I rely on having a breakfast option anytime of the day, but sadly they don't due to the kitchen change over to be used for the awesome lunch menu, which is...

Never again, very disappointed to say the least. I was issued with a letter of house rules on sitting with my laptop. A so called staff member asked if she can get me coffee? Not may I get you something to drink? Same staff member told the patrons to my left, that they need to move as she has a bigger table to accommodate in that space.. Not, pls may I ask you to move??? I left, having lost my sense of humor and appetite. Didn't eat my lunch, which arrived, cold, to which I requested it to be warmed up, still cold?? What a terrible experience in what was once a lovely establishment. IN RESPONSE TO YOU, regarding your video footage, one always sees what they want to see and there is always 2 sides to a story. The ladies to my left that very nicely moved to another table, found your wonderful Daphne, to be rude too, as we had spoken before they removed themselves. I didn't move because I was asked to, I did because I felt that I wanted to give the bigger group the extra space, no other reason! At no point did I use your plug point, your wifi, I came equipped! When Daphne abruptly asked if I wanted coffee, I responded that I didn't want anything at the time as I wasn't happy with her tone and was hoping another waiter wld come my way, and this is exactly what happened! A young man, very polite whom then, after me not having ordered anything yet because I wasn't keen to order from Daphne, issued me with house rules.. Not on! And I don't care if the dish is ordered cold, hot, I asked for it to be warned, I am the customer, I'm paying for the meal, if I want it warm, I shld be able to request warm! By the time the meal came back and was still cold, I'd had enough and left. No way was I going to pay for a meal I never ate, most definitely not after the...