Wining and Dining: Divine al fresco eating at Bottom Drawer

By The Standard | Jun. 27, 2011

By Le connoisseur It’s a typical winter day, with a chilly bite to the air but the sun is shining, inviting you to bask in its light. I check the street atlas once more before driving to Belgravia. Once again, I discard my pre-planned route, believing my inner compass can traverse the roads in this area and guide me timeously to my destination.

Once again, I am wrong. After a couple of wrong turns and dips into potholes the size of craters, I finally find the right road. Thankfully I am saved from guessing which direction to turn as there are many cars parked outside the coffee shop. The Bottom Drawer is located at number 14 Maasdorp Road and lucky for us, it is a popular venue at lunch time.

En route to the dining area, I am side-tracked by the shop and want to see what is on offer. My friend suggests that we browse after we eat, so we continue to the café which is located in the back garden. It is beautiful. There is a fenced and gated swimming pool, an abundance of lush vegetation and various bird-calls. It is child-friendly with a Wendy-house, trampoline and miniature tables and chairs. The tables are well spaced out so it is possible to have a business meeting or a romantic tête-á-tête in relative privacy.

I am enchanted. We find our table and the waitress arrives with our menus. I must commend the waitresses for their ability to walk without tripping while wearing bizarrely extra long aprons!

There is a large selection of hot and cold beverages. They serve tea-time snacks, breakfast, lunch, desserts and meals specifically for kids.The breakfast selection is very tempting and I know I have to return to try it. I order a Mediterranean quiche and homemade lemonade to drink. My friend opts for the chicken and mushroom potpie and a strawberry smoothie.

After our main course we ask for the menus to order dessert. I opt for the filter coffee and Heavenly cake. The cake is described as “made with very little more than just chocolate. This decadently, delicious mousse cake is a chocoholic’s heaven”. It is divine, so full of chocolate that it is oozing out of the slice. The strong filter coffee goes well with this sweet treat.

My friend orders the cheesecake. It is described as “absolutely smooth and creamy”. It is “served chilled and drizzled with a syrupy fruit-in-season coulis”. The fruit is granadilla and this makes the cheesecake pleasantly tart. My friend is unable to finish her dessert because her smoothie is a “meal by itself”, very thick, creamy and filling. After paying the bill we wander through the shop looking at bedding, kitchenware and stunning handbags. I am well-fed and relaxed.

The Bottom Drawer is a beautiful place to dine al fresco! We had only two criticisms. We experienced not much of a welcome, and a long wait before our order was taken — the place was very busy but appeared to have only 2 waitresses, clearly not easily coping with the demands of the clientèle. Deluxe Coffee Shop