Box clever to find Freedom in a container

Freedom Café 43 St Mary’s Avenue Greyville Phone: 031 309 4453 Open Tuesday to Sunday 7am to 4pm (breakfast and lunch) YOU won’t stumble upon Freedom Café, tucked away as this out-the-box-in-the-box (an expanded container) eatery is in the courtyard of The Concierge boutique hotel in Greyville. You have to know about it. Or consult Google.

It was a rainy Saturday that I recently met a friend there for lunch. Being rainy, the tables on the deck area under the trees were not an option. Not a problem. There is a lot of glass and greenery so most tables give a sense of inside-outside dining.

Freedom Café is known for its fresh ingredients, flavourful food and creative menu. The vibe is always relaxed and chatty.

We shared a table, everyone being inside because of the weather. This is the norm in some countries where you don’t ask. Just sit down, say hello, then get on with your life. In my humble opinion we should make it the norm here. It doesn’t mean you involve yourself with others at the table. It is just practical, friendly, and makes sense.

Had it been earlier than the 11am cut-off, I might have tried one of the six Benedicts (R65 R79) on the breakfast/brunch menu, or the avo with biltong dust on toast (R50).

But we were there for lunch and started with – to share – the tapas trio: a rich and robust red pepper dip, fresh and yoghurty tsatsiki, a very good smoked olives and excellent chewy Glenwood Bakery rye toast (R65); and the waitron-recommended zucchini fries with housemade mayo (R40). The crispy batter encasing the melt-in-the-mouth creamy zucchini made for a lovely texture contrast. The mayo was too overwhelmingly lemony for my taste.

I would like to go back on a day when nothing is planned to indulge in the “Wheel Out the Gin Trolley” domestic and imported gin selection from the “Boozed” part of the menu. It offers creative cocktails and wines by the glass or bottle. But we both had early evening plans, so chose the green spinach-based and red beetroot-based juices from the “robot” menu (R26).

The chilly weather called for comfort food. The Sri Lankan lamb bowl, tender lean chunks with coconut rice, pico di gallo and tomato chilli jam (R120) was mildly spiced, tasty and light.

The pulled pork (R88) is slow-cooked in Coca-Cola, the waitron said when asked about the “cola” mentioned on the menu. It was succulent and lovely in combination with the fresh avo, black beans and wild brown rice. In both dishes the tomato chilli jam gave a contrast that my taste buds applauded. And a plus for the pea-sprout greenery added.

I hadn’t had kimchi for ages so we shared a kimchi and mayo beef burger (R85). This was served as burgers should be: a plump, juicy meat patty and a minimalist bun – as distinct from a great big mediocre bun overwhelming the rest.

We shared a dessert from the Affogato Bar part of the menu, where there are five options. Who could resist something called “Paradise”? And sure enough, the vanilla ice cream, the little bubbly bursts of chia seeds, contrasting bite of granadilla and shot of bitter espresso (R55) was paradise enough to end with.

We had a rather “indulge yourself ” feast. I will be back soon for some of the snacky things on the menu when not too hungry.