Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Simple food just like mama used to make
Restaurant: The Cousins Address: 3b Barrack Street, CBD Contact: 021 461 3168 E-mail: thecousinssa@gmail.com Trade hours: Monday to Friday: breakfast 8.30am to 10.30am, lunch noon to 2.30pm, dinner 6pm to 9pm. Saturday: 6pm to 9pm. Sunday: closed Dish: English breakfast Price: R72
SOYISO MALITI
BARRACK Street is probably one of the least busy streets in Cape Town and has little to offer in terms of restaurants, but it does offer a spot where you can hang out and enjoy breakfast.
The Cousins is an Italian restaurant run by cousins Simone Briganti and Andrea Biondi, hence the name of the restaurant.
They are from Romagna on Italy’s Adriatic coast.
I chose a table beside a big window with a nice view of the street and towering buildings.
From the English breakfast options, I choose bacon rashers, fried eggs, a sausage, sautéed mushrooms and two slices of white toast.
When my plate was placed in front of me, the whiff gets my taste buds tingling, I spotted a sign on the menu board, which read “buon appetito”. I nodded in agreement.
Acoustic music played in the background.
I enjoyed the breakfast so much that if I was at home I would have had seconds.
I ordered a cup of coffee and a cappuccino for my colleague.
The restaurant has Italian elements throughout, and friendly service to match.
Enjoying my coffee, I had a chat with Kieran – a German waiter who started working there two weeks ago.
“(This restaurant) is known for its homemade pasta,” he says.
One of the owners, Simone Briganti, was around and he was very friendly.
I loved the way he said, “buon appetito” in his heavy Italian accent.
After breakfast, he told me more about the restaurant. He said he and his cousin had lived in Cape Town for several years.
“We felt there was no place in the city where you could find the simple, authentic Italian food that we really know how to make,” he said, and that’s how the idea for the restaurant came about.