Just watching the world go by…

Café: Sequoia Cafe Address: 69 Burg Street Contact: 060 363 7998 Hours: Weekdays 7am-4pm Dish eaten: Three-egg omelette with cheese and ham Price: R52

WENDYL MARTIN

NOT TOO shabby, hey Nige, for new kids. The unpronounceable Sequoia nabbed a trendy corner on Burg and Church street, which was previously occupied by a private education institution. And to boot, the breakfast and coffee is good.

My colleague and I took quiet corner seating, giving a full view of the café and the street corner outside.

The breakfast menu is a short one but seems well executed. My omelette was served folded on a slice of crusty ciabatta, with thin, streaky ham piled on top. Another slice of ciabatta was on the side of the plate with a small side salad with cherry tomatoes, red onion, rocket and pesto dressing.

The bread had a good hint of salt, complementing the largely savoury meal. On the other end of things, my vegetarian colleague had a sweet treat for breakfast: blueberry pancakes with butter and syrup (R45). She described the meal as delicious. It came with a side of whipped cream and had more of a crumpet texture than a flat pancake.

Blueberries were sprinkled over the dish but were also in the pancakes.

I had an Americano (R16) with my breakfast while my colleague had Toni Glass tea from a silk tea bag. It’s a pity that the day after we visited they put up a board advertising free coffee with breakfast.

Opening in summer is a good idea, but location is crucial. The part of town they are in is more day trade, but they may suffer when nearby businesses or government offices close.

Having only opened last Thursday, we stumbled in on a quieter morning for them, with only a few tourists tucking in.

The staff tell me the name is a reference to a tree that grows in California. The restaurant has a fun look that works in natural light flowing in through original floor to ceiling windows. They added eyecatching, low-hanging spiral-fuse lightbulbs to the mix and they serve from a low island counter. Service was sharp. Although it’s on a busy pedestrian corner, it seems like a good spot to watch the world go by. Twitter:@WendylMartin wendyl.martin@inl.co.za

PICTURE: CANDICE CHAPLIN YUMMY: Sequoia is a new kid on the city breakfast block.