Simple spot for the hungry shopper

Café: The Robins Coffee Shop Address: Shop 17b Constantia Village, Spaanschemat River Road, Constantia Contact: 021 794 5652 Hours: Weekdays: 7am to 7pm, Saturdays: 8am to 5pm, Sundays: 8am to 3pm Dish eaten: Bagel with cream cheese and salmon Price: R50

WENDYL MARTIN

IT IS what it is: a simple stop-over for the hungry shopper, with not much ambience. Set in the heart of Constantia Village Centre, right next to a supermarket, is The Robins. It’s the sort of place your park your trolley nearby and stop for a quick cuppa.

And it offers a dose of Sky News on a plasma and flashing property ads.

I was hoping to dig into eggs Benedict (R65), but I was told they were out of Hollandaise and none of the supermarkets in the mall had it ready-made. They don’t seem to have the biggest operation. It seemed like three waiters and a cook, who I later saw running out for an ingredient.

I settled for a salmon bagel and my colleague had an omelette with cheese, ham and mushrooms. It must have taken about half an hour for the food to arrive. My colleague managed to step away for an errand and returned to no food. In fairness, it was a public holiday but I can’t imagine The Robins on a busy day. To bide the time, their hazelnut mochaccinos went down well as a sweet, frothy treat.

“Cream cheese!” I heard the cook exclaiming as she ran out of the kitchen toward to supermarket.

Eventually, our food arrived. My colleague described it as a “mean omelette”, and it was, indeed, large. It came with three slices of tomato.

My dish was served with a good portion of chips and a side salad, all on a chopping board – not my favourite surface to eat off. The bagel was toasted and tasted as if it had been made from refined white flour. It had a good lathering of cream cheese and the salmon seemed fresh enough.

We tucked in while listening to a playlist that included Lionel Ritchie, Abba and George Michael. For atmosphere, they do the best they can for a central mall coffee shop. I would dash for the leather booth bench against a wall. It gives you a good view of the news and the Constantians. Twitter:@WendylMartin wendyl.martin@inl.co.za

PICTURE: LEON MULLER NO FRILLS: The Robins Coffee Shop, in Constantia Village Centre, offers a range of coffees, sandwiches and breakfast specials.