Despite small teething problems, sandwich fans will love it

SHEN WU TAN

The Melt Address: 233 Long Street, Cape Town 021 422 1603 Operating hours: Weekdays from 7am to 6pm, Saturdays from 9am to 3pm. Dish eaten: The Breakfast (R60) unpretentious cafe welcomes customers with the smell of buttery, toasted bread.

Its charcoal grey and white walls surround five wooden tables, comfortably seating a maximum of 10 customers at a time. Indie and pop music plays softly in the background.

Customers can order from a selection of 12 toasted sandwiches such as The S’more and The Fig Blue and mix and match them with a variety of iced or hot coffee, frappé and tea beverages.

I ordered one of the seemingly more popular toasties: The Breakfast (R60), a maple bacon, fried egg, HP relish and cheddar cheese delight stacked between slices of sourdough (or rye if you choose). I also ordered a satisfactory flat white (R18).

While the sandwich was a delicious, juicy combination of fresh ingredients with the sourdough grilled to a perfect level of crispiness, customers should not expect immediate gratification during meal rush hours. With only three staff members working behind the counter, the cashier had to warn the line of customers reaching the door about a slight wait. I waited about 20 minutes for my food.

Given the small space, half the customers was unable to sit down in the cafe to enjoy their meal, took their food and drinks to go.

In addition to the wait, the cafe also ran out of the ingredients for The Breakfast sandwich early in the afternoon.

Despite the wait and the supply shortage, customers should give The Melt a fighting chance. After all, it has only been opened for a little over a week.

If you wish to sit and eat, be sure to arrive either before or after rush hours. And if you manage to snag a table, this sandwich cafe is a great spot to chat with a friend or get some work done.

The Melt, a toasted sandwich café, opened at 233 Long Street last week.