It’s one of Cape Town’s better-kept secrets, even if menu pricing keeps it firmly in a well-heeled eating category. Dinner at The Roundhouse upstairs may be where you put the chef to the test. But at garden tables overlooking Camps Bay it’s the drool-worthy daytime views from The Roundhouse’s casual Rumbullion counterpart that makes it worth paying a little extra for.
Spontaneous summer sundowners watching a pink-rimmed-sky last week - a glass of MCC starts at a pricy R65 for Graham Beck NV - inspired our return for breakfast at outdoor Rumbullion tables. Two crowing resident roosters meandered as dew glistened on the grass.
On the Rumbullion lawns you’re expected to tick off items from the menu with a pencil while sitting at benches under large umbrellas. Picnic baskets dispense cutlery, plates and condiments, while well-trained predominantly Zimbabwean waiters bring everything else.
Eggs Benedict is a good option: two soft-poached eggs served with distinctively smoky bacon and good hollandaise on toasted English muffins.
Creative alternatives include French toast with roasted bananas and toasted pecan nuts, or scrambled eggs and bacon alongside toasted house-baked sourdough and roasted tomatoes.
Many Cape Town venues serve hot breakfasts but few deviate from tasteless supermarket loaves for the toast or bread accompaniments. Here Woolies’ English muffins are used for the Benedict, but the baked items on the rest of the menu really make Rumbullion breakfasts stand out. Baker George produces a mean sourdough, as well as ciabatta, croissants and pastries. I’m not a fan of the coffee brand or blend they use, but a shared giant cinnamon sticky bun with a moist pecan and raisin-filled centre hits the spot.
FlavourTip: If lunch is more your scene, pizzas are now served at Rumbullion between midday and 8pm on Tuesday to Sunday.
Spend: R45 to R65 for hot breakfast dishes. Pastries from R12 to R18. Hot beverages at R15 to R20. Cold beverages from R14 to R18.
Value: Average pricing for an upmarket breakfast venue. Wines on the steep side.
Flavour rating: Good food, great views.
RUMBULLION and BAKERY AT THE ROUNDHOUSE, Stan’s Holt exit off Kloof Road between the Cableway and Camps Bay, Cape Town. Tel 021 438 4347, The Roundhouse Open for breakfast Fri, Sat and Sun from 9am to 12 midday.