A hidden Gem, Café D’vine is nestled betwixt businesses on the busy New Street. When you first walk in one is initially taken aback by how busy and actually full the place looks. The various seating areas, each meticulously decorated, give one a dollhouse feeling as what appears to be one room at first, open’s into many separate seating areas.
Upon entrance one is met with a traditional mini-café set-up where you are greeted by cheerful but busy baristas and ornate cakes, carefully displayed under glass bells. There is also a quaint little card stand next to the door covered in handmade gift cards for you to buy. Something worth noting as Grahamstown can be somewhat limited when it comes to sourcing anything other than generic stock photo birthday cards at the supermarket.
The Café floor expands into a small lounge which, apart from one corner table, is an open lounge connecting the deck with the inside Cafeteria and is well-decorated in a shabby-chic bohemian style with positive quotes written on blackboards and wistful photography. Connected to the inside lounge area is the Decked seating space that overlooks the garden. It is precisely in this position that I write this now. Wrapped up and peering through the plastic deck cover, the garden looks just as beautiful post-rain as it does when the weather is dry.
The sun is still shining through onto the deck and if it wasn’t for the (somewhat jumpy) music one might quite easily relax here. The waitstaff are extremely friendly and the menu rife with options, though I see pretty much everything I don’t want, as the cakes are unlisted. Perhaps due to what’s available/fresh at the time? The smiling waitress lists off the most recent availabilities and I’m caught between Rosemary and Lime and Flour-less chocolate cake.
“Flourless?”
I decide to “do it for the review” and go for the Rosemary and Lime as a break from the usual offers of Bar-one and Carrot-cake. My pot of tea came with a little warming stand which was super refreshing as one cannot always guarantee their tea stays warm by the time you're on your third pour.
In the summer the swing set and outdoors environment keeps the place lively but one finds that even during the winter the restaurant fills up with families on lunch dates and couples taking advantage of the privacy provided in the restaurant/cafe.
The options of the fresh breeze on the deck, an inside lounge area and a beautiful garden restaurant are what initially called me into Café D’vine but I soon discovered they had much more to offer. Whether you want a tramezzini for lunch or a giant piece of cake with your coffee it’s the place to be. I promise you, you need only take a gander and you’ll see!
What I Ordered : Rosemary and lime cake with Cream and English Breakfast Tea What I Ordered : Rosemary and lime cake with Cream and English Breakfast Tea
My bill: R60
See here EATING OUT IN GRAHAMSTOWN
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