Bacon on Bree + Culture Club Cheese

WORDS Malibongwe Tyilo

Besides being home to VISI HQ, Cape Town’s Bree Street is also fast becoming the go-to spot for all things hip and fantastic. Its two latest additions, Culture Club Cheese and Bacon on Bree, are not only right next to each other; they bring together our favourite ingredients too. Hello bacon and cheese. Diet? What diet?

“Everyone deserves to eat decent bacon at least once,” says owner of Bacon on Bree, Richard Bosman, when we asked what possessed him to open an establishment dedicated to the beloved rasher. Already known for producing quality charcuterie, Bosman’s Bacon on Bree offers dried and salted bacon, made from pasture-reared pigs. The menu offers a selection of sandwiches and salads, from the familiar BLT and a bacon and Brie croissant to a bacon and blue cheese salad, to name just a few. Our managing editor, Lise Avis swears by the Smokey Joe sandwich, a mean bacon and cheese combination on sourdough bread, dusted with paprika.

Should you want to take something home, there’s a fridge with a variety of bacon styles to choose from. You can also pop downstairs to have a look at their gallery.

Opening in the first week of May, Bacon on Bree’s neighbours, Culture Club Cheese, is the brainchild of British couple Jessica Merton and Luke Williams. “We are setting up a cheese bar because we couldn’t think of any sane reason not to. Things like the Banting diet have got people interested in the concept of healthy fats in addition to the probiotic nature of the fermentation process. With six years of fermenting everything from cheese and pickles to kefir and ketchup, we realised we should strike while the iron is hot,” explains Jessica.

Her partner, Luke has worked at the revered La Fromagerie in London and brings his knowledge of fermentation to Bree Street. “It’s an exciting time to be championing small production and artisans in South Africa, especially as the trend is to step away from commercial, industrial and mass-produced food,” she adds.

The store promises over 50 different types of cheeses when it opens, especially the kind that is handcrafted by small local producers. Customers can also look forward to new varieties, matured and washed by Luke at their cheese-making lab below the store. We can’t wait!

Bacon on Bree is located at 217 Bree Street, Cape Town. Follow @BacononBree to keep up to date with all things bacon. Culture Club Cheese is located at 215 Bree Street, Cape Town. You can follow @lukecultureclub for the latest news.