New Cape Town lunch spot

WORDS: Remy Raitt | PHOTOS: Adriaan Louw

Tom Robbins, eat your heart out. A new luxury café on Loop Street, Cape Town – named after the author’s novel – is all about good food in a great venue.

Skinny Legs & All, owned and run by twin sisters Jesse and Jamie Friedberg, has a mouth-watering breakfast, lunch and tea menu that focuses on fresh, homemade and unpretentious food. Located in the city centre, it’s the perfect spot for lunch away from the office. And we’re particularly impressed with the subtle, down-to-earth decor approach.

“We chose the name because, although it has a literary reference, there is at the same time a quirky, street element to it – a fitting title for the axis around which spins a fun-loving, alarmingly provocative, yet tasty culinary experience,” say Jesse and Jamie, who are both Tom Robbins fans.

This quirk flows from the name of the café to the art works by Joao Ferreira, Sanell Aggenbach and Brett Murray right into the hearty but healthy meals on offer. “We’re not trained chefs – we rather see ourselves as food-lovers. Everything we’ve learnt has come from a genuine passion for food and the pursuit thereof. We believe that cooking and eating aren’t idealised notions but rather part of everyday life, and so should be left there. This is why we’re able to do what we do – frank food, accessible and straightforward,” Jesse and Jamie say.

Skinny Legs & All was conceived entirely by the twins, who have a hands-on approach: “We built, designed and evolved with it. There was no interior designer and no chef brought in – it’s a café that was built with love.”

The lunch menu features a range of salads and sandwiches, as well as main courses such as Franschhoek trout, charred lemon and rosemary chicken and Moroccan-styled meatballs. Drinks include lime, grapefruit and ginger juice, homemade lemonade, a green shake and a raw chocolate shake. VISI’s favourite? The Skinny Legs cardamom lassi. Give it a shot – you won’t be disappointed…

More information: www.skinnylegsandall.co.za and enquiries@skinnylegsandall.co.za