Savior Café
Where: 203 Bulwer Road, Glenwood
Open: Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm, Saturday 8am to 5pm.
Call: 063 225 5711
Savior Café has come a long way since opening a cappuccino outlet at the entrance to their leather shop in Station Drive some years ago. And like the leather work, its food has always concentrated on using the best ingredients brought together with artisanal skill.
Despite the missing “u” in the name, it has grown into an attractive and relaxed café in a grand old house in Glenwood, beautifully restored with the same emphasis on craftsmanship.
The rather dashing bevy of waiters were wearing fancy denim aprons with their name stamped into leather tags on their shoulders. It adds to the artisanal feel.
We’re welcomed warmly and quickly shown to a verandah table that had just become vacant.
The breakfast menu takes in a variety of ways with free-range eggs and fresh breads and is always worth exploring, but this was lunchtime.
The lunch menu is fairly simple with a selection of burgers, sandwiches, salads, pizzas or pastas. Burgers, which the menu boasts are home-made with their own secret sauce, also include a crispy chicken, falafel and Beyond Meat version. The full works burger is a cheese burger fortified with avo and prawns for an opulent feast.
Sandwiches can be on baguette, sourdough or served as a wrap and include roast chicken and pesto mayo, hummus and grilled aubergine, and four-hour-slow-roasted pulled lamb with aioli. Salads include a warm Asian chicken salad, or a deep fried calamari or tempura prawn version. It all sounds interesting.
I was tempted by the pea and pancetta pasta cooked simply with garlic chilli and onion. Their own Bolognese is served with tagliatelle, while a selection of filled pastas include cured ham, mushrooms and tomato.
Instead, I went for one of their “fan favourites” (here the “u” is present) which was deep fried battered hake with chips (R85). This was a decent plate of food with a good home-made tartare sauce and respectably crispy chips. I enjoyed it.
My friend fancied the butter chicken pizza (R95). He asked if the butter chicken could be served in a burger roll, but that wasn’t possible. Savior pride itself on its pizza bases, all home-made including the tomato base. This was an enjoyable pizza with a nice crisp base. I think he wanted a shade more kick out of the butter chicken. Pieces of potato from the butter chicken were included on the pizza, although the texture of the potato showed the dish had been frozen. He might have preferred to have the butter chicken with rice and roti and sambals instead.
Our coffees were as good as they’ve always been, and we enjoyed an afternoon sitting on the verandah watching the world go by. Frappés, smoothies, ice-coffees and a good range of teas complete the picture. The cakes have a serious reputation too, but we’d eaten well.
Food: 3 ½
Service: 3 ½
Ambience: 3 ½
The Bill: R245
The Independent on Saturday