A meal by The Hill ko Café Dijo
Michelle Phetlhe | Tuesday June 21, 2022 06:00
I got into Friends in high school, where I was youthful, fun and already a social butterfly. The comedy show is centred on a group of six (20-30 years) old friends living in the New York City and spending a lot of their time in a coffee shop.
I loved the sense of comfotability amongst patrons and coming together of different individuals in a common space. Finally in my varsity years in the Western Cape, I was old enough to drink coffee and experience a coffee house like Central Park on Friends.
It’s a quick stop in the morning, great spot from the office for lunch meeting on a weekday, a saving grace when you're hung-over on vacation, a place to collect yourself (whether with a book or a fully-charged laptop), and somehow that fills you with good feelings. Café Dijo, tucked into a nifty corner in the Kgale Hill Mall complex, embodies a lot of the good feelings I got from the earlier mentioned show.
However, in a café, the main focus is on food rather than coffee, though most cafés offer coffee pairings on their menus. Rouy has been at Café Dijo for 14 years of the 16 years it’s been in existence. It was great to hear from him as he has the diverse role of being host, coordinating the floor and the restaurant. He believes that the family bond and love that staff has towards each other and their customers is their key to success. I witnessed this first hand as the manager called the beautiful head baker over.
She’s the one who pours all her love into their famed Carrot Cake. Every carrot cake in the country is compared to their cake and she is proud. The baked goods selection can vary daily.
However, the carrot cake is standard and they also had yummy fudgy brownies (which are to die for), apple cake and lemon meringue. I might be a tad bit too safe when it comes to food sometimes, which goes against my belief that food is meant to be explored and experimented with. This is what I was thinking as I looked up at the huge chalkboard menu. It has Breakfast on the left, Specials in the middle and Lunches on the right. I realised in all my visits to Café Dijo, I have only ever had the Tandoori Chicken toasted Ciabatta.
It is not too spicy, complex in flavour and so filling. I shared this with Ookeditse my waiter for the day and he insisted he should make a recommendation. He recommended one of the two “new weekly specials”. There is a long list of specials. However, only two change weekly. I found that these were a hit as they were sold out. A friend with a Law Firm in Finance Park attested to often brining clients for lunch meetings and personally enjoying the weekly special at least once a week.
My guest and I shared the Mexican Chicken Salad. It was a hearty, generous portion that could easily convince one to eat healthier. Fresh, crunchy and colourful with a mouth-watering spicy dressing. I would have asked that the chef reduce the intensity of the sauce slightly given the opportunity. I was slightly distracted placing the order. My guest felt the salad was too spicy then ordered a Juicy Hake with side of half and half Chips and Salad. I quite like the idea of sides that give you the best of both worlds. I went on to share a Chicken and Mushroom Lasagne with a side of Roasted vegetables and fries with my second guest, come to think of it, we should have done strictly veggies.
The assorted vegetables made me forget our vegetables shortage issue for a brief moment. They were cooked to perfection and paired amazingly with the impeccably balanced creamy and cheesy lasagne. Café Dijo offers a beautiful ambiance, appeals to all because of the outside garden eating area and open floor plan seating style inside.
Even the kitchen is in plain sight, allowing for transparency and an appreciation of the freshness of all meals. Customers sitting inside have full view of the garden, while those sitting outside can also appreciate statement art and furniture inside. A definite hotspot of choice with robust palate appeal.