Despite the dubious start, the week has been excellent... no outrageous African spider sightings, drought-stricken PE has had some rain, my computer is finally fixed, I'm tearing it up at the gym, and this week's coffee crawl to Marilyn's was TREMENDOUS.. WOW!!! is the word that comes to mind. The coffee crawlers joining me this week were June Nash, Mandy Visser, and Marilyn Monroe. Yes, I said Marilyn Monroe! She is the Marilyn of "Marilyn's" (coffee shop). I didn't realize this until today, so you can imagine my surprise when I walked in and saw huge black and white photos of Marilyn Monroe adorning the walls. Her pics are also on the menus. The owners, Laetitia Breytenback and her husband, bought Marilyn's in November, 2010 as a retirement project. Laetitia says that she fell in love with the shop as soon as she saw it. I can believe that... I Love This Place!!!
June, Mandy and I took a booth near where the homemade pastries and cakes were displayed (of course). June and I got cappuccinos while Mandy ordered a red cappuccino (that is a rooibos tea cappuccino... so to Jackie in NY, yes, you can have tea when you come to visit), Mandy said the tea was excellent; our Masterton Blend cappuccinos were very good as well. Marilyn's, which is located at 123 Villiers Rd. in Walmer, is open until 4:00 pm seven days a week. The menu includes breakfast and lunch choices and a daily lunch special. Laetitia says that they are working toward extending their hours into the evening, and including dinners on the menu. There are three dining rooms with seating enough for 74 people. The orange upholstery, and orange table and floral accents provide an interesting and fun contrast with the black/white photos on the walls.
We had a very nice chat with Laetitia. She showed me around the shop and introduced me to the staff, including Grace, our waitress, and Nomatter, the barista, a very sweet young lady from Zimbabwe. The back dining room was the scene of a birthday celebration for 88 year-old Eva Clark. The staff, Laetitia, and I joined in singing Happy Birthday to Eva in English and then in Xhosa!
I'd like to take a few lines to introduce Mandy Visser. Mandy is the co-owner of Heritage Picture Framers located at 121 Main Rd. in Walmer. She and co-owner, Bill, have framed a few things for us since we've been here... a piece of humpback whale baleen and an elephant footprint. Mandy and Bill are very talented framers and came highly recommended. I stopped at their shop and kidnapped Mandy for an hour... thanks, Bill!
Marilyn's is a must for anyone looking for great coffee/ food and an awesome atmosphere.
A huge thank you goes out to Laetitia and staff, the people at Eva's birthday party, June and Mandy!
Lou and I have been invited to a whiskey tasting tonight... so much for 7 years of bad luck!!!!!!!!!!
A few extras: Last week's barista pic is a perfect example of why I need to improve my photography skills...composition is not my forte.
Fran and Keith deBeer are on their way to Jo-burg. They did, however, stop for coffee in Craddock at a place called Country Living. Thanks for being with us in spirit!
My daughter, Liz, has just started a part-time job as a barista at a Starbuck's in Washington, DC. Maybe she'll be making a cappuccino for President Obama! Who knows?...it could happen!?!
Until next week's special St. Patricks Day edition....
Ellen
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| This Week's Crawlers June, Grace, Mandy, Marilyn |
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| Meet the Owner Laetitia Breytenback |
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| Meet the Barista Nomatter |