Skinny Legs & All, Cape Town

Skinny Legs & All is a luxury cafe on Loop Street, opened by two young ladies with a passion for food. The menu is smorgasbord of deliciousness, sporting the likes of gourmet salads and sandwiches, breakfasts and hot meals. Proportionally, the vegetarian selection is great, and there are always daily specials to keep you interested. I had one of these; a quinoa salad, flavoured with cinnamon and sultanas, and sporting avocado, brinjal, rocket and almonds. It was spectacularly wholesome and delicious at the same time, and the proportions of the ingredients were considered and subtle. I paired it with a ginger tea, served with fresh slices of ginger and a little bowl of honey.



My housemates, with whom I was dining, chose the mushroom parcel and an open sandwich respectively. The mushroom parcel, chosen by housemate 1, was gorgeously presented in a paper parcel tied up lovingly with a piece of string, and accompanied by some brown rice. An assortment of wild mushrooms created much interest and texture, complementing the fluffy brown rice perfectly.


Housemate 2 has boldly declared that this is the best sandwich she has ever eaten (this was in fact her second time eating at Skinny Legs and All, having returned solely for this sandwich). Fresh rye bread is smothered in a homemade basil pesto, and then lavishly decorated with blushing slow roasted tomatoes, the cutest little buffalo mozzarella balls, rocket and micro greens (grown in the restaurant). The simplest ingredients come together on this single slice of bread to make the most delectable sandwich imaginable. It's what simple food is all about.



Despite neither of them having any formal training, these two girls make really good food. It is clear that their enthusiasm and perfectionism leads them to do almost everything themselves, resulting in a wonderful dishes. However, this also means the service is considerably slow; something that would be very easy to remedy. The decor is not yet quite established. Though the interior has great potential for a chic feel, incongruent, brash artworks adorn the walls and contrast with the delicate hanging dancers that are tucked away at the back of the restaurant. The food is quite pricey, but the girls score extra points for using only free-range milk and eggs and for making all of their own sauces, pestos and preserves. All in all, this is a great spot to sneak off to on payday to remind you that there are cafes out there that cater specifically to the vegetarian and pay attention to the source of their ingredients. Indeed, this is a cafe suitable for vegetarians.