Culture Club cheese
* * *
Appetising, fresh and flavourful food
215 Bree Street, Cape Town
city centre
Open Monday-Friday 8am-5pm; Saturday 9am-4pm
email cultureclubcheese@gmail.com
http://www.cultureclubcheese.co.za
GPS: 33° 55' S / 18° 24' E
Head to Culture Club Cheese at the top end of Bree Street to find your perfect cheese-mate, and tuck into a vast selection of dishes, writes Jos Baker.
THE bright yellow building at the top of Bree Street has become a local landmark since it opened nine months ago. I gave the cheesy venue a maturation period before assessing it, but this proved unnecessary. Entrepreneur and ardent cheese-lover Luke Williams (co-owner with his lawyer wife Jessica) knew from the start exactly what he hoped to achieve - and had the skills to make it happen.
“I wanted a welcoming, knowledgeable place for people eager to learn about different cheeses and the stories behind them,” explains Luke, who trained the microbiology of cheesemaking at the Nottingham School of Artisan Food, and spent four years as a cheesemonger and affineur (who receives cheese from producers, then matures it in his shop until perfectly ready to eat) in London's Marylebone branch of La Fromagerie.
His particular interest is fermentation and cultivating a strain, so don't be confused about the word “culture” in the restaurant name. This is no gathering of like-minded people discussing deep topics, but a vibrant, fun and relaxed spot, with artisan cheeses the mainstay of the menu.
So why did this enterprising couple choose Cape Town as a place to settle? “A sense of adventure,” says Luke, explaining that they were working in Dakar when Jessica fell pregnant. Feeling that Senegal was no place to raise a child, a quick inventory of suitable, beautiful counties saw South Africa, with its wine and burgeoning cheese industries, top the list.
They arrived here knowing no-one, with no contacts. Initially, Luke worked at Fairview, where his energy went into product development, before spending a year travelling the country and working with some 40 artisan cheese-makers, helping them develop their craft. And fortuitously his next-door neighbour in Bree Street is Richard Bosman's bacon bar, Bacon on Bree. Luke foresees a rub-off for both businesses.
His cheese bar is well-positioned at the entrance of the bright, white interior, catching potential customers wanting to watch the cheese being cut, or ask about the contents of the giant glass-fronted fridge, packed with produce from local and imported cheesemakers, many of them unfamiliar. Hands up those aficionados who've tasted Pekelaar Boerenkoos, Karoo Ash, unpasteurised Myst Hill cheddar, or Hijke 28mnth parmesan? Culture Club Cheese provides a platform for Luke to showcase their wares - and help you find your cheese-mate, whether mild or pungent; ashed or non-ashed.
The café, with tables indoors and out, serves a vast selection of mouth-watering options from cheese platters with home-fermented pickles to slow-cooked, free-range meats, soups and fresh salads. Plus other specialities: farmhouse free-range, full-fat yoghurts, and for breakfast (served till 11.30am) free-range, gluten-free Toulouse sausages and streaky bacon from Cape Mountain in the Cederberg with “extremely fresh” eggs. You'll find Luke's bespoke salami, and organic cured deli meats from Richard Bosman, Cape Mountain Charcuterie in the Cederberg and Neil Jewell of Bread & Wine. So study the constantly changing menu carefully before you place your order.
We chose to sit outside under the shady acacia trees, enjoying the passing parade as we sipped cooling drinks. But the drinks themselves deserved attention. When Luke's liqueur licence comes through, cheese and wine, and whisky and beer tastings are on the cards, but meanwhile try home-brewed sparkling kombucha - the beverage the ancient Chinese called the “Immortal Health Elixir, which has been around for over 2 000 years.
Starting out as a sugary tea, it is then fermented with the help of a scoby. The scoby bacteria and yeast eat most of the sugar, transforming the tea into a refreshingly fizzy fermented beverage. You can buy the scoby mother culture from Luke if you're interested in making your own. Just Google for instructions.
So what to order? The mighty toasted sandwiches offer delight in every bite but they're more of a main meal than a snack. Interestingly, while the outside of the toasted cheese sandwiches is crisp, the cheese is not fully melted. Luke explains that to over-toast tends to kill that cheesy flavour, but if you're a fan of stretchy cheese you can order it that way.
Be warned about the knuckle sandwich. Billed as Mike Tyson-sized, it's a mammoth offering of knuckle, free-range bacon, bourbon pork belly sauce, fried egg, avo, tomato, lettuce, and Karoo Ash on toasted ciabatta.
My Cordon Bleu companion was seduced by mushroom and La Petite France brie risotto with crisp bacon (optional), which she promised to share, but the flavour and texture proved so “awesome” that only my plea to “save a little” stopped her from mopping her plate.
Though tempted by both the bourbon-glazed pork belly and the raclettes with melted Alpine cheese, I chose a lighter dish for the noon-day heat, selecting a salad - but ordered it with a succulent free-range duck rillette for added interest. This fresh, healthy and generous combo demanded to be savoured slowly.
There are Banting options, one of which - a gluten and sugar-free buffalo milk cheesecake - my friend (a pud fan) ordered for dessert. But allowed a taste, I found it too sweet for my dry palate.