Heading east out of Cape Town to wine country anytime soon? Then you simply must carve room into your day to stop in Strand for something sweet at Pajamas & Jam. The eatery and antique museum (yes, you read that right) is inside an old pipe shed in the industrial part of town. You’ll spot it. It’s hard to miss the scrapmetal navy helicopter parked on the roof. But most importantly, the team of women there make the most fabulous desserts. All with names like the Lady Gloria Orange and Gooseberry White Chocolate Cheesecake, and the Marie Antoinette Vanilla and Lemon Curd Cake.
The first time I went to Pajamas & Jam was for brekkie with family friends about five years ago, and they introduced me to a Nutella hot chocolate. That is, a speckled ceramic mug with its inner walls literally smeared with rich hazelnut chocolate spread and filled with steamed milk. Unfortunately, this menu item was gone last time I checked. But they have a fantastic selection of teas ranging from blue oolong to vanilla and bourbon rooibos and a sit-down farm-to-table brekkie menu as well as fresh-baked bread and bottles and bottles of homemade preserves. Hope you like your eggs with goat’s cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and a side of braiiboodjie!
Just be sure to leave room for dessert. Granadilla, which is very similar to passion fruit with an orange-coloured rind as opposed to purple, is a popular dessert flavour. You’ll find the sweet yellow syrup at most farmer’s roadside stalls, bottled up and speckled with the fruit’s black seeds. I love the flavour—it’s citrusy but not too tangy—which is why I recommend the granadilla cheesecake. But never fear, chocolate lovers, you’re in good hands with these talented pastry chefs.
