In one of the oldest and leafiest suburbs of Johannesburg, Kensington High Street,
there's a Portuguese café called Pasteleria de Princesa where I had the pleasure of having breakfast last week. I was pleasantly surprised by the attentive and polite staff eagerly waiting at the door to welcome you and take you on a tour of this café, which is like a little slice of Portugal in Johannesburg.
I discover this hidden gem during my "In Search of Excellence" trip.
After briefly browsing the delicatessen counter and imported merchandise display in the café, I decided to sit down and order some coffee and savory snacks. My waiter, Millicent, brought me a menu newspaper that was quite extensive with traditional Portuguese dishes Millicent also offered me with Portuguese-SA newspaper to read while I am going to wait for my coffee and snacks.However, I chose to stick with
ordering freshly made prawn rissoles and Bacalhau (salted cod with mashed potatoes deep fried) along with their specialty cappuccino prepared from imported medium roast coffee beans Nicola Bocage Cremoso which is a well-balance between aroma and creamy texture and an intense full-bodied flavour. Nicola Lote Bocage have three brands(Bocage, Rossio and Aromitico for sell on the shelves a 1 Kg packet will cost your just over R400.00
The restaurant was very busy and appeared to host morning business meetings as well as family outings. I could hear Portuguese being spoken around me, which did not surprise me since I had lived in the area many years ago, opposite Darras Centre where Raymond Ackerman's Pick n Pay business empire opened its first store in 1960. The areas of Kensington, Bez-Valley, and Bedfordview are predominantly populated by Greeks, Portuguese, Italians...
My snacks and coffee arrived, looking delicious and appetizing. First, I checked my cappuccino for its serving temperature and the condition of the crema; everything was in order. The latte art was acceptable, and the aroma emanating from the coffee was enticing. My second ritual for tasting coffee is to take a sip or two to identify flavor notes and profiles. The aroma hinted at a complexity of nuttiness and floral notes, which were indeed confirmed as I took my first sip: it had a mellow taste with bursts of nuts on my palate. The sweetness from the milk made it taste like hazelnut-infused coffee—it was perfect and tasty.
I then ventured into my snack. First, I took a bite of Bacalhau—oh my word! What a lovely combination of crunchy and scrumptious upper crust enveloping a fluffy soufflé-like middle part, which was a delicate mixture of cod fish and mashed potatoes gently seasoned with finely chopped parsley. I loved it and quickly took another bite. Then I suddenly found myself looking for the waitress to bring me two more servings of Bacalhau. While waiting for my second round of treats, I tried the prawn rissoles; they were above average but didn't have the wow factor compared to the Bacalhau deep-fried rolls.
To complement my snack, I took a sip of my cappuccino. It was good—average plus prepared by Barista Ella. However, Bacalhau worked its magic, and I will definitely be returning to Pastelaria de Príncipe very soon, perhaps with family. There were displays of lots of freshly baked pastéis de nata, Portuguese-style orange cake (also known as Madeira cake), and many other Portuguese pastries and bread varieties..
I asked Milicent for the Bacalhau recipe, and she said she would inquire with the chef. Soon, a manager arrived to answer my query by simply saying it is "codfish mixed with mashed potatoes and some spices," not knowing that I am a trained chef and culinary educator. Well, it's understandable that he wants to protect his Bacalhau's intellectual properties since he's not going to hand over his secret recipe easily. The menu offers traditional Portuguese dishes along with a daily "Carte du Jour," which highlights special dishes of the day everyday that’s show there is well trained and skilled chef in kitchen who would like to thrills customer with the daily curating of the menu and demonstrate his culinary skills.
The manager Tony told me that his father, Jose Ferriera opened the business in 2010 and now he runs his father restaurant it with his wife and son Claudio. The café was established in 2010, just before the Soccer World Cup, to entertain visiting Portuguese football fanatics. The café is beautifully decorated with lots of football scarves, jerseys, and club flags.
Pasteleria de Princesa is double story restaurant and can sit over 200 pax. I was also delighted to see imported Portuguese food and beverages displayed in the shop, ranging from cold drinks to a variety of olive oils and glazed terracotta earthenware pots for sale. Jose is definitely a proud Portuguese man; he is a third-generation entrepreneur, and his family has now taken over the reins.
There are adequate car guards watching the parking area, but a word of caution: I always recommend parking close to the café since it is on a high street and crime is rampant in our country. Pasteleria de Princesa situated at 146 Queens street, Kensington. Booking is advisable as over the weekend it gets very full +27 11 615 9978 pastelariaprincesa@gmail.com
If you are in joburg and planning to visit this excellent restaurant then you may book your self in a Furaha Guest lodge and Mansion at 45 Observatory Ave, Observatory Johannesburg. www.furahagustlodge.co.za
Curated by:
Salman Khan Barista judge, food and drink anthropologist and culinary educator.
if your wishes to be a host of the in the series of "In Search of Excellence" please contact Salman Khan on
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