Heaven exists on earth in the form of cozy, artisanal bakeries with hipster vibes and spine tingling aromas. Wired racks adorned with fresh warm treats that you see in the back as kitchen door opens and closes are a plus. As is rustic lighting and acoustic tunes.
I found one such bakery in Cape Town, South Africa: Jason Bakery.
Jason Bakery serves up all types of pastries, both sweet and savory, as well as breads, coffee, brunch bites, and pizza on Thursday nights.
It’s perhaps the best bakery in Cape Town, but also one of the most expensive. We’re talking almond croissants for $2.48USD (!). I come from the land of exorbitantly expensive pasties… the land of New York City. We’re talking almond croissants for $6.00USD, maybe more. The beauty of calling one of the most expensive cities in the world home is that everywhere else seems affordable in comparison.
We loaded up a variety of sweet and savory pasties from Jason Bakery in Cape Town, and here’s my countdown of least favorite to favorite.
5.Chocolate Chip Cookie: 38 ZAR/$2.24USD
The texture had a nice crisp to the outside with a shortbread-like flakey quality. Taste-wise, it was like a sugar cookie… only with chocolate chips. I was happy to eat it, but with so many other tasty treats to try, I would say skip it.
4.Chorizo Eggie 30 ZAR/$1.76 USD
This was a bite sized tartlet filled with chorizo and egg. The pastry was buttery and flakey, but it needed a moist component. Some sort of chutney, preferably with a little kick, would have done the trick.
3. Choc Brownie Cheesecake 55 ZAR/ $3.22USD
The choc brownie cheesecake had a brownie bottom, a layer of cheesecake with brownie chunks sprinkled inside, and a rich ganache topping. The brownie was nice and fudgy and the cheesecake was thick with a spot on mouth feel. This, my hungry readers, is truly decadence at its finest. I’d recommend sharing this one. While I suppose you COULD eat it all yourself, your stomach might revolt later.
2. Almond Croissant 42 ZAR/ $2.48USD
Buttery and flakey with the perfect amount of just-sweet-enough almond paste filling. Magnifique!
1.Kick Ass Pie of the Day 68 ZAR/$3.98USD
The young man at the register told us that we HAD to try the pie—flakey pie crust filled with a beef stew topped with mashed potatoes. Thank the heavens we took his recommendation! The filling was packed with tender chunks of melt in your mouth meat swimming in a sauce of perfectly balanced warm spices. The mashed potato on top added a nice creaminess with a hint of sweet, although I’m not sure where that element came from. The crust was flaky while being strong enough to hold up all the filling. Pure bliss!
(Curious about the history of pies? Click HERE!)
