Yesterday I popped into a new eatery in Woodstock called Bedouin Cafe & Deli to enjoy a small taste of desert life in the form of a little white cheese called labneh. Now if you know anything about me at all you will know that I live for cheese, in all it’s forms, and this one was new to me and therefore had to be experienced immediately. And I was not disappointed! Labneh is a type of yoghurt cheese that has been strained in a filter to remove the whey, while preserving yogurt’s distinctive sour taste. Traditionally made by the Bedouin of the Middle East this delicious deli delicacy is like a soft cream cheese but with less calories and preservatives! It is available in a range of flavours: Original, Garlic, Pepper, Mint, and Chilli. Bedouin also offers a delicious chilli jam with a great kick and very popular Labnehdews – piquant peppers stuffed with Bedouin’s original Labneh cream cheese. So delicious that the bottle we brought home yesterday is almost finished!
My usual lunch consists of a piece of toast with avo or a Woolies soup so to enjoy the beautifully presented Mezze Platter (R48) felt like a real spoil. Each and every item on it was amazing. Aside from my new discovery of labneh I really enjoyed the “real” flavours of some of my old favourites, like hummus and dolmades, These were far more intensely flavoured than my usual preservative-heavy supermarket purchases. And the tzatziki was an experience! Even my super fussy husband was tempted to sample these Mezze staples for the FIRST TIME EVER and his report – well, I could hardly get another scoop onto my flatbread after his first mouthful! The Bedouin Mezze Platter is perfect for sharing and comes highly recommended. After the Mezze starter we shared quite possibly the best chicken wrap we have ever tasted! The sumac spiced chicken with a mint and labneh wrap (R50) disappeared off our plates very quickly! It’s definitely going to be calling us back to Bedouin soon.
Bedouin Cafe & Deli is situated at 218 Albert Road in Woodstock in the same space as the old Superette was located. I’m not too familiar with the area being a “Southern Suburbs Mom” but I found it quite easily using the map app on my phone. Parking is available on the road outside and although there were a few undesirables around there was also plenty of other people about so I didn’t feel unsafe, although I did grip my handbag a little tighter than usual!
Woodstock is a suburb that shows off South Africa’s diversity in all it’s forms and is definitely worth paying a visit to. This part of Cape Town is changing so rapidly and there are so many interesting new places to see and shop, I’m certainly keen to do a bit of exploring and browsing soon. And if you do decide to pay a visit one Saturday morning, Bedouin is perfect for a spot of lunch . My advice would be to do the Old Biscuit Mill circuit and then head here for fab food that will be much kinder to your wallet! And if you work nearby or even in town (the drive down Strand and onto Albert is super easy) it’s worth planning a lunch time meeting in order to sample the handmade, preservative-free food.
Bedouin Cafe & Deli
218 Albert Road Woodstock, Cape Town, Western Cape
021 447 1637
