I had both breakfast and lunch at The Roundhouse this past weekend. They only started serving breakfasts and lunches out on the lawns a couple of months ago. It’s way more casual than dinner inside was. The menu is a checklist, you simply tick off the things you want to order. the menu is also quite limited but with enough options to cater for most people. The breakfast options are bacon and scrambled eggs (R65), eggs Benedict (R55), scrambled eggs and smoked trout (R65), french toast with berry compote (R35) and a healthy option of fruit, yoghurt & muesli (R35). There is a selection of muffins, croissants and other delicious pastries, ranging in price from R12 to R18. They serve Origin coffee (R18) and Nigiro tea (R20) and a selection of fruit juices (R15).
The food was of a very high standard, my bacon and scrambled eggs was excellent and everyone else in my party enjoyed their food too. The coffees were awesome too. I wouldn’t say that the food was far above what you would get at Miss K, but the big draw card is the venue. The setting is so beautiful, it would be worth having breakfast or lunch there even if the food was not great (but it is).
The outside area of the Roundhouse is called The Rumbullion, which is French for great food with a great view (just kidding, I don’t know what it means). The lunch menu features a long list of tapas like: olives (R35), olive tapenade (R45) which people were raving about, chicken liver pate (R45), basil pesto (R45) which I thought was amazing, pickled octopus (R45), and many more. They also offer charcuteri platters of various meats, prices range from R45 to R85 depending on the meat you select. There is a selection of salads, cheeses and breads. For those wanting something more substantial, there is a choice of hot dishes such as a cheese burger and chips (R85), fish and chips (R75) and roasted bone marrow with oxtail marmalade (R85).
We had a big group of about 24 people, and we went for simple picnic fare. We had the hummus, pesto and olive tapenade which were all great, some salad and some cheese, all enjoyed with fresh ciabatta bread. We rounded it off with a selection of the desserts, lemon meringue, chocolate mousse and yoghurt panacotta, all of which were so amazing people were fighting over them.
Another really aspect of the Rumbullion which warrants a mention is that it is kid friendly, the terraced lawns are great for kids to run around on, and the menu has some kid friendly options too. It can be tough to find really nice places that are kid friendly. If you’re looking for other options for kids, check out my post on the topic here.
While the service at The Roundhouse in the evening is very attentive and formal, the service at the Rumbullion is very casual. The idea is that you can relax and enjoy yourself without being disturbed. There is a flag on the table and if you wave it, someone will come and attend to you, otherwise the service mainly involves bringing you the things you selected on the tick box menu and then clearing up afterwards.
While they use the word ‘picnic’ to describe their al fresco offering, you don’t sit on the ground. There are tables and benches with huge umbrellas to shade you from the sun. If you want to bring a picnic blanket and relax on the grass, there is nothing stopping you (we did).
The Rumbullion at The Roundhouse is a great inner city escape. Protected from the wind and the traffic, with awesome views and lovely gardens it’s easy to forget that you are in the middle of the city. A very special treat indeed.
The Rumbullion at The Roundhouse
The Glen, Camps Bay
Tel: 021 438 4347
www.theroundhouserestaurant.com
Comments
One response to “The Roundhouse breakfast (& lunch) review”
The Roundhouse is now available for sundowners on the lawn. At the moment it is only Fridays (5pm – pm) but they plan to extend it to Saturdays and Sundays too.
I went last Friday and it was fantastic. Watching the sunset from there, with a DJ playing some chilled beats. The drinks are not expensive (a bottle of Chenin will set you back R85), a beer R15, etc.
You are also able to order from the lunch menu which gives you access to freshly baked bread and accompaniements like fresh pesto, tapenade, pates, cheese, cold meats, etc (see above).
Definitely one of the better sundowners options and kid friendly. The service is quite slow so be prepared for that, but they say they are working on it so hopefully it will be sorted out soon. It definitely helps if you order everything you need in one go instead of one drink here and one drink there.