Sprigs of loveliness in the morning - IOL

Open: Monday to Friday 7.30am to 5pm, Saturday until 3pm.

There’s something very decadent about enjoying a leisurely breakfast on a day off. And so this week I found myself at the foodie home of twins Clare and Fiona Ras at Sprigs in Kloof. Their healthy yet decadent food philosophy has been serving the area well for almost 30 years now. I still remember the excitement of their opening. It was one little shop, then two, then the deli added. That too is worth a visit.

The Glass Guy was only too happy to join me. We’re soon enjoying a lovely rich cappuccino, pulled by Clare herself.

Poached eggs, bacon and creamy mushrooms on toast.

It’s a simple but comfortable and homely space, plenty to read including cook books, plenty to watch in the open area of the kitchen and plenty to covet from the shelves to take home. You almost feel like you're in a farm kitchen.

Breakfast options include a simple two eggs on toast to a full English. There’s Moroccan mince on toast - the lady at the next table was happily munching her way through it and it certainly looked good. There’s even a chickpea and mediterranean veg Vegan scramble. Omelettes are baked with pesto, onions and mozzarella. And of course French toast and apple muesli pancakes feature - the former with bacon and maple syrup, the latter with yoghurt, fresh fruit and honey.

You can also add various items to your breakfast.

Moroccan lamb pie with roast potato wedges and curry sauce.

I opt for the creamy mushrooms, bacon and two poached eggs on health toast (R170), which I really enjoyed. Good soft eggs with jammy yolks buried under a pile of rich, creamy and herby mushrooms. What’s not to enjoy

The Glass Guy looked at the lunch menu. Here you get some lovely light dishes like chicken liver parfait with apple cumberland sauce, or a Coronation chicken salad with broccoli, roasted grapes, red onions and nuts and seeds, and a Mexican vegetable bowl with avo salsa and nachos. There’s a Thai chicken curry, braised pork with chilli leeks and carrots and salmon fish cakes with slaw. Toasties could include gammon with emmental or pesto chicken mayo or Mediterranean veg and Danish Feta.

The Glass Guy went for Moroccan lamb pie (R130), delicious, which came with good roast potato wedges and a fruity Cape Malay style curry sauce. Now I’ve always regarded curry sauce as the domain of a cheap English chippie, but this was a good one. Rich, flavourful and importantly smooth. It was great for dunking those chips.

With our second cappuccino we had to try some of the delicious looking cakes from the deli. I opted for an interesting orange cake - an orange sponge topped with slices of preserved oranges and a really lovely buttery crumble. Really enjoyable, especially for someone who loves simple but tasty un-iced cakes. And someone who loves citrus. The Glass Guy followed with a lovely slice of lemon drizzle. The cheesecake here is legendary. I’ve enjoyed it many times.

And then we did a tour of the deli. Yes, it was a bottle of lemon curd here, and pesto mayo there and of course not forgetting their homebaked ginger nut biscuits. And a quiche Lorraine. And…

Orange cake with preserved oranges and a buttery crumble.