Woodstock has seen some welcome changes thanks to the pioneering moves of the creative businessfolk behind such ventures as the Woodstock Exchange and the Old Biscuit Mill. New to the block is the Salt Circle Arcade. And my, has she blossomed!
Live Music
Fantasy rockers Myddle Earth perform Celtic music at Salt Circle Arcade
Nothing says fresh like live performances by the underground talent of Cape Town’s music scene. Specially hand-picked for Arcade on Fire – the frequent Saturday morning food, music and clothing mini-festival – are three special up-and-comers: gypsy electro-swing outfit Pravda, Celtic and fantasy rockers Myddle Earth and classical-majors-turned-DJs Lazarus & Franco. Catch them while you can…
For more information visit their Facebook page: Myddle Earth.
Home Brew
Beerguevara gives you the home brewing goods.
Ladies, mention the word ‘shopping’ to your man if you’re looking for an afternoon to yourself. Mention beer if you want company. Beerguevara is a revolutionary home brewing supply store located in the Arcade, and sells everything from supplies to the flavoursome brews themselves. Starter packs make great gifts for those looking to upturn the beerstablishment.
Food Trucks
The welcoming face of Carl, the lunchtime legend.
In a city all but void of street food culture, the mobile chaps are doing their part to provide the greatest, greasiest, most succulent fare that ever traversed a serving hatch. Philly cheese steaks and wraps, gourmet burgers by The Nob and Southern Italian by Limoncello. It’s all there.
Second-Hand Books (Blank Books)
Browser heaven
Nothing like sitting around in a bookstore paging through nostalgic, dated adventures that have had adventures of their own. Stumble upon a lost treasure – for your writer, a full-length 1980-something original Mortal Kombat graphic novel – and pocket browse around the satisfyingly cluttered shelves at your leisure with a glass of complimentary champagne.
Hand-Made Jewellery
Finely manicured mineral metallurgy by Manufactory
Watching something timeless slowly come to life is the privilege you get at Manufactory Jewellery Studio. The team of expert designers sits behind a workbench at the back of the shop painstakingly wringing, tweaking, filing and and polishing everything from driftwood to bronzed skull bones to create a completely unique and eye-grabbing style of accessory fashion.
Visit their Facebook page for more information.
Clothing
Cotton Hill fine ladies’ wear
Soft and flexible ladies’ cotton creations are the specialty of Cotton Hill, an emporium of fine dresses and accessories specializing in muted and grey colour tones. Owner Elaine is the one responsible for the occasional ice bucket of complimentary champagne and has been instrumental in helping organize the music event Arcade on Fire.
(Actual) Games
Kill some time with darts, pool, table tennis, pinball and foosball
A variety of awesome retro outdoor game tables awaits. At the time of writing, the pinball high score is 621 880 points. Also find your true love playing couples’ table tennis, pool, or finally settle the score on the foosball deck. The dartboard, too, is begging for a bulls-eye.
Take A Seat
Eco Furniture Design’s custom work
Sporting a range which includes solid blackwood tables and more contemporary bookcases, Eco Furniture Design seems bent on incorporating the sustainability of the product into the needs of the buyer, another reason to support Woodstock business. Third on the left is Living Legends, a charming, restored period furniture shop run by Brenda and Caroline, who have welcomed this writer’s efforts to initiate Arcade on Fire with open armoires. The shop lends itself gorgeously to Woodstock’s rustic atmosphere. In the words of one blogger, the gritty feel of the shops “adds to the character of Woodstock or any older area for that matter. Without them, people can just as well go to Canal Walk!”
More Furniture and Clothing
Five Legends Clothing and Living Legends
Five Legends offers classic, yet tastefully fashionable ladieswear clothing & accessories to a wide age range of women.
Living Legends Home is a purveyor of fine, upcycled furniture. The store sells a combination of lovingly restored & ‘glamourised’ pieces, as well as bespoke cabinetry that is locally manufactured & finished.
Tutu
Bespoke dancewear, active wear and swimwear. As their name suggests, they also make a lot of tutu’s and costumes for stage, film, clubs and festivals. Complete with onsite seamstress and fabrics bought from all the local mills in Cape Town.
For some more history and information on the arcade read Salt Circle Arcade.
Five Legends offers classic, yet tastefully fashionable ladieswear clothing & accessories to a wide age range of women.
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A few years back, a friend and myself embarked on a walk through Woodstock to discover its more reclusive architectural secrets. We’d eventually made our way down to lower Woodstock down into Essex Street and discovered the outside of a small establishment called The Torchbearer. We entered into what turned out to be a very busy Sunday lunch. My friend, never one to avoid a decent pub lunch, insisted wisely that we both order the eisbein and beer, and we eventually rolled out of the pub continuing our journey, though this time a little slower.
The Torchbearer still appears to be one of Woodstock’s better kept secrets. Run by Sammy and Alf Robinson, they are happy to talk about the history of the place. It is probably the oldest pub still open in the area – it has been open 28 years now, though before this it was called ‘The Woodstock’ (not to be confused with the pub with the same name where legend says the name of the Woodstock suburb was bequeated) and before then, the incongruous ‘The World of Wines’.
This sturdy Victorian building was originally two buildings and was probably built around the 1890s. It’s thick walls and fireplace with authentic extras give it a comfortable warm old-English feel. Alf is busy renovating the smalle rbar at the back where he plans to install a pool table. And the massive birdcage is just another feature of this delightfully quirky place.
The name ‘The Torchbearer’ comes from the father of the building’s owner who carried the Olympic torch for the 1948 London Olympics. The history doesn’t stop here. When seated, the place mats have been created from turn-of-the-century newspapers allowing you to study the end of the Great War while munching away at your prego roll. (Warning. This is not a place for vegetarians). Apparently Trevor Quirk and Robin Jackman are lunch regulars and a few years back, it was used as a location for “The World Unseen”, a film centered on two women who engage in a dangerous relationship during South Africa’s apartheid era.
The menu is ridiculously affordable. Steak egg and chips are R50, Crumbed Pork Chops are R40 and many more traditional pub lunches some with a Portuguese slant; the chicken chinchada is very popular too. And there is always some special in addition to the regular menu (yesterday it was meatballs and cabbage)
And you’ll be pleased to hear they will be showing all the Rugby World Cup games.
The Torchbearer
9 Essex Str.
Woodstock
Tel: 021 447 2639
Opening Hours
Monday to Saturdays Kitchen is open from 8am-9pm.
Sundays Bar opens at 10am – kitchen is open between 12-4pm
With Woodstock becoming the ‘it’ place, we sometimes forget that a lot of hard work and faith goes into the various projects that have sprung up over the last few years. While the Neighbourhood Market in the Biscuit Mill is without a doubt a force for good, the success of the Saturday market has not yet translated into everyday street life such as Long/Kloof Street or even Lower Main Rd., Observatory. The hope of course is that Albert Rd. Woodstock (or anywhere in Woodstock for that matter) becomes a thriving place any time during the week and not just on the weekend.
One of the people very much aware of this is Ernie Seegers of ‘The Artisan Baker’, a newish venture on Albert Rd, just at the entrance to the Biscuit Mill (going for just over 2 and a half months now). He has been involved in Woodstock in some form or other for more than 10 years (his wife runs Annie’s Angels, the Wardrobe & Fancy Dress hire store which is well-known in the film industry and just around the corner in Salt River Rd.); and he has stated he wouldn’t want to live anywhere else than Woodstock. They even live upstairs from the Bakery.
In any case, I’m sure you’ve all experienced the Biscuit Mill on a Saturday. If you’ve slept in like most of us, managed to find legal parking, and gotten your weekly exercise walking to the Biscuit Mill, the sometimes overwhelming crowd in the food market may just be a little too intimidating. The wonderful thing though, is that it’s now possible to have your cake and eat it too in the warmth and comfort of The Artisan Baker where you can safely watch the crowds go by.
With more than 35 years in the film industry under his belt, many of those as an art director, Ernie Seegers finally decided to start his lifelong dream of having his own bakery/bistro. He has even had a pair of oven doors in tow for the last 24 years and they proudly take central place as the doors to his wood-fired oven, where all the wonderful breads, pies and foods are made.
He is not a trained baker/chef but rather is self-taught which he sees as an advantage over the more traditional model of the ‘trained’ chef, as he feels it allows him more freedom to experiment. It started out as a hobby that became increasingly important as he baked for friends and family over the last 10 years, getting the recipes right, which we can now taste for ourselves.
His aim is to make authentic dishes, the way they are supposed to be made; he describes the food he makes as “honest food made good”. The menu is certainly not limited to French dishes, even if the venue has a warm and rustic French atmosphere. As an example, he mentions the chili con carne he makes, and emphasizes that he is always looking to experiment with new dishes (also definitely worth trying are the ‘steak, chocolate and chilli’ pies). The menu includes cakes, croissants, pies and various warm baked meals, as well as a Charcuterie with a wide selection of meats (all made on the premises). We asked him what he is most proud of and after a little thought, said he would probably choose the rustic sour dough with chopped pecan nuts, olives, Italian herbs, and grated lemon rind. Yummy.
So if you’re in the neighbourhood, pop into The Artisan Baker. It already has a growing number of regular customers.
The Artisan Baker is open for breakfast and lunch every week day and Saturday.
They also cater for private functions and dinner clubs and menus can be made to order.
Visit the Artisan Baker webpage. And the Facebook page is here.
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