NEW: The Restaurant Made From a Converted Shipping Container

A container cafe in a business park with well-priced lunch menu

Along a pretty, pot-lined garden pathway leading through a business park in the Strand, there’s a small haven of green tranquility housed in a well-designed, converted ship container. The steel box is now a hip matt-black and wooden space, with a rustic laser-cut screen and long trough filled with succulents. Plants decorate the walls and hang from the ceilings, and there are tables and chairs inside the space and at the coffee bar. 

It’s here that businesspeople like to drop in for a meeting or to relax over a cup of coffee and some of “Tannie Anna’s” home-baked cakes as it’s one of the few creative spaces in the area. There’s also a wide range of tasty and reasonably-priced lunch items on the menu, too, all put together by Anna Uitenweerde. 

IT’S AN INNOVATIVE BUSINESS CONCEPT WITH FAMILY AT ITS CORE
Garden Cafe is the inspiration of the Uitenweerde family. Youngest son Jackie wanted to do something to financially support his parents, Anna and Jaap. Jaap runs a cement-pot and fountain business, and Jackie owns a steel- and laser-cut business.

Jackie had always dreamed of revamping a container, and the business park seemed the perfect venue. “I was inspired to open a cafe in our business park. I envisioned it to have a rustic-industrial look, with a tranquil feel,” says Jackie. 

The cafe was put together within a month-and-a-half and opened on 18 June.

THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE ON THE MENU
“Tannie Anna” is in charge of the kitchen. The meals and confectionery are prepared at her home; the rest of the food is made on-site. You can build your own brekkie/breakfast, choosing from sausages, bacon strips, an egg-and-bacon breakfast muffin and freshly baked bread and butter. 

There are daily specials: South African favourites such as krummel-pap and wors or lamb curry-and-rice, to lasagne, chicken schnitzel or beef burger and chips. Also paninis, roast vegetables and couscous salads, pies, biltong and droewors. Kids love the chicken pops, sarmies, sweeties and homemade fudge (snacks: R10–R30; mains: R30–R45 including specials).

The chocolate cake, carrot cake, lemon meringue pie, and malva pudding, are moist, flavourful, and made with lots of “ouma love” (R30–R40). For the health-conscious, try the gluten-free brownies and sugar-free nougat bars. 

FINDING GARDEN CAFE IS EASY
Garden Cafe is listed on Google maps. Asla Park is an open business park and the public can drive in without signing in. There’s a large statue of Iron Man that can be spotted from the N2. Garden Cafe is 10m behind the statue.

GARDEN CAFE
Address: 8 Henry Vos Close, Asla Park, Strand
Contact: hellogardencafe@gmail.com, +27(0)82 783 7207
Hours: Mondays–Fridays: 07:30am–2:30pm; Saturdays: 7:30am–12:30pm

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