A new Table View spot serves over-the-top milkshakes, gourmet sandwiches and juicy home-made burgers.
The FUE has been making waves with its mind-blowing monster milkshakes. Word of mouth brings people from all over the city to this unlikely spot in Table View. Tucked down an alley off Marine Circle and sharing a courtyard with Nick Carstens’s surfboard-shaping workshop, the cafe’s full name is The Festive Underground Eatery: festive because it cheers up a dull area, and underground because only those in the know can find it (look out for the gates next to Pam Golding Properties).
Owners Lynette and Wayne Dodd, and Nick Carstens are long-time friends who shared a dream of owning a cafe. The partnership came together when the space adjoining Nick’s surfboard business became available. Open Monday to Fridays only, the vibe is chilled and friendly, with freelancers using the free Wi-Fi over coffee and croissants, and surfers refuelling on burgers and the famous monster milkshakes.
“We like locally sourced ingredients, a lovely baker makes our breads and croissants.” says Lynette.
We steer clear of commercial eggs and bacon and use hormone-free meat from our local family butcher. Everything on the menu is our favourite stuff.
There are nachos, gourmet sandwiches, home-made burgers, fresh salads with micro-greens, cakes and doughnuts freshly baked in-house every morning, and of course the exceptional monster milkshakes: over a litre of thick creamy milkshake in five different flavours with crazy stacks of toppings. The chocolate-mint shake cames with a wide cone balanced on top, filled with ice cream, a slice of rich chocolate cake, doughnut twists and pretzels. It took three of us to finish it and it was decadently delicious. Banting advocates have plenty of options too, from the portobello burger, to the Banting nachos with baked sweet potato crisps, and the macadamia nut brownies.
Everything here has a story: the eclectic assortment of tables and chairs were collected over the years by Nick; Wayne’s vintage MG parked outside has been in the restoration process for decades. The cafe’s rustic tin plates were collected a few at a time on a cycling trip around Lake Malawi. Plans for the winter include a Bedouin tent in the courtyard and a fireplace inside the cafe.
Taste for yourself:
The FUE
021 556 3891
facebook.com/TheFUE/
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
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