Some of the latte artwork created by the Talk House Cafe’s two baristas.

Coffee is alive and well in Westville at the Talk House Cafe

If you are looking for good coffee in Westville and a friendly  ambiance, try the Talk House Cafe. This is a stylish and spacious coffee shop inside the Westville Mall that has a small indoor section and a large terrace  open on two sides.  The decor and furnishings are charmingly eclectic.
They offer a small but interesting menu of light, cafe food, which is reasonably priced. But it’s their coffee that lifts them beyond the ordinary. With the beans and training supplied by Tribeca’s Bruce Manning their two baristas, Ndumiso Ngcobo and Thamisanqa Ndlovu, are serious about serving top quality coffee. The two have also been practicing their latte art and delighting their customers with new and innovative patterns – as their Facebook site reveals, where compliments from customers abound for coffee and service.
My cappuccino was rich and full-bodied and, thankfully, not bitter, while the foam was perfectly textured. It was also served at the correct temperature. If your coffee is too hot to drink immediately it’s served then you are likely to get a burnt taste.I was enchanted by the imaginative latte art on my coffee  – something often overlooked at busy coffee shops. It was encouraging to
see two baristas so keen to up their game. In fact they were so enthusiastic they showed me pictures of the latte art they had produced.
Smoked salmon and sweet potato rosti with avocado and Thai ginger cabbage salad; and smoked salmon, avo and cream cheese stack with phyllo pastry are some of the food items on the menu, along with great looking salads, quiches and toasties.
I had a bacon and egg toastie with, unusually, two eggs, which cost me only R25. It was very pleasant although the eggs were a tad hard for me. My friend enjoyed the smoked salmon and avo stack which was R58, which she followed with an  exceptionally moist and delicious carrot cake for R34. The slice was large enough to share. Cappuccinos cost R19. Service was friendly and knowledgable – Ingrid Shevlin  

• Call 078 629 4867 for info on Talk House.
• I’ve never once been disappointed in coffee from Vida E Caffe and if you in the area you should also try the branch in the Westville Mall.