Schoon De Companje

Last year my favourite place was Emily Moon and this year I have to reward it to Schoon De Companje. They were known as "De oude bakerij" before they revamped and enlarged the space that now is Schoon De Companje. Underneath one roof you will find numerous culinary artist that will produce only top quality ingredients.

I have been tracking them for a while now through Instagram and Facebook post made by friends and just could not find a time to pop through to Stellenbosch. A few weekends ago I decided that there are no more excuses and myself with the boyfriend paid them a visit.

The entrance

View from upstairs

View from the exit

Detail around every nook and corner

 

The place was very busy and we had to wait 15 minutes  to be seated but there are many "facets" to Schoon De Companje that will keep you busy so the waiting time flew by for us.

At Schoon De Companje you will find the following corners scattered throughout the space...

• De Brasserij : Here you can enjoy local brews on tap and they are also the host of the live entertainment every Saturday night. Click here to check out the line-up and acquire tickets.

Beer on tap...

...or in the bottle

• Het roosterij: Here you can sit down and see how they roast your coffee and serve it to you. This is a great part of the space where you can sit down for a quick coffee and enjoy a pastry from the stall next to it without going through the whole "restaurant routine".

• Fanny Chanel: Artisian Ice-cream can be enjoyed here. A flavour I can't wait to go and try is the salted caramel.

• Nice to meat you: All chacuterie needs will be satisfied here. Top quality meat and poultry will be  at your disposal. What's  great about the set-up is that all the "artists" are at their stalls and ready to give you all the information you want about their produce.

• Het Wijnwinkeltjie: Here a small selection but of top quality wine can be found . They do not only stock wines from the Stellenbosch region but I also spotted some bottles from Hermanus such as Hamilton-Russel. They also host wine-tasting evenings. Their Facebook-page usually gives all the details.

• De Oude Bank Bakkerij: Fresh, moist quality baked breads will result in you not ever enjoying that shop-bought plastic loaf.
• There also is a pastry section where you can enjoy treats such as the cronut that has become famous this year as well as tarts and cookies. After our meal I still wanted to buy some treats but almost everything was sold out!

This whole arrangement  is great if you can't sit down but want to indulge or provide some treats for later in the day. I am already planning a trip to them to stock up on some goods for when I finish my exams.

We however did decide to sit down and were seated in the space at the back of the restaurant near the window. It was a cold but sunny day so the warmth of the sun shining through the windows added a very homey feel to the space. There's also space upstairs where you can sit.

The place was packed

Original décor items contribute to the old-age feel

Upstairs area

For drinks I had the home-made ice tea(R22). It really did taste home-made but I did not enjoy the cinnamon they added to it so I won't order that again. The boyfriend enjoyed a mocha java. It had the perfect balance between coffee and quality dark chocolate. One thing you can be sure of at Schoon De Companje is that nothing artificial will touch your lips. Here everything is mdae on the premises or imported from somewhere where it was home-made.

Part of their Menu

 Due to all the great products we observed when we entered Schoon De Companje we decided to enjoy the local produce platter. For two people it's R110 and for four people it's R220. This was very reasonable priced and we barely finished it. There were five different types of bread, two cheeses, three types of chacuterie, butter, olive oil, balsamic reduction, strawberry marmalade and some other pesto's. Everything was delicious but the highlight of the platter was the bread. It honestly was the best bread I have ever tasted.

The rest of their menu is also very reasonable priced. Breakfast ranges from R25 to R55 and lunch from R49 to R60. I have heard that their burger is a must-try.

Service can be better as we did have some long waiting periods but the place was packed to full capacity and there were loads of staff on the floor so I am sure it will be better when there are less people.

We are almost at the end of the year. I am currently busy with my MBChB 4 final exams so I am taking a sneaky studybreak to write this. Schoon De Companje is a bucket-list item for all before this year ends. You won't be disappointed.
 

Visit them at the corner of Bird and Church Street in Stellenbosch
Follow them @oudebankbakkery
Like them on Facebook
For more information check out their website
Open Tuesday - Friday 07:00 - 18:00, Saturday 08:00 - 18:00 and Sunday 08:00 - 15:00