January Restaurant of the Month: Reserved Cafe in Melville

Since I finished my #Gauteng52 series in 2017, many people have asked what my 2018 campaign will to be. I actually wasn’t planning to do anything. But upon further reflection it might be nice to do a couple of shorter projects.

Hence, I bring you the 2018 Restaurant of the Month series. My January feature is Reserved Cafe in Melville.

I stumbled upon this restaurant a week or two ago. It’s on 4th Avenue in Melville in 27 Boxes – a shopping center made from shipping containers. (27 Boxes has received some disdain from the community since it opened a couple of years ago, but the centre is under new management now and I think it’s finally finding its feet.) Reserved is on the ground floor in one of the spots opening out onto the street.

Inside Reserved Cafe in Melville
The interior of Reserved Cafe, the size of a single shipping container.
Iced coffee from Reserved Cafe
An iced coffee from Reserved Cafe, at an outdoor table overlooking 4th Avenue. Normally I get annoyed by iced coffees that are more like milkshakes than coffee. But this one was particularly good – not too sweet – so I didn’t mind.

I had walked past Reserved a couple of times before and didn’t consciously notice it. It’s a tiny little place and I thought it was just a coffee shop. Also the name didn’t really jump out at me.

But in actuality Reserved is way more than a coffeeshop: It’s a legit restaurant, opened by a chef who cooks serious food.

Lunch at Reserved Cafe

I went to Reserved with my friends Fiver and Stuart. There is a small blackboard menu with a few specials, as well as quiches and salads displayed on the counter. Fiver and Stuart both had the pork belly and I had the gazpacho.

Pork belly from Reserved Cafe in Melville
Pork belly.
Gazpacho from Reserved Cafe
Beautifully presented gazpacho.
Pouring gazpacho
Yum.
Quiches and salads at Reserved
Quiches and salads.

I got really excited when I saw gazpacho on the menu; it’s one of my favorite soups and I rarely see it in South Africa. This version didn’t disappoint. I also tasted the pork belly and it was great.

Daniel Riberio, the owner and chef of Reserved, is a South African of Portuguese descent. He bakes his own Portuguese custard tarts, or pasteis de nata. I bought a couple to take home and they were delectable.

Custard tarts at Reserved Cafe
and other Portuguese goodness.

So Reserved was a nice surprise. I went there expecting coffee and instead had a delicious meal with great service.

Reserved Cafe is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. I’m bummed they don’t serve dinner but this food would work well as take-away. There are only a few tables so reservations aren’t allowed – ironic considering the restaurant’s name.

Staff at Reserved Cafe
The friendly staff at Reserved Cafe: Leandro, Nelson, Andre, Mankind, and Daniel.

Got a suggestion for the February Restaurant of the Month? Bring it on.