Press
Bianca Coleman, well known Cape Town foodie wrote in the Top of the Times on 2nd February 2007:
“Bakeries are about indulgence, and for this I turn to Charly’s bakery in Roeland Street. Not the first place you’d expect to find such a treasure, but there it is in all it sugary pink glory, with dancing cupcakes painted on the pillars outside, and magical murals inside.
The old high ceilinged building is perfect for a retro look which includes sparkly chandeliers and old cake mixers as dècor items. The business is family run with passion for gorgeous cakes.
Trays of brightly iced cupcake and petit fours greet you – no insipid pastels here. It’s not easy to choose just one or two things and I was glad I was shopping for a birthday feast. This meant I could have a heavily frosted grapefruit-sized vanilla cupcake in each colour-red, green, yellow, purple and orange-all dusted with fine gold glitter. I walked out of there with a massive box of treats, which included equally brightly iced buttery shortbread biscuits shaped like hearts and flowers, rich dark chocolate cupcakes iced in luminous colours with slogans like “Sexy Ass” and “Kiss me”, a “wicked” mini chocolate loaf topped with chocolate shavings (delicious cut into slivers washed down with ice cold milk late at night), a triple chocolate brownie (also dusted gold), and a slice of cheesecake decorated with sugared rose petals.
On the excellent recommendation of the lady behind the counter, I tried a slice of one of Charly’s newest cakes, rich and moist and topped with swirls of chocolate-caramel ganache tinted gold. All this extravagant decoration is just so appealing and appropriate for something as special as the perfect cake or cupcake.
Charly’s also serves great sandwiches, savoury quiches and coffees, and makes “mucking afazing” cakes to order for any occasion from weddings to birthdays to well, Fridays.”
Eat In magazine , the ultimate food lover’s guide in an article called “the return of the Tart” wrote:
“From the baker’s mouth”
“Around the country, chic bakeries have revived the humble cupcake to something of an ‘it’ item – the culinary equivalent of the iPod, if you will. Charly’s Bakery in Cape Town will make you throw kilojoule caution to the wind. Combining her inner-child sweet fantasy with adult sophistication, owner Jacqui Biess is the undisputed cupcake queen, producing show-stopping five-tiered wedding (cup)cakes that are as tempting and dramatic as an Ascot hat. doilies optional”
Derek Wilson Cape Times August 31st 2006 wrote:“Pigs ears and delectable dough- Charly’s Bakery”
“Now here is something you’ve just got to experience: it is literally a feast for the eyes before you even consider your tummy.
Charly’s Bakery sits cheek in jowl among a number of motor-related premises, but it’s pink and green dècor calls your attention to it.
I was about to book my car in for a service at Armstrong’s next door but was distracted by Charly’s with its chairs at a ledge running along the street window.
Enter the elaborate wooden doors and you find yourself in what looks like the dark portal of an old hotel. There is some simple seating there and the walls are covered in pictures of elaborate cakes, but turn immediately to the right and enter the shop itself and you suddenly realise how Hansel and Gretel must have felt when they discovered the old witch’s candy house in the woods.
I stood agape. All the pink and green tinged walls on the public side of the counter were covered in those pictures of exquisitely beautiful cakes. And where there weren’t pictures there were chalked up lists of what Charly’s offered: savoury this, sweet that and lots of beverages. And then I saw the vast array of appealing cakes, cookies muffins. I was impressed by a huge cake that looked vastly like chocolate, but, I was told, was actually a Russian cheesecake.
I had a mind to have something savoury – I heard people ordering toasted this and that – but suddenly spotted a tray of pig’s ears, something I hadn’t had since childhood. I had a pig’s ear with a large cup of coffee for something like 12 bucks.
I drifted out of there, still transfixed by that captivating aroma. I was some distance away when I realised I had forgotten to book my car in.”
Ben from Southafricanlogue wrote:“Charly’s Bakery
20 Roeland Street
Cape Town |
Specialty: Muffins, cake and pastries, but mostly muffins and cake.
Tel: +27 (0) 21 461 5181
SA Blog recommends a look inside? Don’t miss it!
Further Insight & Opinion
The east side of Cape Town, much neglected by tourists, holds many secrets – so many that I probably won’t get to them all during my tenure at SA Logue – and this is one of the best: Charly’s Bakery.
Charly’s Delights
It’s on Roeland Street, which sweeps into the city from De Waal drive, abruptly ends at Parliament, and is decidedly off the radar for most tourists. But take my advice and undertake the modest hike to the city’s less-favored half: at the end, you’ll find the most decadent muffins, brownies, pastries and pies for 1000 kms in any direction.
Charly’s is a favourite for weddings, too; magical towers of chocolate, tapers, roses and frosting are miraculously constructed in its back rooms, fit for unveiling at the nuptials of a prince.
My standard order is a date-and-nut muffin (if you hanker for an American-sized muffin, this is your place) and a cup of coffee, which is strong and poured into a generously-sized styrofoam cup. On fighting days, I swap the muffin for a drippingly decadent brownie or mini-loaf of chocolate cake, and spend the next several hours on a dangerously illegal sugar high.
As written by Seth on his famous award winning blog 2oceansvibe
“Without a doubt, Charly’s stampedes to the top of the “Best of Cape Town” list.”
This absolutely OUTRAGEOUS chocolate cake was crafted by none other than my friends, the geniuses at Charly’s Bakery. Their website, www.charlysbakery.co.za is under construction at the moment but should be up and running soon! Thank you so much for spoiling me with such a triumph! Jacqui, Alex, Dani and co at Charly’s Bakery do NOT fuck around and find it quite logical that they handle cakes for everyone from Oprah to Tutu. Bless you girls!
Call them on 021 461-5181 or email email: charlysbakery[at]gmail[dot]com. If you go anywhere else, you’re an arsehole.”
While bread gives us sustenance, bakeries are also about indulgence and for this I turn to Charly’s Bakery in Roeland Street. Again, not the first place you’d expect to find such a treasure but there it is in all its sugary pink glory, with dancing cupcakes painted on the pillars outside, and magical murals inside.
The old high-ceilinged building is perfect for a retro look which includes sparkly chandeliers and old cake mixers as décor items. The business is family-run with passion for gorgeous cakes.
Trays of brightly iced cupcakes and petit fours greet you – no insipid pastels here. It’s not easy to choose just one or two things and I was glad I was shopping for a birthday feast.
This meant I could have a heavily frosted grapefruit-sized vanilla cupcake in each colour – red, green, yellow, purple and orange – all dusted with fine gold glitter.
I walked out of there with a massive box full of treats, which included equally brightly ice buttery shortbread biscuits shaped like hearts and flowers, rich dark chocolate cupcakes iced in luminous colours with slogans like “Sexy Ass” and “Kiss Me”, a “wicked” mini chocolate loaf topped with chocolate shavings (delicious cut into slivers washed down with ice cold milk late at night), a triple chocolate brownie (also dusted with gold), and a slice of cheesecake decorated with sugared rose petals.
On the excellent recommendation of the lady behind the counter, I tried a slice of one of Charly’s newest cakes, rich and moist and topped with swirls of chocolate-caramel ganache tinted gold. All this extravagant decoration is just so appealing and appropriate for something as special as the perfect cake or cupcake.
Charly’s also serves great sandwiches, savoury quiches and coffees, and makes “mucking afazing” cakes to order for any occasion, from weddings to birthdays to well, Fridays.
If any of you have something to add to this already impressive list, please feel free to drop us a comment.
2 Comments so far
YUMMMYYYY!!!
My son, Bradley, who works two doors away from Charly’s Bakery, (at Auto Champ) came home one day and said to me, “Mom, there’s this amazing bakery called Charly’s. You must definitely pop in and see for yourself.”
Then one Saturday morning I took him to work and “popped” into Charly’s, and wow…….
I bought a few beautifully decorated petit fours, and I tell you, it tasted as good as it looked. Absolutely delicious!!!
My daughter turns 21 next year. Guess where I’ll consider buying her cake….