Sprouts, East London
PORTUGUESE FLAIR IN EAST LONDON
East London suffers from a paucity of quality restaurants in respect of both upto- date ambience and fare, so it was good to discover that Sprouts, in Beach Road, is under new ownership. It’s a trendy coffee shop and lunch spot by day (the name Sprouts was inherited) and transforms into Casa Verde by night, when traditional Portuguese and Mozambican specialities are offered on the relatively short menu, accompanied by an equally short wine list of topical choices. The restaurant is already known (even delighting visiting tourists from Portugal!) for its arroz de mariscos, a moist seafood rice dish presented in a cataplana, a traditional clam-shaped copper dish, and feijoada (Brazilian black bean stew with pork), as well as its butter-soft baby calamari tubes. Caldo verde (potato chouriço kale soup), figados (piri-piri, pan-fried chicken livers) and ameijoa (clams) are typical starters, all prepared with olive oil and fresh herbs at less than R50 a portion. Main courses – all under R100, which is a reflection of the lower cost of living in the area, compared with most main centres – include favas (green broad beans) and caril de camarao (Goan prawn curry).
Sprouts/Casa Verde, 11 Beach Road, Bonnie Doon, East London; tel 043 735 3841
