Greek pastries, desserts and bread are tempting taste buds in Mowbray in Cape Town after Yiayia’s Table recently opened its doors.
The restaurant is named after Elli Parolis or Yiayia (grandmother in Greek), a formidable woman who loved cooking and sharing delicious meals around her yellow kitchen table.
During her 96 years, Parolis was the mother of three children and continued to care for and feed her family (including five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren) right up until her final days, insisting on cooking up something delicious whenever someone came to visit. Meals were communal and relished while sitting around her yellow Formica kitchen table – sharing food, laughter, and various anecdotes.
Paying homage to this beloved matriarch of the Parolis family, the bakery delivers the same baked specialities so enjoyed by three generations fortunate enough to eat at Parolis’s famed yellow table.
You can expect vibrant Mediterranean flavours like spinach, feta, sundried tomato and olives – lovingly encased in buttery phyllo or tender dough and baked to crisp perfection. A Yiayia’s Table’s specialty, Koulouria – a ring-shaped bread enjoyed either savoury or sweet – is the star of the menu, with Greek treats like Kourabiedes (Greek shortbread), Bougatsa (custard pies) and spanakopita offer a decadent pairing to an array of coffees, smoothies and fresh granitas. For those who want to enjoy these offerings and more from home, a selection of frozen readymade “heat and eat” spiral pies are available to buy.
Yiayia’s Table is at 41 Durban Road in Mowbray in Cape Town.
If you would like to check other options, here is a running list of new restaurants that have recently opened in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.