Well worth a trip

Cheddar, gouda and mozzarella, all melted together to make a panini sandwich equals nirvana for a cheese lover much like myself. But for the love of my body shape I restrained myself from ordering this option the other day when I found the fortitude to head all the way out to Loresho to explore a little gem my friends had whispered to me about.

Wasp and Sprout is situated in Loresho Estate’s old shopping centre surrounded by residential flats and stores of an era gone. This is the kind of establishment whose only description I can give is lifestyle boutique. The lovely couple who run it sell bespoke furniture, coffee clothing items, décor pieces and I could have sworn there was an animal pen under construction in the yard.

When my buddy and I got there, the coffee shop space was empty save for a sweet old lady working on her laptop and looking like she lived there. W&S has managed to capture the essence of homely charm in their set up and bonhomie attitudes of staffers and management alike.

TOASTED PERFECTION

We were settled in the outdoor sitting area furnished with homemade chairs and tables (ours was made from an old door) upholstered with khanga and kitenge all of different patterns and colours. Hessian fabric also features heavily in the pieces.

The menu options here are minimal, giving prominence to coffee-house type offerings from breakfast to ciabatta and panini sandwiches, wraps, salads and soups, but they have a daily special which we both immediately ordered. That day was a chicken, cheese and mushroom quiche with something I no longer remember because much to our consternation, they’d run out of the quiches.

My disappointment was however vaporised by the alternative chicken, gouda and mayonnaise panini I ordered. Bread toasted to perfection, giving it crunch but the kind that’s fair to your palate. A generous portion of grilled boneless chicken bits and a thick slab of melted cheese in delicious homemade mayo were tightly packed between the slices.

I am an advocate for all of the spices that ever existed but appreciated the light seasoning of just black pepper and coriander which I picked up. The mayo, thank heavens, was not too eggy and still managed to hold the sandwich stuffing perfectly together, so it wasn’t messy to eat.

A fresh garden salad dressed with sweetened balsamic reduction accompanied this guilty delight. My compadre loved his beef and tomato panini, which I did not taste for fear of compromising the deliciousness in my own mouth. Our meal was followed by a perfectly brewed (obviously gourmet) cappuccino whose origin I forgot to investigate. I can still taste that coffee from Wednesday in my mouth. I will return tomorrow for more.