If you’ve been in the vicinity of Midpoint Mall near Pick n Pay, you would have noticed that Culture Café has had an overhaul by its new owners, sisters Lesinda and Sharon, who have aptly renamed their new venture Li’Shaz, embodying a bit of pizzazz and a lot of delicious home baked goodness.

We caught up with the two sisters and got the lowdown on their new adventure.

It’s so lovely having you here at the mall and we’ve already heard great things about Li’Shaz. Where do you both come from and what made you choose Hout Bay?

L&S: We are from Germiston and Alberton, a far cry from Hout Bay! It has always been our dream to do something like this, bringing smiles to a lot of faces and good food to make happy tummies.  I always say Hout Bay chose us.  It came our way without us looking for it.  We found this spot and fell in love.

We assume Li’Shaz is a combination of your names. Tell us more about your choice of name.

L&S: Yes, Li’Shaz is a merging of our two names and is unique in its own way.  It brings life and joy to everybody who comes in contact with it.  It brings flare and color back to those in a time of a lot of grey.  We strive to make you relax and get your kids involved with activities that will be fun and educational, as you enjoy your meal or bite to eat with us.

From what we’ve seen, you are baking up a storm! Do you both bake or do you have a speciality baker in-house?

L&S:  Our head chef, Lauren as well as Sharon and I bake, with everything created in-house, fresh and from scratch.  We try to be creative and original in everything we do, and endeavour to accommodate all types of dietary requirements.  So if you’re vegan, diabetic, vegetarian, or gluten / dairy-intolerant, then you’ve come to the right place. If we don’t make it ourselves, then we try and only buy in from locals in Hout Bay.

What are your specialities? What MUST people try at Li’Shaz?

L&S: The coffee and pancakes are our big draw card, but our burgers are definitely our speciality. We post daily specials and one-off treats on our Facebook and Instagram pages so it’s best to follow us there and see if anything takes your fancy.

What do you offer that sets you apart from other coffee shops or restaurants?

L&S: What sets us apart is the homely environment.  We are trying to create a home away from home feel and treat our customers like royalty with excellent service.  We are also very willing to adapt to our customers dietary requirements so if you have a request and the kitchen can help, then we do.

What changes have you made to the menu since taking over from Culture Cafe?

L&S: We have added more baked products, like pancakes, milk tarts, vet koek etc to the menu.  We have also added vegan burgers which is so important in this day and age as more and more people are eating plant based foods.  We also offer gluten free cakes and pancakes, pancakes for diabetics, and pancakes for those who don’t eat eggs or are allergic.  We also do catering for birthdays or functions at reasonable prices.

You sell yourself as a family restaurant. What special meals or treats can the kids expect?

L&S: One of our biggest draw cards has been our kids entertainment options so that parents can enjoy a relaxed meal. We have freshly baked small cakes that we give to kids to decorate, not to mention our cloudy milkshakes that the kids just love. We also have our raining sugar coffee with cotton candy, one of our new specialties.

Not sure what a raining sugar coffee with cotton candy is? You’d better visit Li’Shaz to find out!

If you had to ask us what we love about Li’Shaz, it is definitely the fact that they will bend their menu to suit your dietary requirements and cater for vegetarians, vegans and diabetics as well as gluten-intolerant and egg-free diets. Plus they even host kids birthday parties, organising the kids and adult catering, and entertainment for the kids.

Take a look at a snippet of their menu and don’t forget it’s pensioners day everyday at 10% off and 15% off for families until 15 September 2020 if you bring along this flyer which will be handed out at the mall soon. See you there?

Show Li’Shaz some support! Follow them on Facebook and Instagram or call / whatsapp 0725877800