Truth Coffee - Cape Town, South Africa

For all the pre-voyage jitters, all the apprehension of travelling to parts unknown to us, Cape Town ain't no thang. The vibe is chill. Chill, laid-back, make-yourself-at-home and you-do-you. The vibe is too-cool-for-school, and the street fashion has LA schooled. 

For all that chill, Cape Town runs on coffee. Or at least our neighborhood does. Not frazzled-looking, to-go cup in-hand bankers with bags under their eyes but chic city-slickers and chilling out at a counter with a properly-brewed, freshly-ground cup o' Joe. 

I can count at least three coffee shops in a 1x1 square block alone. Each carries an impressive selection, the inside an immaculate image of gleaming wooden counters.

Not a single coffee shop I've seen catches the eye quite like Truth. The dim lighting is off-putting at first, until you see the theme bulbs protrude from the ceiling, giving off a pale purple glow.

This is their steampunk theme, and they follow it to a tee. Fashionable servers are fully attired in anachronistic leather as they serve steaming Espressos in their signature Resurrection blend. 

Even the saltshakers wear corsets.

For those who prefer their sugar with coffee and cream, there is a Silky Rez that mollifies a headstrong espresso into a milkshake.

For the more adventurous, there is the unthinkable Sunrise Espresso, a hard-hitting morning martini with milk to soften the blow and orange juice to make it a bit more confusing. It is the best kind of confusing - the tart orange juice somehow meshes with the bitter espresso for a wtf wake-me-up with a strangely smooth finish.

They serve all sorts of breakfast to accompany your expressive espresso; foods that would convert even the most anti-breakfast person in the world. 

Most days, for example, the mere thought of bacon and eggs will physically make my stomach turn. The smell alone will flip my digestive system faster than an Olympic gymnast.

Truth has a Porridge for that. They soak the hearty oats in coconut cream all night so that they glide down like butter on a skillet. The creme fraiche topping grazes like a gravy, adding a touch of sour to cut through the cream. The blueberry compote adds a fruity flair, and there are chunks of homemade honeycomb that float like crispy clouds. 

For those craving something cool and light, the Grapefruit & Granola is worth a glance. Yogurt and granola make an expectedly winning combination, and acerbic grapefruit duels with the last of the summer strawberries. A pour-over shot of grapefruit juice moistens the oats so that they don't finish dry.

I'm not a breakfast person. Even an active effort only allows me to merely tolerate the most important meal of the day. That said, I "tolerated" Truth three days in a row, making a point to wake up before it opens.

Truth be told, everything on their menu is to die for, and even the Shakshuka, with all the ingredients I detest, is a dish of pure delight. The tomato stew hugs the soft baked eggs. There's a bold saltiness added by strong black olives and a chipper goat cheese contributed to the balance. 

The Croque Madame is a classic, and they make the best rendition I've had. Their bread is crusty and otherworldly, the ham wrinkles in thin yet flavor-heavy slices, cradling a sweet, grainy gruyere.

The entrees are as elaborate as they are decadent, but most days the bakery will do just as well. Each item is so rich it makes up a meal by itself.

Don't let the modest-appearing Apple Tart fool you; it is wonderfully weighty and rich. The caramelized apples sink densely into a bed of biscuit crumble, and a caramel glaze fills in the cracks.

The Lemon Meringue is a cohesive crust that barely contains a bright lemon-curd custard and a meringue, the likes of which I have never experienced. This meringue is simultaneously firm but soft, delicately determined, densely airy in formative peaks and oven-baked waves of gold. They could serve a bowl of just this meringue, and I would buy it by the pound.

Any way you slice it, Truth leaves quite an impression. The laid-back vibe is absolutely ideal for anything you choose to do, whether you're plotting to take over the world or just sitting with an espresso to watch the foam swirl. Do what you want and have what you will here. The Truth will set you free.