DENNIS NGXONGO
Café Montee, on 175 Clark Rd (or 100 Bulwer Road, depending on where you are coming come from), in Glenwood is the new kid on the coffee block – and they have big shoes to fill. The premises was previously also home to a coffee shop, JuMeLi, which was the locals’ local.
Café Montee is a no-fuss, no-mess coffee shop that offers a decent Arabica Bean in a slightly larger cup, but hey, this is SA, we like our cappy milky. The service is in pleasant and quiet surroundings, the café offers the basics done right, good coffee, decent breakfast and, of late, enjoyable lunches. The pricing is also favourable to the pocket. It is my hope that they are in the area to stay.
A BAND OF BROTHERS
This intimate side-walk café, which offers indoor/outdoor dining, is run by a band of brothers – Sanele and Msawenkosi Nombela, who have had an almost lifelong interest in coffee, drinking it, and of late, making the best cup they can. This interest in the taste of coffee, dates back to their varsity days, where they were studying and trying new brands of instant coffee. You know what a student budget does to the taste buds!
It wasn’t long before they ventured to more premium instant coffees. Sanele’s sister bought him a filter coffee machine for his birthday, but it wasn’t used for months – until, one day, it was taken out of hiding and enjoyed. The rest, as they say, is history.
Fast forward to 2021, when Sanele met a barista who recommended espresso coffee. That same barista is Philani Mbatha, who is an integral part of the business, managing the KwaNdengezi mother branch.
THE MOTHER BRANCH
With his older brother, Sanele Ngwabi started a small cafe west of Durban, in the little township of KwaNdengezi, in November 2022. The siblings saw an opportunity for such a business in the township, which had not been explored before. This was a passion project where they honed their skills and soon gained the confidence to move to a premises that was for sale, in Glenwood.
Their love for coffee, and belief in the business model of Café Montee, saw them grab this opportunity of another coffee shop and the Glenwood Café Montee was born. With the vision of expansion, they involved their two sisters Sithembile and Nompumelelo and took on the running and re-branding of the Glenwood branch, starting a small and select pair of shops that give a unique experience – once again, it’s a family affair!
CLIMBING TO NEW HEIGHTS
Why Café Montee as a name, was my question?
“Well”, replies Sanele with a smile “Nombela is our clan name, and it means to climb. Montee, is to climb in French and we felt this was a great connection to both what we wanted to be called and where we wanted to climb in the coffee and service industry.”
He goes on to say: “All four of us are actively involved in the running and manging of the business, and I am the barista.”
The busy eatery serves a great cappy in a regular and a very generous large size- I prefer the regular as I like milk in my coffee, not the reverse. The atmosphere is great for working in thanks to the free Wi-Fi and the staff who are sensitive to your every need.
Plans are afoot for moving to private bookings on Sundays for family gatherings, small functions, team outings, etc. The venue is very amenable to your needs. You just need to chat with the young men at the helm.
In the true essence of this competition, you can have just their (decent) coffee, or in my case, add their freshly baked cakes to your cuppy or their very filling muffins (Blueberry is my fave).
