Top-end local sips get top-billing at CPT's newest watering hole

Rust, as we know, is the conversion of a refined metal to a more stable form. It occurs as a natural reaction to the environment and, as Neil Young noted, it invariably never sleeps. So it is with Rust, Observatory's newest watering hole.

It is very much a work in progress, and when we dropped in last week, mainly to escape the afternoon gridlock on Station Road, it had only been open for 11 frantic days. Nevertheless, we had a sense they were now on top of things, and a stability of sorts was at hand.

Previously, this had been a grimy fish-and-chip cafe with a Fong Kong electronics kiosk on the outside. That kiosk is now Rust's outdoor lounge/smoking area. There's no trace of the cafe, either. All that grease has been scraped away, and what we have is a pleasingly minimalist space, with lots of bare brick, wood and steely finishes.

The decor could be said to be petrolhead; one table appears to be fashioned from the hood of a 1950s Ford pick-up truck, and part of its cabin is a feature in the outdoor area.

But on to the business of drinking. The sign outside reads "Coffee & Craft Ale", so let's start with the latter. It's all top-end local stuff, and we were steered towards an IPA called Valve from Riot, the Woodstock brewers. "If you don't like Jimi Hendrix," the label warned, "don't drink this beer." (It was more purple haze than manic depression.)

Thereafter, it was a trawl through a modest wine list before winding up with tequila from Cape bouquet distillers La Leona, who make the stuff from Karoo agave plants. (And make it rather well.)

The local-is-lekker vibe extends to the coffee, which is African and roasted in Cape Town. Presumably, it does the trick first thing in the morning, and cleans out the cobwebs from the night before. There are "hoppy hour" specials daily from 5pm to 7pm.

• Visit Rust at 79 Station Rd, Observatory, 7.30am to 10pm daily.

• This article was originally published in The Times.