Tony's Spaghetti Grill, Randpark Ridge - Jack of all trades, master of none.

I find it rather appalling that all “Italian” restaurants these days are moulded from the exact same mould, like a cookie cutter. Same interior, same menu, same music, same table clothes.

Is there no originality left? And if all these served proper Italian food – and not a 3^rd world country’s idea of Italian-style food, I might be ok with that…however this is not the case.

After an extreme delay in going to dine at Tony’s Spaghetti Grill in Randpark Ridge, with good reason – as mentioned above – I finally went.

Surprise surprise!! This is probably the mother of the cookie cutter Italian restaurants. Then again, they do sort-of warn you about this, stating on their own website that they serve al fresco style food.

The massive double volume restaurant with terraces on both side, are filled to the max with tables. Gives me the feeling of cattle being herded together.

Plain 3 colour (another surprise) interior; a less than average wine list, opposing the extensive food menu and not very attentive staff (which in all honesty is not the staff’s fault, but the doing of management by over stocking the barn with customers).

The extensive menu ranges from pizza and pasta to salads; anti-pasta’s to steak and seafood, pork, chicken, lamb and vegetables; and even more tit-bits in-between.  Now the problem with menu’s like these that make your head spin, in my experience, is basically – Jack of all trades, master of none.

It is simply not possible to have a menu of 8 pages, and be able to produce all dishes with care and perfection.

Have a pizza and pasta menu, and make the best darn pizza base and fresh pasta you possibly can, and be proud. Or Have a seafood restaurant, and serve beautifully fresh bites of ocean, I don’t care how you split them up really – but do not, ever attempt to put all that the lands produce offers on your menu.

The salads are not bad, but stacked with ice-berg lettuce, and very little topping. But again – not bad.

The pizza base is mediocre, yes there is a big pizza oven – this means nothing if you do not produce a thin crust that crunches in your mouth, and a golden, bubbly, stringy grilled cheese topping.  Meat wise – well I can only say from what I saw and what a heard from my trusty companions: average, but the mushroom sauce that accompanied the rib-eye was as white as snow, and tasted that way too.

Look, I’m not saying it’s revolting. What I am saying is that I simply do  not understand the hype around this place, and how they keep so busy? I can understand that if you usually have a microwave meal for dinner, that this would be a real treat – other than that, no, I can’t fathom why. Everything is average, nothing is great. I would not go back to this mass producing cookie cutter Italian-STYLE restaurant.

But apparently to the sheep of JHB with little food knowledge – this is a gem.

My personal opinion – keep to the right and pass along swiftly.

 Trust your instincts, until we eat again…