The Rabbit in the Moon, Illovo – Pleasantly over the Moon

I have driven past this restaurant countless times, the name stuck in my head, haunting me –and I decided it was time.

Honestly I do not know anyone that has dined here before, perhaps that lead to the delay in finally taking the plunge; and what a pleasant plunge into deliciousness it was.

 

The Good:

Pretty much everything!
Love the ambiance – it is quirky yet classic, with pops of colour here and there.
The menu is well balanced, offering something for everyone. From vegetarian, to light meals, to share, to the very hungry; and a decadent desert menu. Offering a little bit of everything, without having an ancient scroll of a menu which usually leads to being Jack of all trades Master of none.

Nice drinks menu as well, with super friendly and efficient service. The waiters are like wine ninja’s – you barely see them, but your glass is always full. They are also helpful in advise on popular dishes, with honesty.

Salads are offered in half and full portions (or large and small), which is always a very nice touch (for me at least). I had the Tabouli mint salad with halloumi, it was fresh and bursting with flavour.

The carnivore friends loved the Fillet Mignon (flambéed in brandy) which is properly portioned and comes with great accompaniments, like caramelised onions – who does not like a bit of caramelised onion?

There was 2 pasta dishes had at our table – Rigatoni vs Penne Bisanzio - the one a clear winner over its opponent. But then again, I just don’t understand ordering pasta at all, it’s a starchy vehicle for sauce. So ordering a sauce-less pasta, well… what do you expect? (Stupid move).

 

Desserts: Reviews praise the Tres Leches cake as a winner, however, we put this in the ring with the Trecolore Cioccolata, and the triple chocolate terrine was a knock-out!! I have to mention that I am not a very big chocolate fan, except for a 70-80% bitter dark chocolate (like my heart), but this was tres DELICIOUS! Silky, smooth chocolate-ness without a clawing sweetness. Did the waiter not recommend this slice of heaven, I would have agreed that the Tres Leches is fantastic, and don’t get me wrong, it is great – but has nothing on the choc terrine. This is a must.

 

The Bad:

… egehm…

 

The Ugly:

…cough-cough…

 

So nothing bad to say here, which is fortunate for the restaurant, but a bit less fortune for me – I’m rather fond of naming and shaming, and giving constructive criticism, to help restaurants better themselves… ah heck, I call a spade a spade.

Due to lack of negativity I will highlight more of the positives:

They have a sense of humour – which I love.

 

There are tiny rabbit statues as décor, and they are named. Sweet!!

You have 2 parking entrances available, either on The Thrupps Centre side, or at Illovo Muse Centre.

Coffee is lovely, and the bill comes with miniature tick-tac packs, which literally fit 5-6 tick-tacs!! Cute!

 

 

 

 

 

Tips:

-          Make reservations… Do it now!

-          Order the Trecolore Cioccolata, if it is the only thing you eat – eat this!

-          Go on, treat yourself.

 

Happy Tuesday lovelies.

Until we eat again.

 

Perron, Illovo Junction - Meh...Mexican

This little restaurant has created such a hype since opening; it’s literally been on everyone’s lips (so to speak).  I set out to investigate with the help of some friends for a Book club evening, I was also doing sober September at that time, so therefore I know my opinion is definitely not influenced by anything else than my 5 senses.

The good:

Great ambience, colourful with a touch of Mexico, without being over the top. We were seated immediately, and a friendly waiter over second later.  Prices are very reasonable.

The barman has a heavy had when it comes to cocktails, and this might fall in the good or bad category depending on personal taste; and if you like drinking clean rum on the rocks. My virgin mojito won the cocktail round…

The menu has a fair variety of salads and nibbles - the jalapeño poppers were yummy, and probably the most generous portion of Gauc I’ve ever seen served with nachos. Followed by mains, consisting of about 12 bundled groups of fresh ingredients to stuff your quesadillas and taco’s with, but in all honesty a burrito is a burrito is a burrito (which, for those of you who don’t know, is in essence actually a soft version of a taco).

The bad:  

Portion size – all the portions are extremely small, and this explains the reasonable prices… I do not mind ordering tapas style and sharing at all, I rather fancy it, as you get to taste a lot more than one or two dishes. And this is exactly what you get, a taste that is all.

I’m trying to think really hard of any place where I have seen smaller mains, but nothing comes to mind. For example I have never been able to eat a quesadilla by myself ( thank heavens for that! ) and I don’t advise you to try this at home – but here, I could have easily put away 3 full ones, and probably still have space for dessert, keeping in mind that this is after having had little nibbles to start. Think of a normal tramezzini – now downscale by about a quarter of the size, and there you have the size of Perron’s quesadillas.

Flavour wise, I expected more, a lot more. Mushroom, spicy re-fried beans, lamb? Who knows.

Service - our friendly waiter was very attentive for the first 15min, and then went MIA.

The ugly: 

Nothing much to say here. Nothing horrifyingly bad, unfortunately also nothing exceptionally good.  Just, well average. A Mexican native might spit some Tequila in Perron's eye... 

Tips: 

Go here for a first date – heavy handed cocktails, small portions and not expensive, everyone wins. Avoid if you are hungry, or looking for authentic spicy Mexican food.  The hype? I don’t get it.  It is possible that the locals are just so happy that the previous old fart of a restaurant closed down.

I’ll go to Perron again, perhaps on a Saturday afternoon for a boozy lunch with and jugs of margaritas. 

Happy hump-day!

Until we eat again...