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.

 

That’s Amore, Parktown North – Nothing Amore about this place...

Always on the lookout for new restaurants in Johannesburg, reading about That’s Amore on a very popular Jhb-blog ( let’s call it Joburg’s Sweetheart for the purpose of this review) we were ecstatic to hear about this authentic Italian gem in Parktown.

So according to the review, this place is such a jewel, and you have to book at least 2 weeks in advance, which we then abided by. Never the less, upon arriving we were the only table of patrons. Later 2 other tables of 2 arrived.

There is so much to say about That’s Amore, but very little to nothing of it is very Amore… where to start?

The Good – ambiance is ok, and the wall with the name on is pretty. I also liked the glass panelled kitchen. And the beautiful big wine glasses.

The Bad – Service.  Menu.  Food. Wine.  

The only waiter is actually the owner of this hole in the wall, and catching her attention is unbelievably so – rather difficult. As I mentioned there were only 3 tables on this evening. Have you ever heard the one liner “service with a smile” ? Well, the folks at That’s Amore, have obviously not…

On the website, they boast a very extensive specials menu, more or less double the size of the normal dinner menu, which I found a little strange. However once seated and waiting for the specials, out of the 30 on the website there was only about 3 specials mentioned? This was rather disappointing, as one of my fellow diners was looking forward to having one of the 5 duck dishes they boast about, but not even one of these were available.  I mentioned our disappointment with regards to this, and the manager/waiter came back from the kitchen 3min later to advise that they do have duck, but it will take at least 45min… the only way a duck breast can ever take 45min to prepare is:  A) if it is frozen, and you need to defrost it before cooking; or B) if you’re planning on turning it into charcoal to use for fire later. In this case I think it was option A. Have restaurants not learned, that in this day and age, patrons do not want frozen food to be reheated for them, especially if the price you’re paying is that of authentic fresh food. Let it be known – we are not fools.

We started off with the Caprese salad for the table, whilst waiting on one more friend to arrive. The R105 dish consisted purely of 5 slices of tomato, 5 slices of buffalo mozzarella, and one basil leaf – yes, one solitary little leaf. I questioned whether perhaps they brought us a half portion, as surely this could not be the one for more than a hundred Rand. I was wrong. We did ask if it was feasible that we have more basil leaves, as this is supposed to be a 3^rd of the dish, we then received an unfriendly side plate with a couple more leaves, in the end, at least we all had one basil leaf.

I have to mention that I find it strange for the above 10 piece dish to be more expensive than the main Meaty dishes. We were advised in no uncertain manner that our comments and feedback was not appreciated, and that everything was imported from Italy… (Even the frozen duck breast and tomato? – I have my doubts).

On to mains – Gorgonzola Gnocchi, not bad, not brilliant either but very mean with the Gorgonzola sauce. The spinach and ricotta ravioli was nice, good amount of filling and nice balance of flavour, again a little shy on the sauce. The “special” seafood pasta was…well, a bowl of dry spaghetti, 2 mussels, one clam and a butterflied baby prawn, the Neapolitan sauce was virtually undetectable. 

 I think my favourite of all was the “Spaghetti e Vongole”  - described as Neapolitan spaghetti with imported clams – a very generous 8 clams. Now have a look at the pictures – the Raviolini with Neapolitan sauce, vs the clam Spaghetti, also apparently with Neapolitan sauce… spot the difference? Yes, that’s right – no sauce!  What a disgrace.

On the wine side – there were 2 white and 2 red’s. And you could have a glass for only a mere R60-R70, half the price of the bottle. I wish I could convey my tone of sarcasm on paper.  Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe you should have at least some variety in price categories – house wine, the medium priced bottles, and then your extravagant priced wines, no?

The Ugly – Attitude.

If you are unable to provide good food, and good service, at least be able to take some feedback to try and better yourself. As a service provider in the restaurant business, which is driven by word of mouth and returning clientele, telling a table of 5 patrons (which is more than half of your customer for that evening) “ this is my restaurant, feel free not to come back”, after having a not so inconspicuous rant about your customer’s feedback in the middle of the restaurant with your “chef” ( and I use the word chef very lightly here). 

Bad move signora.

But rest assured, we won’t be back. Ever.

In a nut-shell, there is nothing authentic about this place, the food is a joke and the service and arrogance a humiliation. Nothing here is very amore.  Avoid, avoid, avoid!!

Life’s too short for dry pasta and overpriced tomatoes.

Until we eat again...

(Note to self – don’t trust “Joburg’s Sweetheart” on any restaurant reviews – she obviously has no idea about good food).

Il Leone, CapeTown – Effortless goodness.

The effortless goodness of the cuisine, is reflected in the simple and clean lines reflected in the décor and furniture, with a wonderful ambience created by the lighting. No frills no fuss. This restaurant is all about the food, and rightfully so.

The atmosphere is cosy and friendly, very helpful staff and a well selected wine/beer menu.

 In my previous posts I’ve made it very clear that I am not a fan of Pasta at all, that it is a vehicle for yummy sauces or ingredients that could be used more delightfully in a different dish, in a different way…and a fattening vehicle to boot.
It was at this humble Italian eatery that I had my first plate of pasta that my taste buds dance. ( This was a couple of months after I became a vegetarian, otherwise I would have never ordered pasta).
                                                                                 Perfect pockets of ravioli – so that you could see the orange colour of the butternut glow through, layered with a four cheese sauce.

This was absolute heaven! I never knew pasta could taste like this, and for the first time in my culinary noting life, I could understand how people in Italy could eat pasta every day.  I also have to add that I’ve been in Italy more than once – and never have I come across such a wonderful mouthful of pasta.
It was love at first taste!
Due to this, I make a point of dining at Il Leone every time I visit in Capetown.

I’ve also had the Melanzane which is good and proper, but in my eyes nothing will compare to the Butternut Ravioli with four cheese sauce.

For the meat eaters, they have a lovely selection of hearty meaty dishes, which I have heard the praises of, and seen and smelt the rich aromas.
The seafood also look fresh and juicy.

 

For dessert I once had the tiramisu, which was delightful, and the crème brulee which was backed and torched to perfection.

This restaurant is easily missed, as you only see a small plaque hanging above a small door on a tiny patio.
Even with the lack of advertising and huge signs, they’re always overflowing  with patrons – so do make a reservation a day or 3 in advance.
And be sure not to miss this hidden gem.

 

 

Happy mid-working week!

Until we eat again…

Hard Rock Café, JHB – what is in a name?

Since learning of the opening of Hard Rock Café in Sandton , the entire JHB has been in a frenzy to visit this iconic restaurant.

Located on the popular Nelson Mandela Square, but tucked away in the corner, this is sure to be a huge success. And indeed it is.
This restaurant/bar is overflowing with customers practically every day of the week.

 

Home of the burger – this is a burger lover’s dream, I think. If you prefer an old-school type “real” burger patty, and not the more recent gourmet burgers that you can find at Dukes and The Wolfpack. I’ve never been a fan of the burger, so I to me this is more of the same. A veggie burger would be nice to see on the menu though. Or a meat-free salad as well…
I opted for the Chicken Quesadilla – without the chicken and added mushrooms instead.

I can comment that the portions are plentiful, very generous, and everyone seemed to enjoy the food a lot – whether this was because it was so darn delectable, or due to the fact that we’ve been having a couple of bottles of wine, and only ordered at around 9:30pm, I’ll leave open for debate…

 

The service was great, we had an amazing waitress and two managers who checked in regularly, without being overbearing.
All in all, I’d definitely go back for a drink or two, not so much for the food. Meat/burger lovers might disagree. It promises to be a fun night out.
For now though I do think the hype is all about the name, we’ll see how this plays out over the next 6month or so.

 

 

Opt for a seat on the patio, the music inside grows louder as the evening sky grows darker, until your ears almost start to zing.

 

Until we eat again...

Casparus, Stellenbosch – Just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to…

The chef of the restaurant was one of the first professionally trained chefs, all the way from Belgium, in South Africa and produced amazing food in the heydays.

He then disappeared from the food scene for a couple of years – in which the Cape winelands grew to be THE destination for decadent dining.

Situated in an art gallery in Dorp street in Stellenbosch, it look intriguing and contemporary. The menu and combinations are set-out to match this vibe.

Some odd combinations which one would easily have gagged about a couple of years back, are now as common as bread and butter, and you struggle to think of a time when you would not want salted chocolate, chocolate and chilly, strawberry’s with balsamic and black pepper, or even fillet with a chocolate sauce.

Ethienne Bonthuys is riding on this wave, but taking it to extremes – and unfortunately he’s crashing into a boulder with most of his weird combinations.

 

The signature dish is calamari with oxtail…I saw that face-pulling action going on just now, and rightly so. It tastes exactly as it sound – and even worse if the calamari is underdone, which it was when we dined there. Another 2 of the most bizarre combinations – Kingklip with a dark red wine and balsamic sauce; and then it’s counter – Fillet with a fishy/prawn white wine sauce? In both cases it was commented that the sauces were really nice – but did not fit with the protein at all, these two should have been swapped around and he would have had a winner.  Fortunately I am a vegetarian and had the privilege not to taste these extremely peculiar combinations.

I had a stuffed giant mushroom (and I was a happy camper seeing this on the menu as this is one of my favourite things). In all honesty I was not aware that it was possible to do a bad job at stuffing a mushroom. Some spinach, pine-nuts and goat-cheese should be one of the most elementary things, apparently not.

 

Dessert is probably my favourite part of a meal, but after the meal itself, we were all so put off that we skipped dessert and coffee.
(You’ll notice that I do not even have pictures – which is a very rare occasion for me not to take pictures of the lovely food everyone is eating.)

 

The setting is creative and unusually inspiring, unlike the food.
The service, or rather lack thereof is rather shocking, and super slow. On the evening we dined there, only one waiter was to be seen for the entire restaurant, albeit only 2 tables had patrons. Which confuses me even more – if this restaurant and food is all that and a bag of chips, why only 2 tables booked on a weekend evening? And how is it possible that the waiter struggles so with serving these two tables?

 

My advice ( to the chef and his combo’s, as well as the unsuspecting patrons) – just because you can, doesn’t mean you have to.

There are so many gorgeous restaurants in this area that leave you desiring to go back for more – do not waste your time at Casparus.

 

Happy Monday, I wish you all a lovely week.
Until we eat again…