{"id":22624,"date":"2011-07-09T10:22:06","date_gmt":"2011-07-09T08:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=22624"},"modified":"2011-07-09T10:23:23","modified_gmt":"2011-07-09T08:23:23","slug":"restaurant-review-new-improved-massimos-re-opens-in-hout-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/restaurant-review-new-improved-massimos-re-opens-in-hout-bay\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: New improved Massimo’s re-opens in Hout Bay"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>I\u00a0visited the new Harbour Bay market last Sunday, and was so disappointed with it, that I decided to try my luck for a table at Massimo’s in Hout Bay, which re-opened about two months ago, after a ten month closure.<\/p>\n

The restaurant was previously called Pizza Club, and operated from the same venue, but shared the space with the Scarecrow restaurant previously.\u00a0 Owners Massimo and\u00a0Tracy\u00a0spent a long time in finding an alternative venue for their\u00a0restaurant in Hout Bay.\u00a0\u00a0 To keep brand presence alive, Massimo Tweeted a lot, and ran competitions about their new location.\u00a0 It was a surprise to read that they had decided to return to their old location, but no longer share with Scarecrows.\u00a0 I loved the new interior look, painted in a soft green, which is the corporate colour too.\u00a0 Previously a lot of red dominated, from the Scarecrow identity.\u00a0 \"\"<\/a>Massimo has put up photographs of his Italian childhood, and the rooster is visible in the restaurant too, being their new logo, even imprinted on\u00a0the tables.\u00a0 The staff wear black branded T-shirts, much smarter than the previous red, and the service has improved markedly, being new waiters, and not the ones they had shared with Scarecrows previously.\u00a0 Tracy and Massimo are hands on, which is commendable, in that Tracy helps to take orders and chats to customers, while Massimo is the pizzamaster, very much in action at the pizza oven.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I stopped eating pizzas almost a year ago, but wanted to try the ‘new’ Massimo’s, ordering a ‘white pizza’ (no tomato sauce on the base) with mushrooms and mozzarella cheese, which was charged at R54, the base prize of a marghareta.\u00a0 Previously my favourite pizzas were from Col’cacchio (but not their service!), and therefore I find the Massimo pizzas not covered enough generally, and a substantial\u00a0part of the pizza at the ends is not covered at all, making it taste very doughy.\u00a0 Unlike Col’cacchio, one is not encouraged to make up one’s own pizza, and any deviation from the options on the menu is linked to a menu item in price and what is added or removed.\u00a0 There are numerous options, listed on the menu under headings such as Vegetarian and\u00a0Fish (R72),\u00a0and Meat, mainly costing R84, for interesting sounding pizzas such as boerewors, chorizo, coppa, and pancetta, and R98 for parma ham.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0One can order soup at R42,\u00a0with two options on Sunday – roasted red pepper,\u00a0and spiced carrot and lentil.\u00a0 Salads cost R44, and are unusual: couscous and roasted vegetable, and a delicious sounding rocket, coppa, grape fruit and avocado salad.\u00a0 Bolognaise costs R68, and pasta with mushrooms R58.\u00a0 Italian sausage with polenta and tomato sauce costs R68.\u00a0 A number of starter options range from R42 – R68, including chicken liver parfait, baked cheese dishes, and a cheese board.\u00a0 One can order sweet pizzas too, quite expensive at R72 – R84, for chocolate, bananas, and chestnut and ricotta pizzas.\u00a0\"\"<\/a>\u00a0Desserts cost R32, and I loved the Tiramisu, the only Italian dessert on the menu.\u00a0 Other options are baked cheesecake, pear tarte tatin, apple and berry crumble, and chocolate and almond torte. One can also order a Volcano, which is a good sounding ice cream with chocolate liqueur sauce and a lit sugar cube, at R18.\u00a0 Good LavAzza cappuccino costs R18.<\/p>\n

Massimo’s is quite strict, such as not offering much leeway on one’s own ingredient combination, in not cutting the pizza in slices, unless requested, and in stating its rules on the menu: no outside bought food may be brought into the restaurants (this would be an obvious no-no), a 10 % service fee is charged for tables of 8 or more, no smoking is allowed inside or outside under the canopy, and welcoming “families with well-behaved children”.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>I liked the green approach to Massimo’s extending to the herb and vegetable garden, which I saw in containers and in a wheelbarrow outside.\u00a0 Massimo’s is fortunate to have come back with a bounce, and to be so popular, despite its\u00a0ten month absence and the poor economy, but it shows that what they offer is what the Hout Bay locals want – good value pizzas in a friendly, cosy and\u00a0homely environment.<\/p>\n

Massimo’s<\/strong>, Oakhurst Farm Park, Hout Bay.\u00a0 Tel (021) 790-5648. www.pizzaclub.co.za<\/a>\u00a0(The website has menu, winelist, a blog, reviews, and a gallery that has more interior shots than food ones.\u00a0 Interesting is that a supplier list is to come.\u00a0 The old website address for the Pizza Club could cause confusion).\u00a0 Open lunch and dinner, Wednesday – Sunday.<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u00a0visited the new Harbour Bay market last Sunday, and was so disappointed with it, that I decided to try my luck for a table at Massimo’s in Hout Bay, which re-opened about two months ago, after a ten month closure. The restaurant was previously called Pizza Club, and operated from the same venue, but shared […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[3,124,20,21],"tags":[1591,32378,12299,12295,697,6749,12297,9098,12300,3322,3319,252,3625,12296,12298,32373],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t