{"id":43700,"date":"2013-06-08T10:25:02","date_gmt":"2013-06-08T08:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=43700"},"modified":"2013-06-10T10:53:42","modified_gmt":"2013-06-10T08:53:42","slug":"balduccis-unique-menu-good-enough-to-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/balduccis-unique-menu-good-enough-to-eat\/","title":{"rendered":"Balducci’s unique menu good enough to eat!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>On Wednesday the Slick Group, owners of Balducci’s, Gibson’s Gourmet Burgers & Ribs, and Belthazar, invited the Camps Bay guest house owners and managers for lunch at Balducci’s, to thank them for their support in the past year, to present the newly designed Slick Restaurant Group Loyalty Card, which is aimed at locals in the main, and to share information about the winter specials at Balducci’s and at Gibson’s. This Italian style restaurant has something for everyone, and has a menu with the greatest appetite appeal we have ever seen.<\/p>\n

The A5 menu for Season 2013\/14 looks like a magazine, with exquisite photography of their dishes, one per section of the menu, making the choice of what to order even harder, as everything on the menu sounds good enough to eat, and the photographs add to the appetite appeal. The second half of the Menu contains the winelist. Like a magazine, the menu is interspersed with advertising, which is not irritating, except that it is a large number of pages (68 in total) to go through when choosing what to eat and to drink.<\/p>\n

The menu introduction explains the restaurant’s policy to be more ‘environmentally responsible’,<\/em> explaining that it uses alien wood in its pizza ovens, it uses vegetables and fruit that are in season, and local ‘superb quality procured meat, poultry, fish and game’<\/em>. \"\"<\/a>Only fresh chicken is used, and grain-fed 28 day matured beef. Extra virgin award-winning olive oil is used, the menu states. No BYO wine is allowed, and neither is photography (I was not stopped in photographing the dishes for this blogpost), the first time that I have seen photography prohibited in a restaurant. In terms of the new Liquor Act (2013) it is a criminal offence for restaurant patrons to take unfinished bottles of wine, malt or spirits with them when they leave, the menu states. \u00a0The menu is printed on Sappi Triple Green recyclable paper. \u00a0Select menu items are marked in green as being the owner’s ‘personal healthy option choice’.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Italian heritage of the restaurant shows in the division of the menu into<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Antipasti – we shared Antipasti platters (R140) as a starter, which included a Caprese salad, Springbok carpaccio, avocado, tomatoes, butternut, grilled aubergine, grilled chili and garlic calamari, \"\"<\/a>and fresh baked toasted bread. \u00a0Other options include Minestrone and Onion soups (R57 each), \u00a0prosciutto and melon (R90), tuna tataki (R88), salmon (R55), oysters (SQ), prawns (R40 – R180), as well as eleven salad choices (R75 – R104).<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Primi Piatti – this section offers burgers (classic, gorgonzola, Swiss cheese, bacon guacamole, luxury lamb, ostrich, vegetarian, and chicken) ranging from R65 – R85; a very extensive sushi selection (the 24 piece Platinum Sushi Plate is a winter special at R109*); 35 pizza options, ranging from R60 – R110; and eleven pasta choices, ranging from R65 – R150. \u00a0In winter the prices of pizzas and pastas, with one exception each, have been reduced to R54*.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 \"\"<\/a>Secondi Piatti – most of us had a different main course, and each plate looked generous, and beautifully presented. \u00a0Our intern Lorraine chose the kingklip, which was served on a bed of grilled butternut, aubergine, and green beans, and was topped with parmesan slices, olives and tomatoes (R140). Other fish options are calamari (R95), \"\"<\/a>Norwegian salmon (R159), mussels (R110), crayfish (R90 per 100g), and seafood platters (R345\/R695). Corrie praised the Butter Chicken Curry (R150), as the best he has ever tasted. \u00a0My Veal Marsala was served with linguine and an excellent light parmesan cream, saut\u00e9ed mushrooms, and a Marsala sauce (R115). Other meat dishes include \"\"<\/a>veal (most cost R115), game (R180), a variety of steak options (most R160), and lamb shank (R160). \u00a0A 250g 28 day matured rump steak is on special during winter at R79*.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Dolce – Most desserts cost R59, and their Tiramisu has been a firm favourite for years, the finger biscuits soaked in Espresso and Kahlua, with an Amarula sauce. Other options are chocolate fondant, cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e, malva pudding, ice cream, sorbet and frozen yoghurt, and a white Lindt chocolate cheesecake.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Formaggi – a selection of cheeses costs R90.<\/p>\n

The winelist section has a large number of advertisements of supplier wine estates. \u00a0Each wine region and wine variety is defined and described:<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 ‘Bubbly’ – MCCs offered include Pongr\u00e1cz NV (R60 per glass\/R240 per bottle), Pierre Jourdan Brut NV (R70\/R250), L’Omarins Brut Classique NV (R88\/R325), Steenberg ‘1682’ Chardonnay 2011 (R350), and De Wetshof NV (R121\/R480). \u00a0Mo\u00ebt et Chandon costs R650.<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Bianchi\/white wines – an extensive number of wines is offered per variety, eighteen alone for Sauvignon Blanc (from R34 – R68 per glass, and R130 – R280 per bottle).<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 Rossi\/Red wines – eight Shiraz options are offered, from R37\/R145 for Franschhoek Cellars ‘Baker Station’ 2011 to La Motte’s 2009 Shiraz (R360).<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 ‘Aficionado Lounge<\/em>‘ – brandy, Calvados, Armagnac, Grappa, port, sherry, beers, \u00a0and Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky<\/a> <\/span><\/strong>are offered.<\/p>\n

The Slick Loyalty Card was explained to us by Slick Marketing and Reservations Co-ordinator Michelle Page. Patrons receive 10% off their bill on presentation of the Loyalty Card, and a R200 birthday voucher. \"\"<\/a>The Winter Special prices quoted above apply to dishes (marked with * above) ordered between 12h00 – 18h00.<\/p>\n

Our Camps Bay guest house group had a most enjoyable lunch at Balducci’s, owner Ian Halfon popping in to greet the group. \u00a0The new Winter Specials are great value, for a restaurant that is perceived to be on the expensive side. \u00a0In going through the menu for this blogpost, it was a surprise to see how many reasonably-priced dishes it contains. \u00a0Service is smart, the serving staff is neatly and professionally dressed, and the location in a quieter section of the V & A Waterfront is an advantage.<\/p>\n

POSTSCRIPT 10\/6<\/strong>: Michelle has explained the photography policy in greater detail, and food and people photography is allowed: ‘Re photography of the d\u00e9cor, we felt we put a lot of effort into the look and feel of the restaurant. Creating something special.Guests can take pics of food and celebrations and of themselves with pleasure and post and review etc, we have no problem with that<\/em>‘.<\/p>\n

Disclosure<\/strong>: \u00a0We received a bottle of Balducci’s Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon House Wine and a small box of Emporio Leone chocolates with the menus of the three Slick Restaurant Group restaurants.<\/p>\n

Balducci’s Ristorante Pizza Seafood Bar,<\/strong> V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. \u00a0Tel (021) 421 6002. www.balduccis.co.za <\/a> Twitter: @Balduccis_CT \u00a0Monday – Sunday.<\/p>\n

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

On Wednesday the Slick Group, owners of Balducci’s, Gibson’s Gourmet Burgers & Ribs, and Belthazar, invited the Camps Bay guest house owners and managers for lunch at Balducci’s, to thank them for their support in the past year, to present the newly designed Slick Restaurant Group Loyalty Card, which is aimed at locals in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7,15,3,124,20,21,19],"tags":[19293,19295,18666,6006,12607,32370,32378,3212,19296,1481,2011,19292,1974,129,1426,653,1540,1992,7043,19294,4735,228,229,4774,3218,231,32393,32373,2127],"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