{"id":60006,"date":"2014-08-03T01:14:10","date_gmt":"2014-08-02T23:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=60006"},"modified":"2014-08-03T15:44:43","modified_gmt":"2014-08-03T13:44:43","slug":"restaurant-review-piazza-italia-the-restaurant-italians-go-to-in-cape-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/restaurant-review-piazza-italia-the-restaurant-italians-go-to-in-cape-town\/","title":{"rendered":"Restaurant Review: Piazza Italia the restaurant Italians go to in Cape Town!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Piazza<\/a>Piazza Italia appeared on our latest list of Restaurant Openings<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, and it was a Facebook message from Davide Ostuni, Puglia Cheese mozzarella producer by day and Chef at Piazza Italia by night, that encouraged me to try it out last night. \u00a0The restaurant has two Italians in the kitchen, a genuine Italian menu (without pizza), and Italian patrons\u00a0eating there, a vote of confidence in a restaurant which has only been open for a month.<\/p>\n

The restaurant belongs to Theresa Pearman, who comes from the jewellery industry, and fashion designer Pietro Giannuzzi, who had a dream to open a restaurant in which they could welcome and entertain their friends, bringing their dining room to the restaurant. \u00a0Neither of them have prior restaurant experience, giving them a refreshing approach to owning the business, and not having any preconceived ideas about restauranting. \u00a0Pietro only recently met Davide, and Theresa described the two men as being ‘soul brothers’<\/em>, having a ‘bromance<\/em>‘ about \u00a0Italian food. \u00a0I have only met Davide briefly at Burrata some time ago, and have been to see the Puglia Cheese factory<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, shown around by Davide’s wife Ursula. I had forgotten that Davide and Ursula owned five Italian restaurants in London, before moving to Cape Town, Ursula’s home\"Piazza<\/a> town. \u00a0The two chefs have got on like \u00a0a house on fire, and Davide does the evening cooking from \"Piazza<\/a>Wednesdays – Saturdays, while Pietro does the lunch shifts from Monday – Saturday. \u00a0To assist them in running the restaurant, especially with the large group that had booked for a birthday party last night, they call on former restaurateur Nino, who used to own Casanova, as well as Franco, who was the former Italian Consul and is a father figure to Pietro. \u00a0They converse with the guests in Italian, and love being involved in the restaurant.<\/p>\n

The restaurant was remodeled, having been the Pasta Factory and Ciao Deli previously, and its new \"Piazza<\/a>shelving is filled with numerous types of pasta (e.g. \u00a0lasagne, cannelloni, fusilli, ditali, tofe, spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, anellini, and more), tomato pur\u00e9e, gnocchi, couscous, Divella extra virgin olive oil, bottled mushrooms, capers, olives, red and white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and anchovies, all imported from Italy. \u00a0The fridges have just arrived, and soon they will stock and sell salami, prosciutto, Parma ham, and Puglia and other Italian-style cheeses. \u00a0Davide used to sell his mozzarella via the nearby Mozzarella Bar, but no longer does so since Giorgio Nava sold the restaurant.<\/p>\n

The restaurant was set up for the party of 20 Italian guests, which made the red and white check table cloths even more noticeable, and adding a strong Italian touch. \u00a0Red or green check paper serviettes are offered, one of the few aspects one can criticise. \u00a0On each table there is a very large bottle of olive oil, and a smaller container of balsamic vinegar, \u00a0a pepper grinder, and tiny salt and pepper cellars. \u00a0Cutlery is by Fortis Hotelware.<\/p>\n

\"Piazza<\/a>The waiter brought the two restaurant boards to the table, there not being a printed menu, as it changes weekly. The dishes are written in Italian, and he translated and explained each dish. \u00a0For the starter I chose the most unusual Limone Al Forno (R35), a scooped out lemon filled with fior di latte and basil leaves, and wrapped in aluminium foil and then baked in the oven, giving the cheese a wonderful tangy lemon taste and aroma. \u00a0Other starters are baby squid (R45), and pizzette fior di latte (R45). \u00a0I chose a delicious sounding\"Piazza<\/a> Goldoni Al Pat\u00e9 (R125), a more rare than medium-rare fillet steak topped with generous chunks of melting chicken liver pat\u00e9, and served on a bed of spinach, and with baby potatoes and garlic butter, every bit as wonderful as its description. \u00a0One can also order Spaghetti with clams and mussels (R110), Rotolo Ripeno, a pasta served with spinach and feta or with beef (R90), Gnocchi and Gorgonzola (R90), and Tagliata di Ricciola (R110), made with yellowfin tuna, but this dish was sold out. \u00a0Theresa generously offered me a glass of Glera Veneto Prosecco, which they have available on tap.<\/p>\n

\"Piazza<\/a>For dessert I had my favourite Tiramisu, which is offered with mascarpone (R50), or made with ricotta (R40). I chose the former, and it was rich, creamy, with a good coffee taste, complementing my perfectly made LavAzza dry cappuccino. \u00a0One can also order cassata, and panna cotta, both costing R40.<\/p>\n

The ‘wine and spirits selection’<\/em> is neatly presented in a leather cover which is San Pellegrino branded. \u00a0It won’t make the Diners Club Winelist Awards, not offering vintage details, and abbreviating wine styles to ‘Cab Sav<\/em>‘ and ‘Sauv Blanc<\/em>‘! \u00a0 Sparkling wines offered are ‘Pongraz<\/em>‘ \u00a0(sic) Brut and ‘Rose’<\/em> (sic), at R180 and R220, respectively, unfortunately without a per glass option. \u00a0Imported Bottega sparkling wines are also available, from R180 per bottle and upwards. \u00a0White wines range in price from R80 \u00a0(Indalo Chenin Blanc, Place in the Sun Sauvignon Blanc, and Du Toitskloof Sauvignon Blanc) – R150 (Springfield Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc). \u00a0Diemersfontein Pinotage is the most expensive red wine, at R180 per bottle. \u00a0The white and red wine\u00a0per glass prices are reasonable at R25 – R35. \u00a0 Haute Cabriere and Kleine Zalze are also incorrectly spelt on the winelist.<\/p>\n

Theresa came to sit down and chat, telling me that they had looked for a suitable restaurant space for two years. \u00a0She explained that the food may take a little longer to come to the table, but she and the chefs came to chat and checked on my well-being regularly, a refreshing service orientation. \u00a0She told me that they will serve food late, if a customer requests it, not having a fixed closing time for the kitchen. \u00a0The waiter was irritating, not topping up my water, and coming across as arrogant. \u00a0Luckily he was kept busy with the large group when they arrived. \u00a0Breakfasts will be introduced, but in an Italian style. \u00a0Theresa described Pietro as a perfectionist, coming from his fashion background, where every stitch has to be perfect.<\/p>\n

The fact that almost all the patrons were Italian last night, and that local Italians are involved in the restaurant, both as hosts and as chefs, confirms that Piazza Italia is truly Italian. \u00a0The restaurant deserves a nomination for Eat Out<\/strong>‘s Best Italian restaurant, but it may be early days for this year’s awards, and faces stiff competition, Nava receiving the award every alternate year for 95 Keerom! \u00a0 Prices are reasonable. The restaurant is unpretentious. \u00a0The owners and support team are passionate about food. The winelist needs some attention. Parking on Park Road is a nightmare on a weekend evening, but one can call ahead, and the restaurant will organise parking behind their building.<\/p>\n

Piazza Italia<\/strong>, 2C Park Road, Gardens (next to Rick’s Caf\u00e9 Americain). \u00a0Tel (021) \u00a0424-5025 \u00a0www.piazzaitaliadeli.com<\/strong><\/span><\/a> (website still under construction). \u00a0Twitter: @PiazzaItaliaCpt \u00a0 Monday – Saturday lunch, Wednesday – Saturday dinner.<\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/strong><\/span><\/a> \u00a0 Twitter: @WhaleCottage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Piazza Italia appeared on our latest list of Restaurant Openings, and it was a Facebook message from Davide Ostuni, Puglia Cheese mozzarella producer by day and Chef at Piazza Italia by night, that encouraged me to try it out last night. \u00a0The restaurant has two Italians in the kitchen, a genuine Italian menu (without pizza), […]<\/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":[3,124,266,20,22,21,19],"tags":[26820,16868,26818,9534,32366,26812,2881,32378,26815,13137,9723,3265,26816,9820,138,2381,8996,1437,26817,26819,26813,8586,26814,26671,26811,16970,229,26809,252,6365,26808,4549,4640,26810,13136,32373],"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