My experience at Café Paradiso.....04-02-2011

As you walk in the little wooden gate, it feels like your entering a magical place. It was dusk and the beautiful little garden was lit up by candle light with happy patrons everywhere. Immediately you feel at ease. That stress from the week past just dripping of your shoulders. I could see myself spending lazy romantic evenings in this garden, staring into the eyes of my beloved over a glass (or bottle) of wine.

Our friends waited for us at a table inside. The décor inside seemed fresh. This could be due to the fact that they recently renovated, which I only discovered much later in the evening. We were greeted by a very friendly waitress with a refreshing American accent. She made you feel like you have known each other for ages by calling you pet names like love and sweetie every time you asked her for something. For starters we had the Blesbok Carpaccio with rocket and parmesan shavings and Black Risotto with chorizo, sundried tomatoes and lemon aioli. At first the appearance of the black risotto strikes you as something exotic. Worms in mud jumped to mind, but even with this weird image in my head it still tasted marvelous! A taste that ripens in your mouth. The salty, smokey taste of the chorizo lingering in your mouth, long after you have swallowed. The first bite of the Blesbok Carpaccio caught me off guard as I wasn’t expecting the slight sweet taste that accompanied it, BUT I loved it! Luckily for them I love preserved figs and accompanied with cheese it is always a winner. The combination of the salty rawness of the wild meat with the sweet fig, peppery rocket and strong parmesan was to die for! Needless to say I nearly spoiled my appetite by almost devouring the entire Carpaccio starter by myself.

For mains I decided on the Blackened sesame seed Linefish served on a bed of cous cous and peppers. The linefish of the day was Yellowtail. Now usually I am not a fan of Yellowtail as I prefer more gamey fish like Dorado and Swordfish but the Yellowtail was extremely tasty. The soft texture and the sweetness of the peppers added a nice touch to the crusty outside of the fish. I did however find the black sesame seeds slightly bitter. I am not sure if this was the intent or if the fish was slightly burned. Although I think the former was the case as oppose to the latter. Regardless, it was still good.

Two of my accompanying guests had the Spaghetti puttanesca* & prawns pasta and the Panned rack of veal stuffed with four cheeses, coppa and prosciutto. Now I HATE sardines, so as soon as I hear the mention of it (even in the slightest amount) I immediately say no thank you!! So when my partner ordered it, I was hesitant on his part. But as we all know if it is a good puttanesca one should not be able to taste the sardines at all. Which, much to my delight, was the case here. When the meal arrived I thought it looked a bit small for a man, but my partner was full afterwards. We did feel that a few more prawns could have been added to the meal.

Now the show stopper veal was a different story! I have never seen someone enjoy a meal as much as this man enjoyed his veal. It was so soft and tender that I don’t even know why they bothered to give him a steak knife for it. It was so soft he even said, “It is like cutting into mash!” Of course we all tasted it, otherwise I would not have been able to comment on it, and it was truly divine! He even pretended to have a dog at home so that he could take some of it home in a doggie bag but we all know who’s belly the left over’s ended up in! :-)

As one walks to the bathrooms (which are so cutely decorated), you can smell the seductive desserts being prepared in the kitchen. In this case we managed to resist temptation as we were so stuffed from the starters and mains we had. Looking at the dessert menu now, I am not sure how we managed to do that!

So overall it was an amazing experience. I loved the food, the atmosphere and the way the café made you feel and the waitress was great.

I truly can’t wait to go there again! Especially for breakfast after I glanced at what they have for offer. It is not the usual eggs, bacon, toast and sausage. I am just afraid that if I go there that early in the day my late breakfast might turn into a winey lunch followed by a boozy dinner as I would not want to leave!

Yours in fun & food,

Elly D

*For those of you who do not know, puttanesca is a sauce with anchovies, olives, capers, crushed tomatoes and parsley.


110 Kloof Street
Cape Town
021-423 8653
info@cafeparadiso.co.za
http://www.madamezingara.com/