It was the fiancé’s
birthday, he is a leap year baby, and so seeing as it only comes around once
every 4 years I thought I’d spoil him a bit. Not that I never get him anything
for his birthday the other 3 years. Would have been much cheaper for me if only
it worked like that!! J
We first went for
sundowners at Tobago, the restaurant at the Radisson Hotel, where we had an
overpriced glass of wine. Mainly paying for the view I guess. In retrospect I
was quite grateful for this seeing as on the way to Il Leone we went through a
roadblock. Luckily I had nothing to worry about seeing as I only had a 1/3 of a
glass of wine (at a full glass’ price).
If you haven’t been
to Il Leone before, please do yourself a favour and get down there. I never
regret having discovered this restaurant a few years ago at the Taste of Cape
Town.
The restaurant was
softly lit, creating a really romantic mood. We sat at a table upstairs
overlooking the street down below. It was a nice warm summer’s night so there
were even some people sitting outside on the small patio.
We ordered a
bottle of Haute Cabriere Chardonnay/Pinot noir, which is one of our favourite
wines! Seeing as the food here is so good, we didn’t want to spoil our appetite
by having a starter! Therefore we only ordered mains and thought we’d decide
about the dessert later.
I didn’t catch
the name of our waiter but he was really goofy and made us laugh the whole
night. Some free entertainment for the evening. After he explained the specials
to us quite comically, I couldn’t decide what to have. Usually when we go out
for dinner I never order pasta but seeing as we were at one of the best pasta restaurants
in Cape Town I figured, before the time already, that I would have a pasta dish.
One of their signature dishes, that the fiancé fell in love with when he tasted
it for the first time at Taste of Cape Town, is their Shelled prawns sautéed in chilli, garlic and white wine. Tossed with
cherry tomatoes, fresh rocket and roasted pine nuts. Served with linguine. You
won’t find this on their menu though as it is listed as a special. So every
time we go there, he has it. Although he tried to not be predictable and have
it he just couldn’t resist it. The previous time we were there he also had it
and I had their Lamb Ragu. So seeing as he was ordering the same again I just
couldn’t get it over myself to order the ragu again! Then we would be about as
exciting as an 80 year old couple going out for their annual anniversary dinner.
That night the ragu was veal though and not lamb so it wouldn’t have been exactly
the same but still, potato potaoe. Seeing as I was indecisive, I mentioned to
the waiter that the Veal Ragu had caught my attention but that I had had it
before. He then told me about the Vitello
Porcini: Veal steak with Porcini mushrooms served with fresh greens and mash potatoes,
which was one of the specials. Either he had forgotten to tell us about it
initially or I hadn’t been paying attention. Seeing as it wasn’t on their menu
I couldn’t get the exact description of the dish for you. I tried to ask the
waiter what it entailed and he said; “Well it’s Veal with Porcini mushrooms!”
Ha ha ha! Bless him. I decided to go for that. 
Although I didn’t
have pasta I don’t, for a second, regret ordering the Veal!!! It was absolutely
to freaking die for!!! The veal steaks were very thin, like minute steaks but
so so tender! I could tear it apart with your hands! The Porcini Mushrooms were
also divine! Just cooked for long enough, as not to lose their firmness. The veg
was still nice and crispy, accompanied with fluffy smooth mash potatoes. I absolutely
could not get enough of this goodness! Every single bite was like palate heaven!!!
I did of course also taste the fiancé’s pasta which was amazing as usual! It
had just the right about of bite to ensure that the chilli wasn’t overwhelming.
While looking at
the menu for mains we noticed their dessert menu, which actually played the
major role in us not ordering starters! J Seeing
as it was his birthday I suppose he deserved to have his cake and eat it too! We
noticed the Tiramisu: homemade Italian
specialty and it being the fiancé’s favourite (yes another favourite) we
ordered some for dessert. It was ok. Definitely not the best tiramisu I have tasted.
I will even go as far as to say that the tiramisu I’ve had from woolies’ was
more flavourful. It just lacked those complex levels of flavours that you expect
from a tiramisu. I thought the portion was a little bit on the small side as
well. I remember it being quite a bit larger the previous time we had it.
None the less, it
was an absolutely perfect evening!! Definitely one of the restaurants in Cape
Town that I am in love with! I don’t think I will wait a whole year again
before going back there though!!!
Yours in fun
& birthday celebrations,
Elly D
22 Cobern Street
Corner of
Prestwich
Green Point
Cape Town
021-4210071
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