Tuesday, July 15, 2008

In Italian fashion

In Italian fashion
Article By: Thamar Houliston
Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:11






Italian food is more a way of life than necessity. It's a realisation of pleasure and an indulgence of flavours, which satisfies a hunger for the comfort of home and fills you with warmth like only good Italian cuisine can.

Having recently read Elizabeth Gilbert's book — 'Eat, Pay, Love' — where she starts her journey of self discovery by visiting Italy and eating heartily, I couldn't wait to indulge my senses at Doppio Zero, a new eatery at Cavendish Connect in Cape Town.

Now one thing about Italian fare is the company that it keeps — usually a relaxed setting filled with family and friends and lots of merry laughing and sharing.

The night my mother and I visited the restaurant, come bakery, come gelateria, it was rather quiet, except for a handful intimate tables, but the waiter assured us that on the weekends it hums with activity.

Doppio Zero is a fairly romantic spot which is ideal for an after-movie dinner or light lunch, and considering their selection of melt-in-your-mouth breads — including ciabatta, buttermilk and barley rye, sour dough, rolled focaccia and Turkish bread — it's a lovely breakfast spot.

In high spirits we noticed the cocktail menu which listed the usuals, plus the usuals with a twist. I went straight for the Ginger and Honey Capriniha to warm me up on a somewhat chilly evening, but directed my mother towards the classic Strawberry Daiquiri. And what do you know — they were almost as good as the concoctions found on the Camps Bay strip.

In anticipation

To start we decided (the veggie lovers that we are) to share a salad. The nice thing is that you can order a salad as a starter or a main, which is not something you usually find at restaurants.

Tempted by the more exotic Melon and Mozzarella salad (starter R39, main R48); and almost set upon the more traditional Tricolore (R38, R46) which consists of fresh slices of mozzarella, tomato and avo with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; we decided on the rather ordinary Salmon and Avo salad — which turned out to be mediocre except for the addition of capers which worked well.

We skipped the array of antipasti, which included soups, focaccia, chicken livers, calamari, and Hummus and Tahini Tramezzini, to name a few.

A modern spin

Like any good Italian eatery, Doppia Zero has a host of pizza and pasta dishes to choose from, and like any truly modern eatery, it offers an option of wheat-free pasta — best of both worlds I'd say.

Although the Penne con Filetto (strips of fillet, sundried tomato, oregano, chilli and Napolentana priced at R69) sounded appealing, my mother opted for the Tagliatelle alla Normanna (fresh egg pasta with brinjals, olives, tomatoes, garlic, chilli, basil and ricotta priced at R50) — the rich tomato, smoky brinjal and neighbouring soft ricotta producing a smile on her face.

I ogled the list of mains passing the fillet options (wrapped, reduced, and grilled), as well as the veal, chicken and fish choices, and settled on Calamari in Cajun Cream Sauce (R68).

A wise choice indeed, the creamy sauce with a zest of spice transformed the calamari into a winter delicacy. It was accompanied by rice and golden roasted veggies (thankfully not the kind that's mashed with cream — pure sacrilege if you ask me).

Chocolate oh my chocolate

Now there's only one problem with taking my mother to dinner —she's a chocolate mousse fanatic, so it's impossible to tempt her with any other dessert. And of course we were so full we had to share. The waiter tried to tempt us with their special gelato with balsamic vinegar, black pepper and berries, but it was never going to happen.

As wished, the chocolate mousse dessert was rich and decadent, and almost unconquerable...

Two decaf cappuccinos later we left with a handful of ciabatta 'on the house' and a cheerful feeling in our bellies.

The service at Doppia Zero was pleasant but slow, the food definitely recommended, and the atmosphere and décor delightful. And make sure you demand some bread, it's worth a try.

Doppio Zero is located at Shop G2 and G4, Dreyer Street, Cavendish Connect, Claremont and you can contact them on +27 21 683 6527 or visit www.doppio.co.za. Other branches are in Bedfordview, Greenside, Irene, Rosebank, Sunninghill, Fourways and Northriding.

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