Out-Of-This-World Italian Dining At Café Del Sol Classico

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Olivedale Corner Shopping Centre, corner of President Fouche Drive & Olive Road, Olivedale, Johannesburg.
           

Deep in the heart of the north of Joburg, you’ll find a rather isolated little suburb known as Olivedale. Here, in an assuming shopping centre, you’ll find one of our city’s most magnificent, well-loved restaurants – Café Del Sol Classico. Last week, my boyfriend, Nik, and I decided to venture out to this highly rated Italian eatery to see what all the fuss was about. 

We arrived at the restaurant in the early evening and felt pretty relieved that we’d made a reservation well in advance – it was a Wednesday and the restaurant was extremely full! At the entrance, you’ll see a small bubbling foundation and a Mediterranean-style hedge, which serves as a border between the restaurant and the parking lot. If you manage to cross it, you best consider yourself lucky!

Once inside, our kind and enthusiastic waiter made us feel right at home. We were very pleased with our comfortable table in the larger dining room, which was lit up by candlelight and dressed in elegant white dinnerware. Around us, was the most charming, homey décor – think frilly lamps hanging from the ceiling, and inspirational quotes plastered all over the walls.

To add, the ambiance was stylish but at the same time laidback and cheerful, which was wonderfully enjoyable. To start off, we both decided to order up a glass of wine – I went for the 2013 Glen Carlou Chardonnay, while Nik opted for the 2012 De Grendel Merlot. As we sipped on our wine, we perused the Italian-styled menu, which features a list of specials made with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

For starters, we ordered both the Pastella Prawns (battered prawns served on a bed of lemon infused mashed avocado with cherry tomatoes and homemade sweet chilli sauce) and Stuffed Calamari (Falkland’s calamari tubes filled with red pepper, green Sevillano olives, capers, ricotta cheese, Grana Padano Parmesan and a touch of chilli, served with capellini pasta mixed with seasonal stir-fry vegetables and beurre blanc sauce) to share.

Our starters came out quickly, and were simply to-die-for – I was unable to decide on a single favourite. The prawns were succulent and the batter perfectly crispy, while the calamari tubes were tender with the tastiest filling imaginable. I must add that for starters, the portions were rather generous. After quite literally cleaning our plates, Nik and I went on to order our mains.

I decided to go for one of the specials of the day, which isn’t on the menu; handmade pasta pockets filled with prawns and rocket. Nik, on the other hand, chose one of the restaurant’s signatures; the Chorizo Pasta, made with smokey Spanish chorizo sausage sautéed with fresh garlic, onion and white wine in a Napoletana sauce with a dash of cream and fresh parsley.

Our mains too reached our table promptly, and were nothing short of exceptional. My dish was spot-on in terms of both freshness and flavour. I also just loved the garnishing of pine nuts – it made for an interesting texture combination with the soft pasta pockets. Nik said that his pasta was just as excellent, and that the chorizo was of top quality and the homemade sauce one of the best he’s tasted.

To end our memorable dinner on a sweet note, I then ordered the Mamma’s Pavlova (sticky meringue, vanilla cream and fresh berries), and Nik the Chocolate Tart (made the same way as chocolate truffles with a nutty crust). Darlings, our desserts were just heavenly – to be honest, I’m still having dreams about that out-of-this-world pavlova! As for the chocolate tart, which I was lucky enough to get a bite of, it was one of the best chocolate desserts I’ve ever had.

After polishing off our desserts, Nik and I reclined in our seats in some sort of culinary-induced coma. Dining at this romantic spot is worth every penny, that I can assure you. The atmosphere is delightfully intimate, the service is attentive without being obtrusive, and the food is just, well, amazing! Go and check this fabulous place out for yourselves – just be sure to book at least one week in advance to secure your table.

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by Candice

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