Pomodoro (round 2)

A true Italian Twist

Dinner at Pomodoro Ristorante at Morningside Shopping Centre is always a lovely treat. The chef and owner Stefano is one of those guys that will come out and greet you and tell you about the dishes that he is preparing and what he has been experimenting with and where he gets his inspiration from. It just makes that dining experience so much more personal and intimate.

Lets start off on the wine for the evening. The Waterford Rose-Mary. A light easy drinking wine, with good flavours soft scents.

Our Menu for the evening...

1o Antipasto - 
Pizza alla Fab: Pizza base with Pear & Gorgonzola. Not your conventional pizza with a Tomato base. What a combination of flavours. The strong gorgonzola paired with the sweeter pear are a winning combination. I would definitely suggest trying this out if you are a fan of some blue cheese.

Pizza Laura: Folded Pizza with Parma Ham, Fontina Cheese & Rosemary. Parma Ham & Cheese. Lots of Cheese. It's like taking a slice of pizza with extra cheese and making a pizza sandwich. Nice & Crisp on the outside with some soft cheesy inside.

2o Antipasto - 
Arancini di Polenta: Deep fried polenta dumplings with dipping sauce. Such a different idea and something I'd like to order again. A great variety of textures and flavours as you bite into one of these dumplings.

Panzerotti Pugliesa: Fried mini Calzoni with Tomato, Mozzarella & Anchovies. Now this was the very 1st time in my entire life that I had decided to try an anchovy. (As I thought, I wouldn't be a fan, and I am still not a fan.) But, with that said. This dish was something to try and had some interesting flavours. The salt from the anchovies provides enough salt for the entire dish. The part that I liked from the dish was the crispy calzoni with the soft mozzarella.

3o Antipasto - 
Cozze all Pomodoro: Fresh steamed Mussels in White Wine & Saffron Sauce. If you are a lover of seafood and mussels in particular, then this is something that you ought to try out. Fresh mussels. But they don't give off that strong seafood smell and taste. Instead, they are soft and juicy and full of flavour. The white wine & saffron sauce compliment the seafood taste very well.

Calamari alla griglia: Light crumbed grilled Falkland calamari tubes & tentacles. It is one of Pomodoro's best meals in my opinion. Incredibly soft & tender. Cooked to perfection and there is nothing chewy or rubbery about these calamari tubes. The tentacle grilled so that they are nice and crispy add some texture to the meal.

Primi - 
Rissotto con coda die bue: Braised Oxtail Risotto. I have become quite the lover of a Rissotto over the past few months. What a hearty full bodied meal, with the oxtail soft and succulent & the rissotto cooked to that perfect in-between crunchy and soft texture.

Dessert -
Tiramisu - Not many people get a Tiramisu right. I think Stefano has come so close to perfecting his Tiramisu as to what I like it. It is a delicious after meal delight.

Chocolate Mousse - Yum! I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate desserts. But this is one of those desserts that you just look at and simply must have. Much to my delight, the mousse is soft & creamy with lots of delicious chocolate flavours.

If you do pop in to Pomodoro Ristorante at Morningside Shopping Centre, share your experience online on social media with us. 

Twitter: @PomodoroRist 

Happy Dining :)

Pomodoro Ristorante

Pomodoro Ristorante is situated at the Morningside Shopping Centre just off of Rivonia in Johannesburg. A quaint little Italian restaurant that oozes a modern & chic environment whilst holding an upmarket feel.

The owner & chef, Stefano, was there to welcome a few of us to his establishment and explained a bit about himself. An extremely knowledgable & passionate individual when it comes to food, as one can imagine living in many parts of the world and how different cultures would influence his cooking style & techniques.

One thing that I always love when I sit down at a restaurant is when the server will ask if we would like a bottle of water whilst we wait and decide on what we would like to drink. (This doesn’t happen often, but it did happen at Pomodoro.)

Starting off with a ‘pre-starter’ – Margherita pizza. Extremely light base and generous with the cheese.

Moving on to our starters

– Crumbed Grilled Falkland Calamari, gives off the illusion that it has been fried in a crispy batter, yet it has been grilled, without overcooking it and making it feel like you are chewing on a piece of rubber.

– Beef Carpaccio, delicately sliced pieces of beef with fresh mushrooms and parmesan shavings make a delightful and flavoursome dish.

The 1^st set of main meals – 3 Pasta Dishes

I can’t decide which one of these are my favourite.

The 1^st – Porcini Mushroom Tagliatelle. Dried porcini mushrooms are infused with a Chivas Regal Whisky served with a fresh and light creamy sauce.

The 2^nd – Lamb & Tomato based Rigatoni. I believe this would make a wonderful dish in the colder winter months where the soft lamb and tomato just come together so well.

The 3^rd – Spinach Ricotta with Goat Cheese & Truffle Oil. I am a spinach lover, so this dish was superb for me being paired with that goat cheese. The truffle oil just adds a bit of a different element of surprise to the dish which one would not expect.

The 2^nd set of main meals –

The 1^st – Pan fried Veal Liver & Caramelised onions served with a potato puree. What I loved with this dish is that the potato puree was not super fine, but still full of texture.

The 2^nd – A medium rare T-bone prepared with only coarse salt and rosemary oil. You would think that it is very plain. And yes. It may be so. But, those flavours are just incredible. So if you are a meat lover. This one is for you.

Finally on to the desserts –

Panna Cota with Vanilla & Wild Berry Coulis. A fresh and tasty combination after any meal.

Chocolate Fondant that will make you salivate just looking at it.

Naturally, wine was flowing the whole night. And there is a wide variety of wines to choose from and Stefano will always recommend the best wine to accompany your meal.

All in all, this was a wonderful experience. Amazing service. A chef who knows exactly what he is talking about and will actually make the right suggestions for you. I’m definitely going back.