Zenzero

Not a Zero for Zenzero

On a bitterly windy and cold Cape Town night, the Camps Bay strip isn't an obvious place for eating out. With their cool, blue-hued interiors and white furniture, the restaurants facing the suburb's palm tree-lined beach don't exactly lure one inside with the promise of a warm and cosy dinner.

The exception is Zenzero, a relatively new addition to the list of restaurants lining Victoria Road. Run by the same group that owns Cape Town's Pepenero and Paranga, Zenzero's menu focuses on Italian cuisine. But in true Camps Bay style, the restaurant is a million light years away from the average surburban Italian trattoria, with frayed red-and-white tablecloths, jugs of Sangria, and a couple of half-melted candles on the table.

Instead one reclines in padded banquettes while the chandeliers glimmer above, or perches on leather stools at the slick and shiny bar, complete with glass of 2006 Thelema Cabernet in hand. And there's certainly no pizza on the menu (although you will find macaroni - except that it?s made with brie, goat's cheese and pecorino).

For starters, I fell for the "Tiny Whole Artichokes", marinated in olive oil, roasted garlic, lemon zest and thyme. The dish was lovely - fresh, lemony and meaty in that artichoke kind of way. The other starter we had is apparently one of the restaurant's most popular ? crumbed calamari stuffed with lemon and ricotta.

Ignoring my prodding for him to branch out and try the veal marsala or ossobuco, Husband played it safe with the fillet, which is served with a peppercorn and potstill brandy sauce. It was certainly more than passable, but a little on the boring side. My choice ? the oxtail tagliatelle ? was definitely the superior option. The sauce was full of flavour, rich and hearty ? the perfect antidote to the miserable weather outside. Side orders of roast pumpkin and mushroom, and parmesan mash, completed the picture.

After such a feast, dessert was looking unlikely but the suggestion of raspberry sorbet from the restaurant's delightful manager, Igshaan, persuaded me otherwise. The sorbet was light, but very berry-ish, and I was certainly not sorry that I had gone against my better judgment in ordering it.

It's also worth noting that Zenzero is open for breakfast. Thought and effort has clearly gone into the menu to ensure that morning diners have more exciting options than the standard ?eggs, bacon and toast - option - take the sweetcorn fritters with peppadew mascarpone or French toast with caramalised pears, blue cheese and preserved ginger for example.

The meals at Zenzero certainly don't come cheap, although I guess you get what you pay for. If you want a meal under R40 that's served in a cardboard box, then Nando's is just a few doors away. But if you are feeling flush and in the mood for something way more luxurious ? from the interior to the ingredients ? then your money will be well spent here.

Bridget Pringle

My partner and I enjoyed a wonderful evening recently at the newest restaurant on the Camps Bay strip – Zenzero. The name means Ginger in Italian and it is incredibly appropriate. Ginger is a warming, comforting spice and diners immediately sense the warmth of this restaurant upon arriving. It has a positive energy – an enthusiastic, Mediterranean eagerness to please, a warm-blooded atmosphere.

The interior has chandeliers, a beautiful fire-place, wonderful, comfortable chairs, a bar area covered in brown and white animal skins and cream and gold colours throughout. The tables have pots of growing herbs (Rosemary and Lavender) which exude garden aromas and there are crisp, white tablecloths. A complimentary introduction platter of green olives, parmesan cheese and marinated tomatoes is presented with a selection of homemade bread rolls – just to make sure that you feel welcome. The tomatoes were the best I've ever tasted and we enjoyed the Mediterranean custom of dipping the fresh bread in the olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

An Antipasti Platter was served by the friendly GM, Mark and it featured fleshy Calamata olives, delicate Parma Ham shavings, spicy Italian sausage, marinated baby artichokes with a firm texture accompanied by grilled, crispy ciabata bread.

The menu has something delightful for every palate and the prices were surprisingly affordable for an establishment in this location. The Salads that caught my attention were the Goat's Cheese Salad (with button mushrooms, herbs & mixed greens) and the Rocket Salad (with pear, pine nuts & smoked mozzarella). Chicken, Line Fish of the Day or Parma Ham can also be added to the various salads as extra ingredients if desired.

On the Pastas & Risotto selection the Crayfish Spaghetti and the Asparagus & Prawn Risotto were tempting options. The Fish Main Course options included Parma Ham Wrapped Kingklip and Linefish Caponata with olives, grilled peppers, cherry tomato, basil leaves, pine nuts, aubergine and olive oil. Chicken Milanese (with garlic, thyme and bread crumbs) or Whole Baked Baby Chicken (with Rosemary, lemon and thyme) were on offer as well as Lamb Shank with rich tomato sauce and T-Bone Steak Florentine with wild mushrooms, shallots and Italian Parsley.

Bevon our waitron recommended Grilled Salmon for a main course and I was delighted with the choice. Prepared in the pan with crushed black pepper, olive oil and sea salt it was seared on the outside and the skin was crispy and bursting with flavor, while the fleshy interior was delicate, light and buttery. This superb dish was served with parmesan mash.

My partner ordered Grilled Sole, gently covered with golden bread crumbs and pan fried to melt-in-the-mouth perfection, served with lemon, garlic and fried capers. He was served two perfectly prepared soles with a side order of chips. Both of our main courses were generous in size and we sat and gazed at the fireplace comfortably waiting a few moments before perusing the interesting dessert menu.

We decided that we couldn't ignore the Tiramisu as we were after all in an Italian restaurant so we ordered a portion as well as the recommended Lemon Tart. The Tiramisu was light as well as decadent with the perfect balance of mascarpone, coffee and liqueur, so that it was not too rich. I absolutely love citrus desserts and found the Lemon Tart to be slightly sweet exuding a prominent lemon/lime flavor with an elegant, rich texture.

We ended our evening sipping a warming glass of dessert wine and decided that this restaurant is well worth another visit in the near future, considering the excellent menu and its affordability, as well as the ambiance and the pleasure of being on Camps Bay's strip. As per Mark's recommendation we would return for lunch and order a bottle of Italian wine which would be a treat in itself.