Never judge a book by its cover – or a restaurant by its location. If truth be told, we didn’t hold out much hope for Pomodoro in Morningside.
I’m wary of restaurants in well-to-do areas because often they’re all bluster and no follow-through. Extortionate rental demands are passed on to the consumer, so you know if the address is right you’re paying a premium because someone has to absorb those costs.
Still, we felt encouraged: Pomodoro is Italian-owned, has an extensive Italian menu (even if the glaring errors in the menu are jarring – why wasn’t it proofed before printing?) and has a phenomenal wine list.
And because they are supported by the Italian community, you’d assume their standards are under additional scrutiny.
Pomodoro has been in the Morningside shopping centre for six years.
Before that, they were at the Codfather in Rivonia for four years.
In a previous life, owner Stefano Mas was an engineer. But when he grew weary of the industry, he and his wife, Marina, opened Pomodoro, or “tomato” in Italian.
Sticking to what they know, their menu features Italian fare with contemporary flair.
This is not because traditional Italian regional cooking is outdated, but because it reflects the couple’s multicultural background: Marina is born-and-bred Italian, but Stefano is half-Italian, half-Spanish – and was raised in Mexico.
They use quality, fresh ingredients, sourced locally where possible, and feature some really excellent South African, Italian and French wines.
The wines, available by 250ml carafe, are definitely not second-rate: try the sauvignon blanc from Black OysterCatcher; chardonnay from Journey’s End; or the chenin from De Morgenzon. And there’s much more.
The list is impressive, and if you like beer, there’s craft galore, even on tap.
Stefano spent time in Naples, Italy, to learn the art of pizza-making. Our table had to put this to the test by sharing a Margherita topped with a simple tomato sauce (just blended tinned tomatoes – no salt, sugar or herbs, he told us), soft fior di latte cheese (locally made from cow’s milk) and finished with fresh basil leaves before serving.
Baked in a wood-fired oven, a perfect base topped with quality ingredients elevated this classic pizza to the celestial.
At Pomodoro, they do like to play with their pizza, though, so if you prefer something more adventurous, there’s pizza with smoked salmon, cream cheese, Gorgonzola, butternut, salsiccia, chicken, and so forth.
Next we tried a crunchy fennel, rocket, baby tomato and radish salad, with lemon vinaigrette and nasturtium flowers, and grilled, lightly crumbed Falklands calamari tubes and tentacles – so tender and flavoursome they should trademark the recipe.
This was drizzled with a lemon and herb butter and garnished with a pile of pretty micro herbs.
Our pasta course didn’t match the promise of the earlier dishes, though.
While the porcini risotto was an impeccably flavoured and textured dish, the penne with prawns, tomato, onion and tequila fell short in two areas: too much undercooked onion and overcooked prawns.
Flavourwise, it was right on the nose: the tequila gave the sauce a lovely, light sweetness that you wouldn’t get with wine.
Note to self: keep the wine for drinking and the tequila for cooking.
Stefano occasionally gets fresh seabass from Australia, which he crumbs lightly and grills.
This Stefano served atop chips with a swirl of herb oil, but I wasn’t as impressed that the chips were clearly not homemade.
And the fish needs a bit of sauce. The wedge of lemon was simply not enough. Our shared dessert – a chocolate mousse – was lovely, dark and almost too rich, but its presentation definitely needed to be worked on.
Pomodoro has the makings of an excellent Italian restaurant – it is not shy with its ingredients; it uses quality, fresh produce; it knows great pizza and it has a beautiful winelist.
But it should pay attention to a number of details: the menu (not only the spelling, but wording too – referring to medallions as “minute steaks” cheapens the restaurant), overcooking dishes (especially prawns), and not providing enough sauce.
What Pomodoro does get right though, is glorious.
Pomodoro
Where:325 Rivonia Road
Morningside Shopping Centre
Morningside
Tel:087 940 3811
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