Cafe del Sol
Olivedale Corner shopping centre, Olivedale, 011 704 6493
Ratings:
Food: ****
Service: ****
Wine: H***
Prices:
Starter: R55 – R75
Main: R69 – R130
Dessert: R42 – R60
A couple of months ago, one of Joburg’s finest chefs SMSed me, giving me a heads-up about a place in Olivedale named Café del Soul, a place he believed deserved a punt. Turns out, he’d boasted about the charms of this delightful family-run, neighbourhood Italian to other critics who also took notice.
I was, however, already familiar with the restaurant, having reviewed them soon after they first opened just over four years ago. Since then, they’d been forced to change names by a tacky junk food outlet (choosing to call themselves Café del Sol – “sun” in Spanish, so as to set themselves apart from “sole” which would have been more correctly Italian, but then they probably also would have had to fight off dubious fish chains).
Despite the newer addition of a private dining room, which deals with overflow guests and parties, Café del Sol has remained true to itself. Outside, there are tables and cosy couches shielded from the parking area by pots of sacred bamboo (smokers seem to congregate there).
Inside, the Zen decor boasts conundrums, printed on white walls, from sages as varied as Jung, Buddha and Einstein. Globe light fixtures seem to hover above tables; an osmotic water feature pumps positive ions into the air; books and crystal glasses line bookshelves.
With a predominantly white colour scheme, and accents of red, black and avocado, the mood is happy and contemporary.
It’s also clean and feminine – orchids and other flowers adorn tables, even the crystal glasses are stacked attractively and the open plan kitchen assures diners of high standards.
We popped by for a quick meal, and found the café buzzing.
Being a wine drinker, but cautious of drinking in excess, I’ve come to expect a range of options that don’t require ordering by the bottle. The winelist doesn’t offer much by way of wines per glass though, only a bubbly, a white, a red and a rosé. Nevermind, there’s a glass of Môreson’s second-label Cap Classique, Miss Molly, with my name on it and my partner has a beer. Pity about the inelegant flip file winelist, but the range is quite adequate and the prices in the most sensible.
Serving breakfast to dinner, the menu just about has it all, just no pizza. The food’s contemporary Italian, although “Mama’s” (the café’s matriarch, Luciana) chicken roulade and pastas get fair exposure. There are specials too, which keeps the menu interesting.
He wanted the squid heads, while for me it was a toss up between the special, salmon fishcakes with grapefruit slivers, and Limoncello calamari. The fishcakes won. Simply plated, both were well executed. My fishcakes, crispy and crumbed, were packed with fresh herbs, topped with a good home-made mayo, the pink grape-fruit providing a zesty counterpoint to the oily salmon.
His squid heads, crisp and not oily, were polished off quickly.
Having tasted my little one’s penne Napolitana, I wanted my own adult portion. And my partner, the porcini roasted chicken (chicken breasts served on a bed of porcini mushroom, pea and truffle oil risotto topped with a creamy porcini sauce).
Simply prepared, with a light, herby tomato sauce, my pasta was enhanced with fresh chillies. His porcini chicken had pronounced mushroom flavours; the risotto slightly chewy, topped a restrained dash of truffle oil. Outstanding.
My only quibble with the food was with the incongruous pricing – baba’s tiny pasta cost R50, while mine was just R16 more.
We’d stopped by for a light meal that turned out to be anything but; I couldn’t resist ordering a dark chocolate tart to go.
Once again, the attention to detail impressed. Even the take- away was beautifully presented in an attractive cardboard container, topped with a little flower.
Café del Sol has it all: it’s a pretty, light-filled space with happy diners, competent staff and hands-on owners.
You’ll be glad to find a space with such a lot of soul. In any language. So eat your heart out.