Casta Diva's Charisma
Published: 01 Dec 07
Category: Classic contemporary
The good news is they're back in a venue set amidst the northern slopes of the Magaliesburg called Casta Diva's Charisma. The restaurant had been open a week when I visited. Even before I got to the menu, it was a joy to watch fellow customers walk up the steps. The average age of the Balmelli's loyal fans is not young but there were crutches and hip replacements positively leaping up the four flights of stairs.
Once inside the venue, the infectious customer excitement didn't stop - these are people who know better than to use a cell phone in a restaurant and yet they were unable to resist the temptation of calling their friends from the table to say "you will never guess where I am." I can honestly say that the only previous occasion I have seen comparable levels of unmitigated joy was watching pet owners collect their pooches from the cargo department at the airport. If my fellow diners at Casta Diva's had tails they would have been wagging vigorously. So, we've established that Pretoria's old guard culinary elite is rejoicing at the Balmelli's return but what of the new restaurant?
The eatery is located inside an upmarket guest house and was decorated by the hoteliers and not the restaurateurs. The furnishings have none of the understated class of La Perla. Gone are the clean lines and white tablecloths. In their place are a multitude of chandeliers, crystal glasses and West African artifacts. Granted, it's not as calmingly minimalist as it might have been if the Balmellis had been left in charge of their own décor but such is life. The décor is not unpleasant - it is simply more manic than the food and service style.
The menu is like a reunion with a much-loved friend. Watching everyone's response to their dinner was utterly charming. All around me, and indeed emanating from my own husband, were contended grunts as diners realised just how much they had missed warm foie gras with apple and port sauce.
Chef Balmelli's great talent is his ability to see the core qualities of an ingredient. Given the very considerable extent of his skill, his self-discipline is remarkable. He allows himself only the slightest interventions with what God and nature have formed. Frogs legs dance in the subtlest of lemon butter sauces. Quails are seared, oven roasted and sent out in the gentlest of jus. Poached salmon melds with a hollandaise from heaven.
The winelist is not yet the encyclopaedic work of art that it was at La Perla but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in thoughtful, menu-paired quality. There are a smattering of Champagnes amongst the Cap Classiques and a broad spectrum of styles and varietals available by the glass.
I once wrote that La Perla was a good restaurant that lacked a good pastry menu. The break has clearly focussed Chef Balmelli's attention on matters sweet because the end of our menu at Casta Diva's Charisma was as delightful as the beginning. My husband and I shared a Cointreau soufflé and immediately regretted not having ordered one each. So popular was the zest laden, citrus sensation that it was the subject of a territorial war fought with spoons.
Just because an aging elite have the good sense to notice the talents of Chef Balmelli does not mean that his culinary style is outmoded. His style is so classic that it outlasts transient fashion. This is a restaurant for all ages and all times. South Africa has too few good chefs and fine restaurants to lose any of our longstanding legends. The return of the Balmellis is a great relief to us all.
Average price of a three-course meal: R190
br />Address: 67 Albatros Street, Nina Park, Pretoria.
Open for lunch and dinner Tues – Fri, dinner Sat. BYO discouraged.
Tel 012 542 4449 (booking essential)
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
The good news is they're back in a venue set amidst the northern slopes of the Magaliesburg called Casta Diva's Charisma. The restaurant had been open a week when I visited. Even before I got to the menu, it was a joy to watch fellow customers walk up the steps. The average age of the Balmelli's loyal fans is not young but there were crutches and hip replacements positively leaping up the four flights of stairs.
Once inside the venue, the infectious customer excitement didn't stop - these are people who know better than to use a cell phone in a restaurant and yet they were unable to resist the temptation of calling their friends from the table to say "you will never guess where I am." I can honestly say that the only previous occasion I have seen comparable levels of unmitigated joy was watching pet owners collect their pooches from the cargo department at the airport. If my fellow diners at Casta Diva's had tails they would have been wagging vigorously. So, we've established that Pretoria's old guard culinary elite is rejoicing at the Balmelli's return but what of the new restaurant?
The eatery is located inside an upmarket guest house and was decorated by the hoteliers and not the restaurateurs. The furnishings have none of the understated class of La Perla. Gone are the clean lines and white tablecloths. In their place are a multitude of chandeliers, crystal glasses and West African artifacts. Granted, it's not as calmingly minimalist as it might have been if the Balmellis had been left in charge of their own décor but such is life. The décor is not unpleasant - it is simply more manic than the food and service style.
The menu is like a reunion with a much-loved friend. Watching everyone's response to their dinner was utterly charming. All around me, and indeed emanating from my own husband, were contended grunts as diners realised just how much they had missed warm foie gras with apple and port sauce.
Chef Balmelli's great talent is his ability to see the core qualities of an ingredient. Given the very considerable extent of his skill, his self-discipline is remarkable. He allows himself only the slightest interventions with what God and nature have formed. Frogs legs dance in the subtlest of lemon butter sauces. Quails are seared, oven roasted and sent out in the gentlest of jus. Poached salmon melds with a hollandaise from heaven.
The winelist is not yet the encyclopaedic work of art that it was at La Perla but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in thoughtful, menu-paired quality. There are a smattering of Champagnes amongst the Cap Classiques and a broad spectrum of styles and varietals available by the glass.
I once wrote that La Perla was a good restaurant that lacked a good pastry menu. The break has clearly focussed Chef Balmelli's attention on matters sweet because the end of our menu at Casta Diva's Charisma was as delightful as the beginning. My husband and I shared a Cointreau soufflé and immediately regretted not having ordered one each. So popular was the zest laden, citrus sensation that it was the subject of a territorial war fought with spoons.
Just because an aging elite have the good sense to notice the talents of Chef Balmelli does not mean that his culinary style is outmoded. His style is so classic that it outlasts transient fashion. This is a restaurant for all ages and all times. South Africa has too few good chefs and fine restaurants to lose any of our longstanding legends. The return of the Balmellis is a great relief to us all.
Average price of a three-course meal: R190
by Anna Trapido
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Open for lunch and dinner Tues – Fri, dinner Sat. BYO discouraged.
Tel 012 542 4449 (booking essential)
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
