La Campagnola
Published: 01 Jun 07
Category: Contemporary dining
r; and of course there's that damn parrot that takes to screeching if it
isn't allowed free reign to table-hop.
The mood stretches outside, where dappled sunlight kisses cozy tables that have the burbling of a pretty Tuscan piazza concrete fountain as musical accompaniment.
Anna Fontana started the place back in 1993, next to the filling station up the road. It was then one of the few specialist delis of its kind, offering people imported Italian food products. Tables and chairs appeared outside along with informal menu - a slice of cake, a cup of excellent coffee.
A 'sleeper' in film speak is defined as a movie that isn't an instant box-office hit, but by word of mouth the quality of the product creates a snowball effect. In this sleeper the main players in the production are Anna Fontana and Luca Mantoan. Fontana understands well the components that make for a good show but it's chef Mantoan's maxim of consistency and quality that has taken the coffee shop and turned it into this sleeper hit.
Disarmingly charming Venetian-born Mantoan says the French touches in the kitchen come from his classical French training. "From sauces to stock, my building blocks come from French cooking," he says. He's been there eight years now, "and it's like home. I was part of building this place up to what it is today."
The food, for the most part, remains sublime. For starters, there's the popular 'specials' menu that changes daily. The last time I visited this list proffered, for instance, the sexiest fresh figs imaginable, served with an intensely flavoured Parma ham. There was also Alaskan crab with shallots and white wine, served with
pasta and fresh porcini mushrooms pan-fried with Gorgonzola, rocket, and finished with brandy.
The Fegatinni di Pollo is probably the best I've ever tasted in this country - with rosemary wine sauce and a delicate touch of chilli and garlic. The Fegato di Vitello alla Veneziana (calf liver pan-fried with grain mustard, spring onion with rocket, cream and brandy) is equally easy to succumb to.
Other choices include homemade pâté of goose liver and duck meat, packed around goose liver, served with ciabatta bread… or fresh Saldanha mussels served with pizzaiola sauce.
The playlist extends to beef fillet with Bordelaise sauce (red wine stock done with bone marrow), finished with truffle essence and served with an escalope of foie gras. A variation on the theme offers the fillet with red wine rosemary truffle sauce and seared goose liver. There's also the ever-popular flame-grilled chicken breast. The secret here, methinks, is in the marinade of lemon zest, garlic and chilli.
Best of the desserts on offer was a homemade tiramisu.
The award-winning winelist is extensive and includes Champagne as well as local sparklers. It's succinct, with an intelligent selection of a good number of varietals and price options. The extensive wine racks offer further adventure.
A short, Mediterranean-focused menu, then. Clever salads, abundantly fresh and flavourful pastas, mains and good desserts. I'm passionate about their pasta. Their salads are sensational, always fresh, with taste and texture combos that come from the kitchen of a master.
'Finis' is not going to appear on this screen for a long while, I'd say.
Average price of a three-course meal: R170.
Address: La Campagnola, Hobart Centre, cnr Hobart and Grosvenor Roads, Bryanston, Johannesburg. Open for lunch Mon-Sun and for dinner Tues-Sat. BYO R65. Reservations essential. Tel: 011 463 4199.
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
A separate area is designed as a smoking room, with Cognacs and the like on display. A tasteful - if delightfully whimsical - hand has lightly touched the deco
The mood stretches outside, where dappled sunlight kisses cozy tables that have the burbling of a pretty Tuscan piazza concrete fountain as musical accompaniment.
Anna Fontana started the place back in 1993, next to the filling station up the road. It was then one of the few specialist delis of its kind, offering people imported Italian food products. Tables and chairs appeared outside along with informal menu - a slice of cake, a cup of excellent coffee.
A 'sleeper' in film speak is defined as a movie that isn't an instant box-office hit, but by word of mouth the quality of the product creates a snowball effect. In this sleeper the main players in the production are Anna Fontana and Luca Mantoan. Fontana understands well the components that make for a good show but it's chef Mantoan's maxim of consistency and quality that has taken the coffee shop and turned it into this sleeper hit.
Disarmingly charming Venetian-born Mantoan says the French touches in the kitchen come from his classical French training. "From sauces to stock, my building blocks come from French cooking," he says. He's been there eight years now, "and it's like home. I was part of building this place up to what it is today."
The food, for the most part, remains sublime. For starters, there's the popular 'specials' menu that changes daily. The last time I visited this list proffered, for instance, the sexiest fresh figs imaginable, served with an intensely flavoured Parma ham. There was also Alaskan crab with shallots and white wine, served with
pasta and fresh porcini mushrooms pan-fried with Gorgonzola, rocket, and finished with brandy.
The Fegatinni di Pollo is probably the best I've ever tasted in this country - with rosemary wine sauce and a delicate touch of chilli and garlic. The Fegato di Vitello alla Veneziana (calf liver pan-fried with grain mustard, spring onion with rocket, cream and brandy) is equally easy to succumb to.
Other choices include homemade pâté of goose liver and duck meat, packed around goose liver, served with ciabatta bread… or fresh Saldanha mussels served with pizzaiola sauce.
The playlist extends to beef fillet with Bordelaise sauce (red wine stock done with bone marrow), finished with truffle essence and served with an escalope of foie gras. A variation on the theme offers the fillet with red wine rosemary truffle sauce and seared goose liver. There's also the ever-popular flame-grilled chicken breast. The secret here, methinks, is in the marinade of lemon zest, garlic and chilli.
Best of the desserts on offer was a homemade tiramisu.
The award-winning winelist is extensive and includes Champagne as well as local sparklers. It's succinct, with an intelligent selection of a good number of varietals and price options. The extensive wine racks offer further adventure.
A short, Mediterranean-focused menu, then. Clever salads, abundantly fresh and flavourful pastas, mains and good desserts. I'm passionate about their pasta. Their salads are sensational, always fresh, with taste and texture combos that come from the kitchen of a master.
'Finis' is not going to appear on this screen for a long while, I'd say.
Average price of a three-course meal: R170.
BY GWYNNE CONLYN
Address: La Campagnola, Hobart Centre, cnr Hobart and Grosvenor Roads, Bryanston, Johannesburg. Open for lunch Mon-Sun and for dinner Tues-Sat. BYO R65. Reservations essential. Tel: 011 463 4199.
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
