Lacoza
Seven years ago, three Argentineans, a Brazilian and a Durban boy met at hotel school, and started dreaming of owning and running a restaurant together. They nurtured that dream during stints working in restaurants and hotels in seven different countries around the world before washing up on Cape Town's shores and making the dream real. Lacoza is the result. (The name is a play on the South African internet domain address "co.za" and a Spanish word "lacosa", which means, roughly, "the thing that cannot be described.")
The venue is the Edwardian house in a side street in Gardens that used to house Charles Lefebvre's La Villa. The new incarnation is very trendy, with bare brick highlighted in random breaks in the plaster, and functional but comfortable tables and chairs interspersed with comfy sofas in mod colours. There is also an ultraviolet bar area. Music is an integral part of the vibe, and that's the domain of DJ Roy McDonald. He matches the music to the crowd, but you could expect hip-hop over the weekends with big band jazz featured on Wednesday nights.
The food is fusion with a Latin flavour and local ingredients. Portions are generous and presentation professional, but casual. The Brazilian, Georges Hutchinski, says, "We care more about the way it tastes than the way it looks." (Georges and his mother got their eyebrow rings together.)
The chilled avocado and grapefruit soup is a popular summer starter, and the mollejas gauchas raises eyebrows. It's the glands above the heart of the cow, pan-fried and served with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Very tasty, and not nearly as rich as offal can so often be. The Patagonia salad consists of very tender, grilled calamari tubes and a grilled prawn tossed over a mound of greens.
The list of mains choices is short, but intrig-uing. The entrecôte was a very successful selection. An excellent piece of meat, rolled in mustard seeds and served with a yummy red wine sauce. It didn't need the great mound of potato and leek mash that accompanied it. (And what a pleasure to be given a decent steak knife. Thanks to the Argentineans for that.) The homemade chilli fettuccine with prawns, smoked tomatoes and bok choi was a hit too. A fascinating melange of tastes, and, wonder of wonders, the prawns did not taste as if they had spent several frozen months. You could also order grilled red tuna with rucula pesto, green leaves and sunflower seeds, or a coconut curry served with a chicken and vegetable noodle wok.
The dessert options include grilled fruit salad with green tea sorbet, and ginger and peanut praline cheesecake with bayleaf and vanilla pod ice-cream. For those who wish to sin egregiously against the dieting gods, there is the chocolate platter. A dark hot chocolate drink, chocolate mousse, a chocolate brownie, vanilla and chocolate ice-cream, a truffle, and strawberries dipped in chocolate.
They have made a reasonable attempt to go beyond the ordinary with the winelist. There are some good choices at both ends of the price spectrum. The Ken Forrester Petit Chenin is R50 and Cloof's Cellar Hand's Blend is R55. Buitenverwachting Chardonnay is R135 and Meerlust Rubicon 1999 is R325.
The service is in keeping with the atmosphere - laidback but effective. If Lacoza were in a more fashionable part of town, it would be one of the "in places". Because it's not, they have to work that little bit harder to please their customers. And they do.
Average three-course meal: R130.
By John Maytham
Address: Hiddingh Avenue, Gardens. Tel 021 462 1999. Open Mon-Sat for dinner only. BYO R20. Street parking with car guard. Separate smoking section.
Food: 4
Wine list3
Ambience: 4
Service: 4
Value: 4
