There’s nothing like a sunny winter’s day in the Cape. Superior to most summer days, when the relentless wind batters, a dry day between rain squalls is all the more precious for its rarity. Time to make hay. Or even better – eat lunch outdoors.
| Greens on Park +27 (0)21 422 4415 5 Park Rd Gardens Cape Town |
The pavement patio at Greens in Park Road, part of a four store chain, is a pleasant option. The pale green bark of a Zululand Fever Tree compliments the similarly lime colour scheme of the restaurant’s logo. The crowd is fashionable in the safest possible way. Bubbly bottle blondes without the eyebrows to match. Conversations are stimulating:
Blonde 1: “I went to Arabella’s party.”
Blonde 2: “cool.”
Blonde 1: “it was amazing.”
At another table a brunette with a darker dress sense – who looks like she really belongs on the edgier Kloof Street strip around the corner – nonchalantly fires up a cigarette with a gas stove lighter as if it is as common as using a Bic. Effervescent or detached, testosterone is in short supply here. It’s one of those joints like Carlyles in Vredehoek that reinforces the urban legend that Cape Town City Bowl women outnumber men seven-to-one.
With casual restaurants such as Rick’s Café Americain, The Pasta Factory and Simply Asia in the same road as Greens, people watching opportunities aren’t confined to the restaurant. There is a constant flow of foot traffic up and down the street, allowing the pursuit of this most popular of pastimes in the city. (And that isn’t a metropolitan myth.)
The waiter is not short of attitude either. Unfortunately he’s on the wrong side of cocky. He presents an extensive menu of decipherable old school SA dishes that don’t have me kicking myself for never having studied the Romance languages. It offers everything from breakfasts, a light cheddar and tomato sandwich with pickles (R36) to beef fillet with “chef’s sauce” (R125). There are also pastas and plenty of pizzas. As is usually is the case this allows vegetarians a number of options.
First up is a rocket, parmesan and avocado salad. They do not skimp on the rocket, for it is an entire plant (stalk and all), that climbs up from the plate like an invasive alien. Thankfully the considerate kitchen has chopped off the roots. They aren’t as diligent in picking off the vrot bits (black and squishy) and the wilted bits (yellow and dry). Generosity extends to parmesan and avo. At R61 it costs R7 more than the chicken liver pasta I have ordered and is also pricier than some of the light meal options.
The livers are still slightly pink inside (as they should be to avoid toughness). The advertised chilli is there but if you are hankering after chicken livers a la Chilliboy Ralepelle ask for extra on the side or go to one of the Porto-Mozambican inspired bars. An overly pungent flavour from what may be parmesan cooked into the sauce doesn’t work for me. Horses for courses. The linguine to mop it all up is perfectly al dente.
A wine list of well-known names. Bottles from just under R100 to around R350. Ernst Gouws & Co Sauvignon Blanc 2009 is R25 per glass.
Overall the meal is below par and the waiter has assumed too much (not returning with the change from the bill). Yet it still on this lovely day it is pleasant enough to kick back and drink a couple of glasses of Sauvignon Blanc in the sun. Inside it has a cosy earthy feel to it with a fireplace that may keep it warm when the winter rain returns, as it inevitably will.
2/5 stars over lunch
Tom Robbins
Posted June 30, 2010
Tags: City Bowl cafes, City Bowl casual restaurants, City Bowl restaurants, Gardens cafes, Gardens casual restaurants, Gardens restaurants
