It has been a soupy week on the home front. First up was, ‘The London Particular’, which is actually a smog, which is actually a ‘pea souper’. The London Particular was the name first used to describe the particular fog experienced when accompanied by heavy pollution. Following this the description was also used for traditional pea soup. By the same reverse logic Londoners called the smog a pea souper.
On bad days in the first half of the 20th century the smog ground London traffic to a halt and caused pigeons to crash. Nowadays chief executives just say “we’ve got poor visibility going forward,” which actually means “for the first time in my life I can’t predict the future”.
The London Particular should not be confused with the Old Peculiar, which is a real ale, though they may combine well in winter. It is a Peculier because it is made in a Yorkshire parish outside the jurisdiction of a diocese. I think this is like saying Constantia isn’t really part of South Africa.
| Il Leone Mastrantonio +27 (0)21 421 0071 www.gruppomastrantonio.com/illeone22 Cobern St (corner of Prestwich St) Green Point Cape Town |
Anyway, my zuppe tasted more of polluted gruel than soup. Silly me – I probably didn’t leave enough of the smoky-salty meat on my eisbein before I boiled it with the split peas.
A childhood favourite, Jerusalem artichoke soup, was far more successful even though I was making it for the first time. This root, which is not an artichoke but a species of the sunflower plant, gives off a grand peppery watercress aftertaste, though unlike pepper has no real bite. Uncomplicated too. Just the tubers, potatoes, butter and milk. Like Vichyssoise sans leaks. While this American ‘artichoke’ has for centuries been used by the French as a soup ingredient, it may have been utilised primarily as pig fodder.
Is the sudden reappearance of the root at markets another sign that what was once a rich man’s waste is now his luxury? Offal and turnips are the new caviar and truffles. I’m all for head to arse dining but one day the new luxury will again be the old luxury.
Peasant soups that I have never enjoyed – in or out – are the traditional Italian soups. Neither minestrone nor pasta fagioli (pasta and beans). I am not sure there is that much difference between these two tomato-based soups though minestrone probably has more of a mixed vegetable emphasis while pasta fagioli as its name implies is likely denser with pasta and beans. Nonetheless it is time to make a more valiant effort to find good versions of these hearty soups. After all over many centuries Italian cuisine is unlikely to have retained its poorest offerings.
It is a short walk from the city centre to Il Leone Mastrantonio, presumably the ‘Lion’ of the mostly Gauteng-based group of Mastrantonio restaurants (currently changing name to Mastro Restaurants).
They don’t have minestrone today but there is pasta fagioli (R60), also known as pasta fazool in New York. Bean varieties such as butter, cannelloni, and borlotti, together with penne pasta float in a light tomatoey sauce that has boiled for hours to kill the tart. There is also a rich smokiness that suggests paprika. The sharpness of green pepper is kept in check by limiting the quantity and chopping it fine. A deeply rewarding comfort food.
The sun pops out, briefly illuminating a space that is already bright from generous sash windows stretching up to high ceilings. The wood is mostly old, sanded down to a light brown without going so far as Swedish Blonde. Mostly old because the bar is a horrible exception. Composed of wood that tries its hardest to be fake, with heavy waves of faux beams that can only be someone’s 70’s design fantasy.
It doesn’t bother the customers in the least. All around large tables are filling up with businessmen and women. That the two bottle lunch is not dead here is a tribute to the management.
Next up are tortellini parcels filled with chicken and in a tomato sauce (R70). The mini donut-shaped pasta parcels are attractive without being over designed. After all this is a traditional Italian restaurant and is thankfully not targeted at food stylists. The tomato-based sauce is creamier than that used in the soup though at this point I don’t believe I have ordered well. Two pasta dishes in a row is too much starch. Indeed that must be the reason why it is a violation of Italian lunch etiquette to do so, almost as severe a sin as drinking cappuccino (a breakfast drink) in the afternoon.
Secondly, at the risk of offending all of Spain and Basque separatists in particular, I am not convinced the chicken combines well with the still strong tomato flavours in the sauce (despite the cream that reduces the tang). Others believe this is one of the best dishes on the menu. This is also not to say that the delicate flavours of chicken and measured use of tomato can never work together.
What is beyond doubt is that the chicken filling inside the tortellini is bone dry. By way of comparison at the branch of House of Pasta on the nearby fan mile, a cheap and cheerful office lunch joint, achieves a moist beef filling inside its ravioli. As one might expect the pasta here falls far short of that at Il Leone Mastrantonio and the tomato sauce is not slow cooked but at R28 for a small portion it is good value.
While Il Leone is an Italian restaurant it is positioned well above a pizza joint. Indeed it does not sell pizzas. Makes two types of seafood risotto and a porcini mushroom one in season. Because risotto is difficult to churn out in a restaurant they inform you straight up that it takes time to prepare. Other items are what you would expect in terms of antipasto, pasta (including vegetarian), meats and desserts.
Wines from about R100 a bottle upwards. Broad cross-section mostly from well known estates. Vintages provided. Includes several Italian wines. I drank a glass of Porcupine Ridge Shiraz (R44). Don’t recall the year. Service that rare combination of friendly and efficient.
3/5 stars on the afternoon. Close to 4.
Tom Robbins
Posted June 11, 2010
Tags: Cape Town Italian restaurants, Green Point restaurants, High-end Italian restaurants, Italian cuisine, Italian restaurants, Upmarket Italian restaurants
