Monday, September 19, 2022

Pizza at Nonna Lina after watching Blind Ambition

We finally got to see the film Blind Ambition this week. It is showing at the Labia Theatre. Lynne had been trying to book tickets, first to a Pick n Pay showing at the Waterfront, tickets apparently available on Webtickets, and she has lost all respect for Webtickets. She tried to get through; they said they were sending a one-time pin and it never arrived. The complaints department is a senseless bot that asks the same questions and answers none. We went to Webtickets in Pick n Pay at the Waterfront, but they couldn’t access the showing. Nor could the cinema help as it was a private showing! 

Then we discovered that we could see it at the Labia and went to this magical place for a 5 o'clock show, the first time we have been to a movie theatre in about 14 years! And what a wonderful film it is; do try and see it, it is winning international awards. We have known all of the four Sommeliers, the heroes of the film, for several years as we met them in restaurants and at media tastings and came to see how skilled they are at their craft, even though they come from a Zimbabwean background that gave them no exposure to wine

The Labia has four small cinemas and shows many films that would not get shown on the “commercial circuit"
They sell food and snacks; there is a bar with tables outside to sit and enjoy the peaceful garden
And we were able to take our drinks into the theatre to enjoy as we watched the film

There is street parking in the area, but you might have to walk a block or two

The film finished at 7 and we had decided to visit one of our favourite Pizza restaurants, Nonna Lina,
which is on the next block in Orange Street
We have not been there for quite a while but it is very popular, still busy
and it survived the Covid lock down by doing take-aways

It is spacious inside and has several outside tables too, if you fancy eating al fresco
The menu is very varied, serving many classic Italian specialties, not just Pizza
https://nonnalina.com/menu-view/

When you sit down, you are immediately given some lovely garlic redolent tomato bruschetta on the house
to enjoy while you ponder the menu and the wine list

The restaurant is owned and run by Antonello Scamuzzi, who is originally from Sardinia, and his good team
We had a good catch-up chat and offered him a taste of wine from the bottle we had brought
Our excellent waiter Lorenzo (Laurence, taking on an Italian influence from the atmosphere!)
was very helpful and service was quick

We had a bottle of Morgenster Vermentino 2021 which we had been given;
we thought would go perfectly with the Pizzas and their corkage policy is generous at R55
Vermentino, like Antonello, appropriately has a Sardinian background
And, indeed, it did pair beautifully with the food. It’s full of ripe peach on the nose,
rather Chenin-like at first, on both the nose and palate,
but then a line of clean, crisp minerality, fresh lime and some zingy acidity appears and balances the sweetness
and handles the richness and oiliness of the cheeses and meats on the pizzas
Very refreshing

John chose the Quattro Mori, a version of a Quattro Stagioni (Four seasons)
divided into four sections with Tomato, mozzarella, gorgonzola, salami, artichokes, onions, black olives, and tuna
He loves artichokes and enjoys different flavour combinations

Lynne chose her old-time favourite, Patatina, an unusual Pizza with cooked potato as one of the toppings
No one thinks it will work, but it does. It is topped with tomato, mozzarella, salami, gorgonzola, peppadew and potatoes
It has changed a bit over the years, but is still good; it’s the gorgonzola with the potato that makes it shine
It used to have fresh rocket and Prosciutto, which is now rather expensive and would put the price up a lot
Lynne admits that she is not a fan of pizza crusts, unless they are like these at Nona Lina
They are wafer thin, hollow and crisp and shatter in your mouth, so good

One third of Lynne’s went home with us as the large size (32 cm) is a bit much for a smaller appetite in one sitting
and, heated up in the fan oven the next day, was just a delicious as it was in the restaurant
The smaller 26 cm might have been a better choice, but we thought, when ordering, that it might not suffice

The bill including service and a small donation to Street Smart, which we support

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