A memorable lunch at 95 at Parks restaurant this
week brought back lots of memories. It was where we had our first official
date, on Lynne’s birthday 19 years ago. And, sadly, this was the first time we
had been back. It was then under the expert hand of Michael Olivier. Now, the
restaurant is ably run by Giorgio Nava who also has 95 Keerom, 95 at Morgenster and Carne. It has an Italian theme and Lynne had
spotted a voucher on Hyperli for their current special, which prompted our long
delayed visit. We love proper Italian food (and we don't mean pasta and pizza)
and the menu had Lynne’s favourite dish, Fegato (liver), which the Italians do
so well. The house has a really impressive vegetable garden and the produce is
used in the dishes
Inside, some impressive murals
from the past. There is wood panelling, astro turf grass on the walls
The wood panelling and floral
curtains do add a certain 'park' feel
We were impressed with the free
bread offering, the good, fresh and slightly bitter green olive oil and
balsamic vinegar and very good homemade tangy and crisp olives. You get
brioche, good crisp ciabatta slices, superb parmesan crisps and some crunchy
sesame sticks
We knew we were going to have
meat for our main courses, so we stayed local and ordered one of our favourite
Constantia wines, Buitenverwachting’s 2016 Meifort, a red blend of Cabernet
Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Soft and full of dark fruit and elegance.
We used to sell a lot of this wine at Main Ingredient. The Meifort 2014
won the Riedel Trophy for the best Bordeaux style red blend in the 2017 Old
Mutual Trophy competition and it was awarded 4½ stars in Platter; wine does not
have to cost the earth to be excellent
A Campari mural in another
section of the restaurant
The special menu. The deal was
two courses (starter and main, or starter and dessert) for two R299. Incredible
value. Sadly, the offer runs out at the end of October. But go anyway, the food
is good
Lynne’s starter of salmon
tartare on a bed of avocado with capers, onions, parsley, sprouts and extra
virgin olive oil . It needed a bit of seasoning, but was fresh and well made.
Served with brioche, lemon and a dressed salad of rocket and spinach leaves. She
knows that raw onion is a component on most tartares, but is not a fan and
could do without it. It adds astringency and stays on the palate too long and
can overwhelm such a delicate fish
John said the carpaccio of beef
was one of the best he has had
topped with a well dressed salad of spinach and
peppery rocket with grated parmesan
Nice to see sound baffles attached to the ceiling. It means that the ambient noise is low
and you can hear yourself
speak. So many restaurants need these
There is also jazz background music, soft enough not to be too intrusive
John ordered
the 300g sirloin steak. Giorgio Nava is famous for his meat and so this was a
no brainer for steak loving John. It is a generous portion and the quality and
flavour were much appreciated. John says it had the right char on the outside,
was tender and juicy and perfectly pink inside. The dishes came with one free
'side' so we ordered another each. He had the Swiss chard spinach and
matchstick potatoes. They were not crisp as requested, but had great flavour
Lynne’s Fegato (liver) was extremely well
cooked. She asked for medium rare and got it. Soft as butter and nicely coated
in a seasoned flour, it had great flavour too. It came with caramelised
balsamic onions and a good sauce. Not sure if it was calf's or lamb's liver, but
a joy to eat and a large portion. The Swiss chard was just OK, but we are
spoiled by growing our own baby spinach. We asked who the chef was; his name is
Jonas (our waitress did not know his surname) and is from Rwanda. He has worked
for Chef Giorgio for over 10 years
Lynne’s side of creamy mashed potato. Somehow an essential accompaniment to liver,
especially if the sauce is good, and it was
About to begin our main
courses. There were temptations on the dessert menu but, sadly, we were too
full. The wine, side dishes and service cost us R270 extra, which we were very happy to pay
Service was willing, but very
slow; apparently because of a lack of staff
They’d had a very busy service the
previous night, we were told,
and so there were only two serving staff for the
restaurant that day
A room for a group doing
private dining
The bar
A wonderful collection of
copper jugs
The solarium
The other front room
And, from the terrace, a view
of the Constantia mountains
We will definitely be back and
not after 19 years, but much sooner
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2018
