Pomodoro Interior
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Situated on the corner of Rivonia and Outspan Roads in Northern Johannesburg, it was easy to find, and one is assured of secure parking outside or underground. So there were no worries of our car being stolen or broken into whilst enjoying our dinner.
Upon arrival the look at Pomodoro is airy and light, with touches of warmth from the coloured glasses on the white-on-white tables, the spacious layout, the warm interior. The simplicity of the decor is to show that the real experience is in the food, and that it was.
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Pomodoro Menu
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The menu is fantastically spaced out, easy to read, and each dish is described in perfect detail. What you read on the menu is exactly how your dish is served. Pomodoro has recently been licensed to serve liquor, before it was only a few select wines being offered. With a bar area and an unusual yet "delish" wine list, one now has a greater variety to choose from.
The food at Pomodoro is Italian but with some noticeable Spanish and French influences. I would not call it a fusion since they are particular about keeping the originality and purity of each recipe. I would rather say that the dishes from different origins complement each other in a meal, never overdone. The portions presented are to perfection. When finished with a meal, you do not feel as if you've overeaten yourself, and you are not left hungry.
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The Food...
Some of the dishes presented to us were:
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Main Course
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For our starters we enjoyed the "Le Melanzane all Parmigianino", brinjals bakes with tomato, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and basil. I myself am not a big lover of brinjals, but this dish made me think twice. Each flavour explodes in your mouth and makes for a fantastic vegetarian dish. Another starter was die "II Carpaccio die salmone", fresh salmon served with olive oil, lemon and fresh herbs. Again, the taste is absolutely amazing, the salmon was as fresh as the day it was caught and the herbs didn’t overpower the taste of the fish.
For mains my partner decided to stick to vegetarian and had the "La Pizza alla "Pomodoro", a pizza different to what I have ever seen. Pizza base, with no tomato pesto, fresh tomato slices and raw slices of mozzarella cheese accompanied with fresh basil leaves. As strange as I found this, the taste was nothing like I expected, who knew that a "raw" pizza could taste so great?! For my main, I decided to go for the more carnivorous route, I enjoyed the "II carre di agnello a I ferri", grilled lamb rack with pesto and tomato sauce, served with potato wedges. It was divine, the meat was cooked to absolute perfection and will make any meat lover come back for more!
The chef, Jeremiah, presented us with another additional dish, his favourite, "La cotoletta di vitello all Milanese", a crumbed veal chop, fried a butter and sage sauce. Definitely a dish to try out when you go! The presentation of the dish was interesting in itself, as it was served with lemon wedges, but the taste of the lemon definitely guarantees a taste of veal like never before
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Dessert...yum!
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Finally, my favourite meal arrived, the dessert. As simple as the dish might sound, it is far from it. "II fondente al Cioccolato" is a freshly made chocolate fondant. One is presented with what seems like a small cake with cream, but once you cut into it with your spoon, the warm, melted chocolate center oozes out... and the taste is out of this world.
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The Conclusion...
The Bar
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The service was fantastic. The waiters had good time intervals when checking up on the dinner party, without being rude. We did have a small delay with the main course, but owner Stefeno was very humble with the apology and explained why there was a delay. Upon looking around the restaurant at the other guests, one can see why Pomodoro is such a huge success, everyone was having a fantastic time. From their facial expressions and gratitude towards owner Stefeno and even the waiters, one can only assume that they enjoyed a wonderful evening themselves.
All in all, Pomodoro is definitely a restaurant I would go back to, and refer others too. Whether it is for a romantic dinner or lunch with a few close friends. Its an escape to Italy / Spain without leaving South Africa.
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Pomodoro Restaurant
Pomodoro Logo
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Rating: * * * *
Food: Exciting
Wine list: Unusual and yummy
Ambience: Chic simplicity
Service: Great
Value: Money happily spent
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