You have to look far and wide to find authentic Italian food in Cape Town. Most South Africans have never been to Italy and therefore cannot appreciate “real” Italian food. It often frustrates me when I see pizzas topped with biltong (dried meat), banana or mince. If you are in search for authentic Italian cuisine, I can highly recommend Meloncino at the well-known V & A Waterfront in Cape Town.
Paolo and his team will look after you in true Italian style and the chic restaurant boasts gorgeous views of Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain and the Waterfront. This is the perfect place to unwind after a day of exploring Cape Town or a busy day at work. Sit back, relax and let the excellent and friendly staff make your Italian dreams come true.
Starters
Meloncino recently launched a new menu and lovely kitchen chef Sandra talked me through the vegan options. Please note that the restaurant doesn’t have a vegan menu as yet, but they are very vegan-friendly in terms of being vert flexible with changing ingredients etc. The kitchen team doesn’t cook any pasta sauces etc. in advance which allows them to serve freshly made food according to your liking. If you feel like a starter, Sandra recommends the herb focaccia or the bread basket. Both are vegan and I enjoyed the authentic focaccia to start off the Italian dinner experience. Another of Sandra’s personal recommendations is the minestrone, which can easily be made vegan (without the parmesan).
Mains
You are spoilt for choice when it comes to mains. Meloncino’s menu offers various pasta dishes and pizzas. It really depends on what mood you are in, but Sandra will work her magic in the kitchen to give you the best dinner experience possible. If you see a pasta sauce that you’d like, just tell the waiter that you want the vegan version of it, leaving out the meat, cheese and so on. Anything is possible at Meloncino and your pasta sauce will be made from scratch. All pizzas can be veganised and you just have to choose the toppings of your choice. The good news is, that Meloncino now stocks vegan cheese and they can make the pizzas with vegan mozzarella and the pastas with vegan parmesan. Please note there’ll be a 20 Rand surcharge if you order your pasta or pizza with vegan cheese. The plant-based cheeses are sourced from a supplier that you won’t find in your normal supermarket in South Africa and I really liked them. For my main I ordered a pizza with porcini mushrooms, truffle oil and rocket and truly enjoyed this authentic Italian pizza. The base was perfectly thin and crispy, just as you’d get it in the South of Italy.
Ready for dessert?
Do yourself a favour and order the trio of sorbet, which can easily be shared with your partner / friend. Most of the time I don’t order sorbet as it can be very watery or taste of artificial colourants. Well Meloncino knows how to do sorbet and the mango one is my absolute favourite. Expect a trio of sorbet that is full of flavour and almost creamy wanting you to come back for more.
Meloncino is the restaurant that offers the complete package – elegant and modern décor, beautiful views, attentive staff and most importantly delicious Italian food.
Go and show your support, so they incorporate more vegan items. I believe Sandra is working on a vegan menu already and we want to encourage her with that project, don’t we?
Contact
If you’d like to book a table at Meloncino, please click on the following link: http://www.meloncino.co.za/contact-us.php
*Disclaimer. I was hosted for a vegan dinner at Meloncino with my blogger colleague Anna from Anna’s Dumpling. All my opinions given in this article are my own. Some high res images were supplied by Meloncino. All of the other images are my own.