Il Giardino Degli Ulivi is a beautiful restaurant by night.
It is strung with fairy lights, and the fact that it is situated in one of the courtyards at 44 Stanley means that you get all the best elements of an alfresco restaurant (cricket sounds, fresh air, a sense that you really can’t laugh too loudly with no ceiling to constrain you) without noisy cars gassing you every time they drive past (something far too common in Jo’burg restaurants).
If the weather is bad, blinds are rolled down, and the restaurant shrinks into its cosy undercover section. It is, apparently, popular for lunches, and the thought of spending a warm, lazy afternoon there is very tempting.
The menu consists of a wide range of simple Italian dishes. We started with a generous portion of zucchini fritti, perfect to nibble on while choosing your mains, if a large starter doesn’t appeal. It did appeal, so I also ordered a melanzane parmagiana, which was not too oily, as is so often the case, although my partner found it to be a little salty. Other starters include standards like foccacias and caprese salad, and cozze marinara, a mussel hotpot with tomato, chilli and garlic.
For mains, the pasta is highly recommended. It is homemade, and would be delicious on its own, which makes a welcome change from restaurants (even upmarket restaurants) where the pasta merely seems to be a bland vehicle to carry an overly creamy sauce. We had the tagliatelli with porcini mushrooms, which was very good. Other options include tagliolini with fresh tomato, chilli and garlic. There are also baked pastas (cannelloni with spinach, as well as a lasagne) and a risotto al funghi. The pizzas are good, thin crusted and smoky from the woodfire oven, and come with a wide variety of toppings, including a buffalo mozzarella special which is a bit pricy at R120, but looks interesting.
The secondi consist of simply prepared meat dishes with a variety of vegetable accompaniments.
Desserts are sublime, and it was very difficult to choose which to go for. We shared the dolci della Nonna (granny’s dessert) which was nothing like my grandmother ever made, that’s for sure. It was a sweet, comforting lump of coffee soaked amaretto biscuits, nuts, chocolate and cream. There is also a tiramisu which includes sambuca, a variety of ice creams and sorbets and a decadent looking chocolate hotpot.
The wine list includes cheapies which are definitely drinkable, and a great range of pricier gems from Bouchard Finlayson and Kevin Arnold. Prices are the upper end of reasonable. The service is knowledgeable, attentive and charming, and rounds off a very, very pleasant dining experience.
44 Stanley Avenue, Braamfontein Werf
011 482 4978