We’ve been to Meloncino quite a lot recently. A few months ago we had what Kayli called, “an av meal”. Since then we have both been again separately, and both times it has been delicious! People tend to forget that there are humans behind the scenes and that sometimes people have a bad day and sometimes things go wrong. Anywhoo… I digress. This is going to be an odd, squanged (sk-wan-jed, meaning mixed up) review of two separate Meloncino occasions that we had.
A quick glance at the (admittedly complicated) menu, there’s home-made pasta, wood-fired pizza, seafood on the grill and (a lot) more. City Grill is their sister restaurant, so they have an extensive meat section and serve a mean steak. In order to stay authentic, various ingredients are imported directly from Italy – like the cheese, coffee and wine.
Starters
Vegetable Soup
Marvin: The minestrone included carrots, beans, celery and onions and was topped with grated parmesan cheese. I added a bit of pepper to bring some fire, but it was a light, homely start to the meal.
Beef Carpaccio
Marvin: Served with celery, fresh rocket and shavings of parmesan cheese and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, lemon and a little bit of black pepper – it’s old-school and authentic. I was happy that it wasn’t covered in a balsamic reduction, that was a restaurant phase that needed to end.
Tartare
Kayli: Vegetarians, avert your eyes. When I eat steak, I like it so rare it must be mooing. So when there is a tartare on the menu, I dive straight into it. And this one didn’t let down. The steak was delicious quality and not cut too finely. Restaurants also score brownie points when I can make my own flavour combinations, so as you can see, this would put a smile on my face.
Mains
Seafood Spaghetti
Marvin: Fresh black mussels, queen prawns, calamari, baby octopus, fresh line fish, cherry tomato and chilli. It arrived in a transparent wrapping, so that no flavour is lost in the cooking process. The smell of fresh seafood had all of us drooling as the wrapping was opened. The portion is huge – order with a big appetite. It’s also available as a risotto, which I want to try the next time.
Herbed Steak
Marvin: Mature, grain-fed beef sirloin, was perfectly grilled medium-rare and seasoned with olive oil, lemon, oregano, and black pepper. It was served with roasted vegetables. The plating might not be the prettiest, but the steak was tender and full of flavour.
Dessert?
There was no more room for dessert as the seafood pasta defeated us (in a very good way!). Meloncino is homely. And by homely I mean the atmosphere, the menu, and the presentation. At the Waterfront and in the mood for Italian? Look no further.
P.S.: Make sure to place your orders before 19h00, as they are having a half-price special on all pizzas and pastas.
P.P.S: Check out their awesome cruise and dine specials!
Directions to Meloncino
259 Upper Level
V & A Waterfront
Cape Town
8002
021 419 5558
