A cosy hideaway of deliciousness on the KZN South Coast
La Capannina Marine Drive, Ramsgate, KZN South Coast Phone: 039 317 1078 THERE is an iconic black and white photo, taken by US photographer Ruth Orkin in 1951, of a beautiful, confident American girl walking down a street in Italy, and being admired by 14 men. It is often found hanging in Italian restaurants. I have long admired the photographer’s skill and composition of the image, so I was delighted to see it in La Capannina.
To me the photo is about a young person having fun while enjoying the adventure of travel.
We had booked for Sunday lunch on our way home after a night at a beach cottage on the lower South Coast. As we were greeted and shown to our table I was surprised to see how few patrons there were. The restaurant has a stunning setting, with a choice of tables, many with sea views.
I like the feel of the place, cosy chairs and tables covered in blue-check tablecloths.
For starters we ordered the focaccia Bianca (R58) topped with mozzarella, garlic and herbs, and it was crisp and Ratings (out of five) Food Service Ambience delicious. My wife ordered the Ravioli di Formaggio, made up of three-cheese pasta pockets sautéed with mushroom, garlic, sage and brown butter (R92). The pasta was fresh and the pockets well filled with cheese, while the mushroom, burnt sage and butter sauce was sublime. I had the slowcooked rabbit in red wine, black olives and mushrooms on a bed of pasta (R130) and loved it. The combination of flavours worked incredibly well, in my mind unlocking images of the Mediterranean countryside. Simply delicious.
Of course, there is a bit of fiddling about with some small bones, but that is a small price to pay. I had a glass of red house wine (R18) to go with the rabbit, and a decent wine it was, too.
After eating almost all the foccacia we could not finish our meals, so took some home. Also, we wanted to leave room for something sweet and chose home-made Italian kisses (R38), which were wonderful, particularly the chocolate ice cream covered in white chocolate.
A meal like that has to be savoured and remembered. My wife ordered cappucino (R18) while I had an espresso and a Gruppa (R40), and slept happily on the drive back to Durban.