Experience an Italian feast at Giorgio Nava’s new 95 at Parks in Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs.
Chef Giorgio Nava has recently re-launched his Constantia restaurant with a new look, new name and new menu. Previously, Carne Constantia, it’s now 95 at Parks, taking the varied Italian menu of his long-standing 95 on Keerom as a starting point.
95 at Parks: Baby calamari salad
Of the change, Giorgio says, “The new restaurant is for everyone before it was for a specific meat-loving crowd. People like the variety we’re now offering and are going mad about our six-course menu of Italian specialities.” The main menu includes more home-made pasta dishes and salads ideal for lunches, as well as the excellent meat and steaks he is renowned for. Although Giorgio told us that the recent drought has had a devastating effect on his Karoo farm: whereas he usually produces much of his own meat, he’s currently sourcing from other trusted suppliers.
95 at Parks: Deconstructed Caprese
The space is now light and bright taking botanical inspiration from the conservatory at the back, the idiosyncratic decor bringing a retro feel to the period homestead with quirky strips of fake grass, billowing floral curtains, vibrant green gloss on the woodwork and 1930s futurist murals.
Giorgio has always been uncompromising about staying true to traditional Italian methods and flavours. “My cuisine is North Italian. I’m from Milan, but I love to travel a lot so I also have dishes from other regions of Italy. It’s not fusion, every dish is pure Italian.”
The tasting menu changes every few weeks giving guests a chance to explore the Italian way of eating and try dishes they might not usually order. This is generous, unpretentious cooking with good size portions. We started with a deconstructed insalata caprese; creamy burrata with tomatoes, capers, anchovies and olives, followed by grilled octopus on potato puree; a Southern Italian speciality recently added to the menu. The ravioli with a simple butter and sage sauce were filled with tender slow cooked lamb. My best was the potato gnocchi sauced with an intense, hand-cut meat ragu, the real Italian deal. Osso buco was next, slowly cooked with tomatoes until lusciously falling apart. To finish, the simplest of desserts, home-made vanilla gelato with berries, the Italians really knowing how to turn excellent basic ingredients into a veritable feast.
Taste for yourself:
- 95 at Parks | 021 761 0247 | facebook.com/95atparks
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
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