Italian classics that are still turning heads

Roma Revolving Restaurant

Where: 32 John Ross House, Jonsson Lane, Durban

Open: Tuesday to Thursday dinner, Friday to Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday lunch.

Call: 031 337 6707

We’re watching the drama unfold in front of us. Maestro Gino Leopardi is cooking us crepe suzettes at Durban’s famed Roma Revolving Restaurant. He deftly starts melting the sugar, and then adds the butter. Next comes a good splash or orange juice and orange zest slowly stirred with a fork until it starts to form a lovely caramelized sauce.

He gently folds the cooked crepes into their signature handkerchief shapes and immerses them in the developing sauce. And then a splash of Cointreau, a splash of Van de Hum and a good glug of brandy. He expertly tilts the pan towards the flame and, whoosh, we suddenly have fireworks. 

Leopardi tells us how he’s been making this dish through the restaurant’s 53-year history. He’s even been featured on the BBC flaming pancakes, and his famous Chateaubriand, which is the same with fillet steak. He even had an Austrian tour party of 25 that booked this week just so they could enjoy his prowess at the gueridon trolley - and with fire. So he’s been around the block a few times.

In the old days people used to pop into the restaurants after the movies or theatre on Saturday night just to impress their date. 

After the flames die down, he plates our dessert, adds a scoop of ice-cream which strictly speaking turns crepes Suzette into crepes Lorraine (R110), and we’re left to enjoy our pancakes in a simple but deeply flavourful and decidedly boozy sauce. Bravo. All the theatre is definitely worth it.

It was the Glass Guy who insisted we try the Roma again. Our last visit was to celebrate 50 years and we’d shared the Chateaubriand and were equally impressed. I remembered coming here for my 18th birthday - and my father’s 70th and many fun family occasions in between.

Little has changed in the interim, and although the restaurant has had a number of make overs, it still has that comfortable old world ambiance I always remember. To lose that would be sad.

Starters here might include gratinated mushrooms, peri-peri chicken livers or snails in garlic. Caviar, fresh oysters and fresh mussels grace the menu. The large plate of oysters going to the lady being wined and dined at the next table. The avo Ritz is another enjoyable retro dish that I had on our last visit. Their seafood chowder is another dish I remember.

At Leopardi’s suggestion, the Glass Guy went for the asparagus Parmiggiana (R169) - green asparagus fresh from the Midlands gratinated in Parmesan and gals and butter. It was the dish of the evening.

I enjoyed the veal carpaccio (R140) topped with fresh rocket and plenty of Parmesan and thin slivers of mushroom.

Obviously for mains there are a selection of pasta dishes, and a full range from the grill. Veal piccata Natalia being one I remembered. It’s served on pasta with a rich creamy mushroom sauce. There’s lamb chops, a selection of steaks and springbok loin. But we both felt like fish tonight.

The Glass Guy’s classic sole meuniere (R289) was testament to good cooking. It was a lovely big piece of fish and hadn’t been overcooked. I opted for the fresh line fish Portofino (R289), which is basically in a creamy lobster sauce. What is not to like about that? The fish fresh and firm, the sauce rich and deeply flavourful. I also enjoyed the sauteed potatoes rather than chips.

With our espressos at the end of the evening, after we’ve now done almost three rounds of the city, Leopardi brings us a glass of his homemade orangecello, made from the oranges grown in his Durban North garden. What a spoil.

Food: 4

Service: 3 ½

Ambience: 4

The Bill: R1437.85 plus a 10% gratuity which is automatically added.