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Review: Excellent, authentic Italian seafood in a friendly setting at Pesce Azzurro in Woodstock

Wednesday, March 25th, 2015 by Jeanne Calitz
The seafood buffet at Pesce Azzurro

The seafood buffet at Pesce Azzurro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant

It’s taken quite a while for a restaurant to really find its groove in this location on the corner of Roodebloem and Palmerston in Woodstock. First there was the original, much-loved Don Pedro, followed by the flamboyant Don Pedro and all his beautiful wives, followed briefly by MS Stone, followed by the (sadly) short-lived Al Cantra, and now finally we’ve got Pesce Azzurro.

The latter has been open for a couple of months and seems to be drawing good crowds nightly, so I’ve got my fingers crossed for this incarnation. The food alone should do the job, because Pesce is dishing up some really great seafood. But the vibe is also part of the attraction: the feel is of a warm, friendly local where everyone is welcome. (The prices, it may be noted, are higher than that of a neighbourhood joint, but then so is the quality of the food.)

Food

The eatery’s name is the collective term for a range of red meat fish. That should also give you an indication of the menu – there’s a lot of fish to be had. The ubiquitous grilled hake and roasted line fish you usually find at seafood restaurants feature here in the form of hake in a tomato-based sauce with garlic and capers, and monkfish served with porcini mushrooms.

Given the origins of the owners – Andrea is from Tuscany and Giuseppe is from Sicily – it’s clear why the focus falls so strongly on the fruits of the ocean, as well as simple but well-prepared ingredients. To get the meal started, I opt for the mussels in a fragrant broth of white wine, garlic and chilli, while my partner chooses the special of the day: tuna carpaccio. The latter is dressed with only a quick toss of olive oil. Fresh as can be, it is brimming with flavour, and bodes well for the rest of the meal. And things do indeed proceed swimmingly from there: I stand amazed at the wealth of seafood that accompanies my spaghetti scoglio – calamari, prawns, octopus and mussels and clams – while my husband is highly appreciative of the robust flavours of his spinach fettucini with fish ragu. We sign off with a deliciously light and creamy tiramisu to share, and the firm resolve to dine here again very soon, in order to try the rest of that wonderfully fishy menu.

Drinks

They offer a small but terrific wine list. There are a couple of Italian bottles on offer, including a prosecco and chianti, but the rest of the menu delights with excellent locals like Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc and Springfield Work of Time.

Service

Service matches the vibe: it’s friendly and welcoming, but not overly fussy. In any case, a formal and overly solicitous attitude would seem out of place here.

The deck at Pesce Azzurro

The deck at Pesce Azzurro. Photo courtesy of the restaurant

Ambience

It feels like the first time in ages that someone got the décor right for what has in the past proved to be a difficult space, by turns too dark and dingy or too bright and echoing. The eatery’s charming sky-blue exterior is hard to miss, and you can’t help but smile at the merry sight of it. Inside, simple blonde wood furniture is matched with touches of blue décor and ocean-themed artworks. Ample lighting casts a welcoming glow through the big glass-fronted windows. The tables might be a touch close to each other, but it all adds to the communal atmosphere.

The verdict

Finally, a restaurant for 113 Roodebloem that may pass the test of time! If they keep on serving delicious, authentic food like this, we will be dining there as often as the budget obliges.

Have you dined yet at Pesce Azzurro? Let us know what you thought by writing a review.

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4 Comments

  • Giles
    March 25, 2015

    Afraid our experience was pretty dreadful. High season but booked well ahead. V limited choice of cold tapas underwhelming but main courses better, grilled mackerel and mixed seafood pasta especially. But service dreadful: took hours to get a drink or any attention, the tapas order was forgotten completely. Maybe they knew you were coming but gimme the old original Sean-run Don Pedro’s any day. I’ll be amazed if it survives the winter.

    Reply
  • vanessa
    April 3, 2015

    I am afraid that I must concur with the above post. My experience was sadly lacking. The above review and image does not appear to represent the dining experience I had. My miniature cob portion was served with semi cooked vegetable stack and my partner ‘s seafood pasta looked amazing but had no flavour. There was no music and the venue was terribly over lit. All the patrons were horribly aware that we could hear each others conversations. Having tried all the the various incarnations of so called fine dining that have appeared at this venue since the demise of the original Don Pedros, we as locals, are too sad to even live up to our own second chance rule.

    Reply
  • Ian
    January 31, 2016

    I read Jeane’s review as well as the two client reviews and thought that this might be a pleasant experience as the bistro had been in operation for a year or so. Plenty of time to sort out any niggles ! We enjoy Italian cuisine and really enjoy fish / seafood.
    Turned out to be a totally poor judgement call on my part.
    I booked for my wife and me for last Friday evening.
    We arrived timeously and were seated. The restaurant was quite full, and there was a pleasant buzz. Looked good.
    It took a little while to get our drinks, but as it was quite full, it was acceptable. When the wine arrived, we ordered our starters, caprese salad for my wife and seafood soup for me, and our mains as well.
    I do not have a problem with waiting a reasonable time for my food, particularly when one is told up front that there is only one chef and that everything is prepared from the start. No microwave process. However, we waited some 45 minutes for our starters. The salad was fine, the soup was nothing special flavourwise.
    We then waited almost an hour, after our table was cleared of the starters, to be served our mains. My wife had the gurnod ( spelling? ) done in a tomato based sauce, and I had the frito misto. Once again, ok, but definitely not anything special. Certainly not up to the expectations raised by the original review. My wife’s fish dish was tasteless !
    The waiters struggled to give good service as the feed from the kitchen was so slow. They seemed to spend a lot of time trying to explain to patrons why they would have to wait even longer for their orders. Rather difficult. To add insult to injury, whilst we were waiting for our mains, a table of 4 Italians arrived. They were seated, placed their orders, received there food and had finished eating, paying and left before we even received our mains !!!
    Not sure how that works, but didn’t feel that that was quite fair given the circumstances.
    I do not mind paying for good food and good service. However, I left the restaurant feeling that I had definitely paid over the odds for a poor experience and and very ordinary fair.
    We are spoiled for choice in Cape Town. Therefore, I am going to vote with my feet.

    Reply
  • Jacqui
    December 28, 2016

    I took a couple visiting from the UK to this restaurant on Christmas Eve. I was tasked with finding something that suited a pescetarian and was grateful to find something open and taking bookings still the day before Christmas Eve.

    My friends were waiting at the bar for me when I arrived and already had drinks in hand. We were quickly seated and there were already a few full tables. Whilst the service was a little slow, I was not in anyway anxious about it and didn’t feel unduly neglected. The ambience was lovely and the food quite delightful.
    We shared the Tapas for 2 between 3 of us, which was more than adequate and gave us a variety of tastes to choose from.
    My friend selected the yellowtail which he thoroughly enjoyed whilst his partner selected a linguine with shrimps and red chicory which she raved about. I had the ravioli with shrimps and it was very nice.

    The disappoinment was no chocolate fondant available for dessert. My friends shared the tiramisu and I had the panacotta.

    The bill came to about R850 with tip and included a bottle of wine and for 3 people, definitely not outrageous. Portions were more than adequate and one didn’t feel you over-indulged when you walked out.

    They were throroughly impressed by the meal and nice to get off the ‘tourist’ route of restaurants and find something a little more local.

    My only issue was there are no prices on the website menu, and whilst I know prices change, giving a range for starters, mains and dessert could be helpful.

    On another note, I am always looking for nice restaurants to take my father to, who is hard of hearing. I would consider this restaurant, but go early as I think it generally gets noisier later in the evening.

    Reply

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