Elegant Italian at Peddlar's Volaré

A much-loved favourite for lengthy boozing and sport watching by Cape Town's southern suburb locals, the previously well-loved Peddlars on the Bend is rebranding itself as a more classy pub-esque establishment, with no less than three dining options (The Local Pub, The Oak Terrace, and Volaré*). With the addition of a fine dining feather in its peaked cap, in the form of the new Volaré restaurant, it seems to be well on its way to doing so.

Plates for the discerning palate

I was lucky enough to test this upmarket Italian eatery last Saturday night. Volaré is elegantly and simply decorated, with uniquely designed lights, a honey-blonde wood textured wall, and leather booths, which give this restaurant a light and contemporary feel. While fresh and innovative Italian food mirrors this new direction. No usual spag bol or margarita pizzas found on this menu (in fact, unusual for an Italian restaurant, pizzas aren't served at all), Volaré, instead, offers hearty but sophisticated plates for the discerning palate.

Our starters were just that. I opted for the Tono Crudo, which is a yellow-fin tuna carpaccio with capers, lemon, basil emulsion and a shallot dressing. It was impeccably light and fresh while at the same time lip-smackingly punchy and flavourful - a wonderful start to the evening and a good sign of things to come.

For the main course, I chose the Roast Porchetta, which is a roll of Oak Valley pork belly accompanied by artichokes, sage, broccolini and topped with crispy Parma ham. This dish was absolutely sumptuous: rich, buttery and complex, and that crackling, my oh my, so crispy, so crackly it brought a smile to my belly. In fact, the dish was so rich I didn't quite manage to finish it and was so regretting my decision not to doggy bag the rest around lunchtime the next day.

Complex comfort

My dining partner chose the Pork Ragu Papardelle, a hearty helping of braised pork belly with tomato, fennel seeds and topped with a goat's cheese fondant. I sneaked a bite and was well impressed, this is sophisticated comfort food at its best. It includes all the elements of a good homely pasta, silky pappardelle, and 'depthy' tomato sauce; however the addition of slightly unexpected ingredients, such as the pork belly and goats cheese elevated this dish from its humble beginnings to something altogether far more complex and satisfying.

Luckily, there resides in most of us a sweet pocket, you know, that tiny little bit of space that exists in an already full stomach that offers a place for desserts to find their home. So we both just about managed to squeeze in a shared portion of the Torta di Nocior, you know, for the sake of journalism. A pecan nut pie with a light-and-flaky shortbread crust, served with a creamy caramel ice cream and intense fudge ganache was well deserving of the sweet pocket. Bellies full, we moved to the vibey outside area beneath overhead heaters to finish the rest of our wine.

All in all, a wonderful dining option in the burbs, which straddles that sometimes hard to achieve balance between fine dining elegance and homely unpretentiousness.

Bon appétit!

Volaré is situated at 13 Spaanschemat River Road, Constantia, Cape Town and is open Monday to Sunday, 12pm to 4pm and 6pm to 11pm. To make a booking contact +27 (0)21 794 7747 or email az.oc.sralddep@ofni

www.peddlars.co.za/#volare

*And soon to launch a fourth venue called Graciales