Another satisfying meal here, and a encouragingly busy restaurant on a winter’s day. Bizerca feels something like a fish-bowl, the all-round glass and hard surfaces are modern but comfortable, and the welcome is warm. A large communal table adds character, while the food is all about character – a small regular menu of “bistro classics” and an ever-changing blackboard menu. From the regular I tried the butternut gnocchi to start, delicious, though sweet (R45). From the blackboard, the pork fillet which was served with bacon-studded lentils and also gnocchi. The pork (R105) was tender, the flavours sound, and the gnocchi perfect – better than the recent plate I sampled at Mezzaluna. The Hungry Man tried some “sheppard’s” pie, accompanied by a salad which he declared perfectly dressed, while the pie was noted as tasty, though long on potato and short on mince (R78). After a tasty cheese plate, coffee was good. Bizerca continues to impress on the plate, punching well above its weight in terms of the casual nature of the place.
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15 Comments
“Bizerca continues to impress on the plate, punching well above its weight in terms of the casual nature of the place.”
Spot on JPR!
I have eaten here six times and always had an excellent meal – great food and just the right blend of relaxed/friendly but attentive service. Its just so easy and satisfying to dine here!
I think Bizerca is serving the best food in Cape Town at the moment. La Colombe, Aubergine and The Foodbarn don’t even come close. You can taste everything has been prepared from scratch here, if they have tuna in stock try the tuna tartare, it is unbelievable.
Indeed Bizerca is top of the pops in the CBD – honest bistro food that few others in SA seem to get right – a firm and fabulous favourite !! Try their prune chutney for sale by the jar – just amazing with a slow roast pork neck at the home front bistro !!!
I am not objective about Bizerca anymore. I had too many perfect dishes. Outstanding dishes. Everytime I go there I set the intention to try something new, but then my addiction for one of the following kicks in. Salmon starter / Oysters / Veal Liver / Beef Cheeks / Lamb Stew / Apple Tart / Panna Cotta. It remains a mystery how they keep this standard everytime. What a special place, but be warned you will get addicted like o many of us. You cannot visit this place once. I will start my recovery programm by going again today and I will order something new!
I am in full agreement with you bizerca is just fantastic – every thing I have had there has been a triumph – it’s top drawer bistro fare all the way – the formula is a winning one for me , you and many others in CT>
Good luck with your intention of trying something new Casper – let us know how it went!
My name is Cormac and I am an addict, I also need to sign up for the Bizerca Anonymous group, Bizerca never fails to deliver magnificent food, I also will be trying something new there today. Simply the best food in Cape Town.
My name is Casper and I have been clean for 13 hours. I went back again but this time I tried something else. 2 Oysters to calm the nerves, then glass of Raats Chenin, and then silverfish. Great and a fantastic combination with sweet potato, topped with an asian sauce and chopped red onions, pineapple and tomatoe….
and a fantastic macchiato to top it off. Fish was succulent and crispy on the outside.
We ate at Bizerca last night after reading all the glowing reviews here.
I guess eating out is a bit like reading a book: if someone else tells you it’s the most amazing book ever, you’re invariably disappointed when you read it because your expectations are set too high.
I felt a bit like that at Bizerca last night. The restaurant was quite full for a Tuesday evening (I think I saw one open table), but had a distinct lack of atmosphere. This might have been down to the crowd that looked mostly over 50, making us the youngest by a good 20 years, but could also have been down to the CBD being eerily deserted at night and the echoing cement floor of the restaurant, reinforced by the lack of music.
Between the 4 of us we covered 10 different dishes (starters/mains/desserts) and they were all, without exception, excellent. Dishes that particularly stood out were the braised veal shoulder, the panna cotta, the salmon starter and the butternut gnocchi. The presentation was not overdone or pretentious and belied the amount of preparation that was apparent in each dish.
The wine list was small but varied enough to satisfy any palate, both in price and geography. Prices ranged from anything close to R100 to well over a few thousand rand and wines from Chile, France and Australia were available. The wine service, however, leaves a bit to be desired. At one stage all 4 glasses on the table were empty with the bottles sitting across the restaurant.
Most dishes on the blackboard hovered around the R155 mark for a main and R65 for a starter.
Thus, in terms of ambiance, I think there are many restaurants in Cape Town that provide a much better dining out experience. I would, however, concur with the other comments here and say that there are few restaurants in Cape Town that match the variety and novelty in relation to the dishes served.
Another lunch here was in the main great, but not without a few dips (like the plain-tasting rabbit ballotine with oily potato; and the rather heavy gnocchi in the panned style). Lamb was slow-cooked with a superb sauce, and lifted by a fantastic gremolata; while the good trotters are now served with scallops. Desserts were notably good, an excellent apple tarte fine with ice cream, very good pannacotta and that delicious apple sorbet with calvados. The food struck me as very dense and rather “masculine” on the day, and prices are up there (as reported above) – three courses is around R250 – but this is good cooking indeed, and three courses is best for big appetites.
We also had a very pleasant evening at Bizerca on Saturday. The oysters were sweet and fleshy and the Kingklip perfecty cooked. I must agree that their gnocchi has never appealed to me, too chewy and heavy as JPR says.To be fair though we probably compare it with the light and fluffy Emilia Romagna version which Giorgio of 95 does better than anyone. It is truly amazing how many different versions of gnocchi you find in Italy, nearly every region has their own interpretation. The highlight of the evening was the tomato starter, served as a tris with one in liquid form which seamed like an interpretation of the “essence of tomato” dish which Raymond Blanc is famous for. It would be great to get some feedback as to whether other readers are also impressed with the amazing flavours of this dish.
come rain come shine bizerca remains one of the very few cape town restaurants that consistenly delivers and offers real variety on an ongoing basiss- the hands on involvement of Cyrilla & Laurent no doubt go a long way – I am always thinking of my next meal in their lovely place !!
Another brilliant experience at Bizerca last Friday night. After many lunches, this was our first dinner and I am now convinced it’s in the top three in Cape Town. The raw Norwegian salmon salad starter was fantastic — great balance of flavours. Being a sushi lover, I was tentative when it was recommended by a friend but it didn’t disappoint. Then, I had the first cassoulet of the season and it was the best I’ve had in SA. It came in the traditional earthenware dish topped with a duck leg which fell apart over the hot stew of pork, beans etc. Malbec was superb, and at R50 a glass good value.
A seriously good restaurant that satisfies on so many levels. Goes to show that location isn’t everything.
Can’t wait to return.
I ate at Bizerca last week and came away feeling underwhelmed, and annoyed with the service. I had oysters with tomatillo to start. I could discern no tomatillo on my plate, and the oysters were oysters. My main was a fillet with potatoes dauphinoise and spinach. It was cooked rare as requested, but the dish was ordinary — I’ve had better steaks at friends’ dinners. My friend started with a beetroot tart, which was lovely, followed by rabbit loin wrapped in parma ham, with rabbit belly and prune skewers, and gnocchi. While enjoyable, he found the loin dry.
We both finished up with a chocolate fondant and white chocolate creme brulee. Again, it was pleasant.
I know what Bizerca is about (it has bistro in its name, after all), so I was expecting unfussy food. But, given its reputation, I expected it to be perfectly prepared. I kept searching for the phrase used again and again to describe this cooking in reviews: “depth of flavour”. I’m sorry to report that I found little. We both found the food rather ordinary.
I would have come away fairly pleased, but a little let down, given my high expectations. But then there was the service. I’d made reservations some days before, knowing that the restaurant is usually very busy. I arrived on time, at eight, to a nearly empty space: two couples at tables, and a pair of women at the bar. That’s not a problem in itself, but I mention it because I think it affected the service and possibly the cooking. I also saw neither Laurent nor Cyrillia — perhaps they were both off that night, which I suspect also affected things.
It’s been written elsewhere that you don’t really have your “own” waiter at Bizerca — they all seem to help out. This was true, though there were only two waiters this evening (and with just three tables they certainly didn’t need more). The one that greeted and seated us was lovely. The other (whom I originally thought was the sommelier) was not. I was a little concerned when he was unable to answer a simple question about the preparation of one of the dishes, and had to call for help. I was incensed when the lights were turned on after our main course was removed at nine. Thankfully, the good waiter had them dimmed again and shouted a coy apology. Next we were told by the bad waiter that we probably couldn’t have dessert, as the kitchen was closing. We’d made reservations for eight, days in advance, and were now being booted out of the restaurant an hour later. The good waiter returned shortly thereafter, and explained that we were welcome to order anything from the dessert menu, which we gratefully did.
So, on this visit: ordinary food, deeply concerning service, and a rather disappointed patron. I hope this was because the restaurant was so quiet, and its proprietors were absent — even though that’s not justifiable, it means I might enjoy another night more. As an aside, I was lucky enough to eat at Aubergine last night. Again it was us and two other tables (I’ve often found it quiet), but we were made to feel like it didn’t matter at all. We received bright, attentive service from all the knowledgeable staff, and the chef spent a few minutes with us toward the end of the evening. Bizerca: you should be taking notes.
I’d echo some of Jack’s impressions, though without the strange service. We had a pleasant meal there, with a great dessert (Quince tart with quince on the side – yes, really). But the mains were plainish. Bad ordering? A poached veal tongue and a pan-fried salmon. Struck us as a nice spot, but not one to rush back to.