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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9 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.