After a good few visits and comments on this Italian, another lunch this week was as consistent as the last few and reminded me of the vital importance of owner involvement. Even better news is that Jimmy Fiore will now open Mezzaluna for dinner (see below for times), a decision not made only for the business of it, but after considering its impact on the very dedicated team, who are always on hand.
Tried the sea urchin spaghetti after the comments on this site and was amazed: freshness of the sea that simply blows the average seafood pasta away – or makes it evident how they’re using frozen seafoods. It’s a simple pasta in the finest tradition, but oozes character and “sea”. The urchin is melted into the barely-cooked pasta and cooks through the pastas’ heat; just a little of it adds immense depth of flavour, then a touch of garlic and parsley to complete. We have riches of sea urchin here that, were we in Italy, would be voraciously consumed. (Much like the secret feasts Italians make of our Cape porcini, and have been for decades). The recommendation was that a touch of olive oil is added to the sea urchin pasta, and my only criticism of lunch would be that I decided not to, as the quality of the oil was not good enough for the pasta! A main of lamb’s kidney was served on “crust” of risotto rice, crunchy to offset the onion richness of the kidney. A ricotta tart slice, studded with chocolate, was a rich but delicious finish, with well-extracted coffee.
Highly recommended. 16 Loop Street. 021 421 6391. Mezzaluna will now be open for dinner from tomorrow, Saturday October 17th (7 p.m. to 11 p.m). Breakfast and lunch service continues from Monday to Friday while we will be open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday.
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12 Comments
What great news regarding dinner opening. Thanks!
I have also had the sea urchin pasta but can also understand that not everyone will like it. I loved the intensity and sea taste. “particolare” and special indeed. Be warned though regarding local urchins. I have used urchins (Arniston, Plett, Hermanus) that I collected from rock pools to make lovely pasta. Hard work though. The local urchins have very little “meat” inside (unlike the European ones). You would have to use at least 30 urchins for a pasta sauce to feed 2 people. Not worth the mess and remember they are the favourite food for crayfish! And they get to leave thorns without you knowing it. Mezzaluna is a better option with grappa and espresso afterwards
Good considerations. Also wonder what the limit on urchin collection might be?
The bag limit on sea urchins used to be 20/person/day, and I think it is still the same. Therefore, considering Casper’s figures, diners can enjoy them with a clean (green) conscience. The cape urchin is abundant, as anybody who ever strapped a mask on and peered beneath the sea surface, or even just explored a rock pool, can vouch for.
Is their anyone selling sea urchins commercially ?
Selling of sea urchins commercially. As far as I am aware the answer is no. However I suggest we do not create a market for this. Nb to know that the main food source for crayfish is sea urchins but even more importantly perlemoen is totally dependant on sea urchins. See following from research. When perlemoen reach a stage where they are ready to settle on the near-shore seabed, they must be in the right environment, otherwise they die. Ideally, they find a sea-urchin under which to settle. Not only do sea urchins protect the tiny abalone from predation by fish, urchins also feed on kelp so there’s a supply of detritus for the developing abalone . I suggest we stay out of this delicate balance.
Giovanni’s in Green Point is selling ready extracted and packed sea urchin roe. Hefty price but I suppose a little should go a long way.
I had it (sea urchin spaghetti) today and agree it is fabulous, it does really taste of the sea! and the pasta was wonderfully al dente. The dish looked as if there was nothing much there but boy was it tasty and filling!
I had lunch at Mezzaluna yesterday and was so looking forward to it after the reviews and comments. Service was great and I really agree with JP regarding owner involvement- he was great and took time to explain the menu and warned us of unusual flavours (incl the fishyness of the sea urchin). Fantastic. The bread was lovely and fresh, the food however was a little bit of a letdown. We were having a light lunch so all 3 of us opted for the lunch-size (nice and manageable) pasta’s. I had the italian sausage tagleatelle, which I thought a little too creamy and overly seasoned (and I like salt)- i felt it needed a little herb. The wife had the sea urchin and I can see why you all are raving about the sea urchin flavour – rich and an essence of the sea, however this too was over seasoned… and I would add a touch more parsely and lemon to freshen it up a bit- it too was too rich which detracted from the sea-fresh urchins. I think the owner took JP’s advice of olive oil too literally and added olive oil, but I thought a bit too much. My brother-in-law had the porchini pasta and this was even more salty than the others. The mushrooms were actually a little devoid of flavour for a prochini- no idea why?. On a positive the pasta’s were perfectly al dente- magic. The espresso to follow was excellent. I will go back. I liked the simple but smart design, the owner-led service, the quality of the actual pasta…but might try different dishes to give the place a chance. Anyone else find their food a little over seasoned? Maybe I was just unlucky
Well I am glad you are happy to go back. My point re the oil was certainly not meant to have the dish flooded, that is unfortunate. It should be optional – but with good oil.
Hi James, I also had a dish that I considered slightly too salty, but if you tell the owner he will happily change it .
After all the comments on the site in favour of Mezzaluna, I decided to give a go for my birthday this year. Like some of the other commentators, I was sceptical that it could live up to the hype ( on this site at least), but it certainly did not disappoint. The restaurant is in a great space, not cramped like many restaurants. Staff very efficient and JF very friendly. I had the Sea Urchin Spaghetti (how could I not!). I don’t think I need to add anything to the existing comments except to say I can’t believe I’ve never had sea urchin before, and definitely no need to add anything to this dish. Rest of party had tortelinni (one with mushroom sauce, other tomato based) and spaghetti cabonara. Tortellini in particular very flavourful, and the pasta itself itself probably the best I’ve ever had. For desserts we had tiramisu, cheese cake with choclate and panna cotta, all wonderfully light and creamy (as I prefer dessert). Definitely one to return too. Probably quite a good option before going to the theatre, as one can be in and out quite quickly.