Restaurant: Casa Toscana, Pretoria

 

I was in Pretoria earlier this week for a super quick in and out for business meetings. With the uncertainty of loadshedding, my Mom and I headed out for supper. Neither of us was really in the mood for a mall or anywhere where it would be too busy. Our first stop was the Botanical Gardens, unfortunately they were closed.  Not wanting to go to a mall and wanting to sit outside our choices were really quite slim to zero. We decided to drive in the direction of the mall in Lynnwood and see if there wasn’t perhaps somewhere that looked welcoming and within the spec of sitting outside somewhere where it was quiet. We drove past Casa Toscana, which we initially thought was a B&B, but then stopped to find out whether they had a restaurant.  The good news was that they did! The bad news, they were fully booked. Disappointed we headed back to the car wondering where to next. Then one of the friendliest faces at the establishment chased behind us and asked whether it would be at all OK, if we sat outside? Jackpot! They had a show on, so were not able to seat us inside, but could make a plan outside under the gazebo. I must admit that I have never experienced such attentiveness and caring at a restaurant. Making guests feel special, especially when it comes to my Mom is incredibly important and counts a lot. They really went out of their way to make sure that we were well looked after. Anri was the ‘angel’ that took us under her wing and when she knocked off, we were looked after by Karabo.

It was one of those beautiful Pretoria evenings, what a pleasure to sit outside to enjoy it.

FOOD: My Mom loves fish & chips. They prepared fish and chips for us with a delicious portion of calamari wrapped in Salmon. The fish was grilled to perfection with a very tasty white sauce. It was perfectly prepared, very delicious  and a very large portion.

DRINKS: We both had a glass of red wine, quite tasty – not sure what cultivar it was.

SERVICE: INCREDIBLE! 10/10 Five stars!

VALUE FOR MONEY: It is pricey, but for the level of service that we received it  was totally worth it.

PARKING: There is parking inside.

RECOMMENDABLE: Most definitely. They have a variety of shows on each week, but this isn’t really a draw card for us – the food and service is what will get us back there.

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20 March 2015 - Our second visit was sadly not as magical as the first visit. My Mom told them that it was my birthday and they called the chef, which was lovely. I wanted to go with the lamb chops but decided to go with the chef's recommended of lamb shanks that we just HAD to try. We waited a VERY long time for our food and when I got mine it was ice cold.

The chef was very embarrassed and blamed a new guy in the kitchen, which was quite disappointing that he didn't cook our food. Anyway he tried making up for it by giving us a dessert on the house, deep fried ice cream covered with phyllo pastry and coconut. Quite tasty but just too much and we also waited very long for it.  

We will possibly go back once more, but reluctantly. Every place deserves a second chance.