Another guest article by Niel:
La Perla has been around for ages, riding up and down on the fickle favour of the Cape restaurant crowd without disappearing from the radar. Apparently, it’s very “in” right now. Which is odd, because nothing has changed. Nothing much at all, in fact, over the last decade at least, one feels.
Yes, La Perla is an Italian restaurant, its feel dictated by a mix between retro décor and a good old fancy restaurant vibes.
Our waiter had these lines in his face and a knowing moustache that made it clear he has worked there for years and years. Which was nice. It’s lived in, you know? Not some “oh, we’re all about the industrial ceilings with pipes and air vents” with imported poppie waiters and Indian beer and Finnish cutlery and all that mumbo jumbo.
Clearly, it’s a food venue.
And about that food… it checked all the boxes for shizzy.
La Perla has a good reputation for fish. They serve three different dishes for every fish on the menu, with different sauces and preparation, so it takes some time to make a selection. I settled on a sole with creamy white-wine and prawn sauce.
The first thing you notice is that the menu wasn’t screwing you over. You will find no less than a full steaming plate of fish with plenty of vegetables to go around, as well as a not-petite side plate with your choice of chips, rice or more vegetables. Fantastic.
The sole was divine. Not because it taught me new things about fish or had my tongue doing some kind of flavour Olympics, but because it was just plain lekker. It was smooth, well prepared, aromatic and full-flavoured, the kind of food that makes you close your eyes.
The bar shook us up a decent cocktail, but for the most, we were drinking a very suitable Delheim 2003 Merlot.
As for price: don’t forget your wallet. We paid a not-too-ridiculous (for a high-end special night out) R350 for two people, including the wine and cocktail. It was a hundred percent worth it, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend La Perla to anyone who wants to splash out on a memorable dinner.
