Pomodoro, Wilderness

 29 April 2025

 

POMODORO

197 George Road, Wilderness

 

I don’t know whether Pomodoro is the Grand Old Lady of Wilderness restaurants but it’s been here for a very long time and has maintained its stellar  reputation through all the usual trials and turbulations and vicissitudes of life in the hospitality industry. If you want a good, unfussy, unpretentious Italian meal in this part of the world, Pomodoro should be your go-to.

We brought the in-laws here for supper, as part of a Wilderness getaway to celebrate the mother-in-law’s 75^th birthday and as a prequel to the proper, slap-up dinner at Serendipity.  

 

I checked: it was the first time since 25 September 2019 that Von-Mari and I ate here.

 

It was a cold night and turned stormy, coincidentally, just as we left the restaurant, with heavy, lazy raindrops that soon turned into a deluge, and even if there were plenty available tables outside, we ventured indoors for the cosy warmth of the old-fashioned trattoria atmosphere. It was busier inside and the only suitable table for us was a round table in the centre of the space. King Arthur’s knights would’ve been as lost around the vast circumference  as we were but by a stroke of good fortune a nearby smaller table, with banquette seating soon opened up and we took immediate occupation. Now the conversation could flow.

 

The other three shared a bottle of excellent Guardian Peak Shiraz and I made do with two 330 ml glasses of Windhoek Lager on tap; I should’ve had a single 500 ml glass.

We started with an aromatic, cheesy focaccia (R85) and it was sublime with a crisp crust so thin it could’ve been phyllo pastry.

 

Father-in-law had a fish cake (R70) ss starter and though it seemed well-cooked and with crisp crumbs, he wasn’t quite hooked on it. Allegedly, it tasted too much of fish.

 

Von-Mari had a Pomodoro salad (R105) and the saltimbocca alla Romana, served with vegetables and potato wedges, (R220) because she was in a veal state of mind. Her mother had a Parma ham pizza (R170),

father-in-law’s main was spinach ravioli (R195) (he’d asked the owner whether they could do cannelloni but they couldn’t)

and I chose the gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce (R180) because it had impressed me so indelibly 6 years ago.

 

The veal was perfectly cooked, succulent and flavourful; the potato wedges were crisps and creamy; and the al dente vegetables were perfectly cooked though Von-Mari exported the carrots to my plate, not being a fan.  The salad was fresh and delightful.

 

The pizza also had a superbly thin, crisp crust and the toppings were delicious. The ravioli were excellent with perfect pasta and a good amount of filling. The gnocchi were as  smooth, light and fluffy as I recalled them from last time around and the cheese sauce was deeply flavourful.

 

Mother-in-law finished with a single shot Frangelico Dom Pedro (R65), her husband chose a single scoop of rum and raisin gelato, Von-Mari chose a scoop burnt almond gelato and my selection was a scoop of pistachio gelato. The gelato was R35 a scoop.

 

The gelato was father-in-law’s second disappointment of the evening. The essence of raisin was present in the  ice cream but no rum was harmed in the making of the gelato  

 

On the other hand, the almond and pistachio ice creams were palate pleasing and brought back memories of Italy in the summer time when we’d consumed gelato as if it were oxygen.

 

The bill, also including a bottle of sparkling water, came to R1510,00 before tip.

 

The few issues aside, the dining experience at Pomodoro is still highly satisfactory. The service was cheerful and friendly, the atmosphere was inviting, cosy and homey, prices are reasonable and we ate well. A must visit when you are in the Wilderness area.