The Italian words Piccolo Mondo translate loosely to small world, or so Google says and yet there was nothing small about the effort that went into our evening and it was definitely world class.

I’m not usually big on wine, by that I mean I’ll drink it but I don’t get too uptight about identifying flavours and all that jazz,  so this outing was a chance for me to actually give it a bash and see the thinking behind pairing dishes with certain wines.

So the idea here, as with all pairings, is that the food and wine will combine to bring out the best in one another as Food and Beverage Manager for Michaelangelo, Heinrich Oberholzer explains.

“What is important in food and wine pairing is what we call the ‘palate’,” Oberholzer says. “For me, it’s the flavour that lingers as an after taste. What we want to do is create a kind of flavour harmony so that the after taste contains elements of both the dish and the wine.”

The menu is pretty simple, by that I mean you can pick from five starters, five mains and three desserts. The hard part is trying to narrow it down from there because everything appeals.

My decision was as follows:

Starter

Chicken – Smoked Chicken, Textures of Corn, Marinated Mushroom, Parmesan Cream,
Vanilla and Macadamia Nut Dressing  (Laborie Sauvignon Blanc).

Main

Braised Lamb Shank – Red Wine Braised Deboned Lamb Shank, Red Wine and Mint Jelly,
Sous Vide Madagascar Peppercorn Pearl Onion, Roasted Baby Beetroot, Minted Pomme Purée  (Ondine Merlot)

Dessert

Spiced Chocolate Pudding, Pomegranate Ice Cream (Beyerskloof Pinotage)

For me, the combination that ended up being my favourite was the main course pairing of the lamb shank which worked brilliantly with the smoothness of the Ondine Merlot. All round the experience was fantastic and I would definitely recommend this for a sophisticated night out. Gents, a dinner jacket would not be out of place when dining here.

This food and wine pairing is offered at R395 per person for a two course meal and wine (R275 for food only) while you’re looking at R575 per person for the full three-course experience.

For more information on Piccolo Mondo, head to their website by clicking here.

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