The Mother City will soon welcome a new addition to its existing stellar offering of restaurants. Scala, an Italian pasta bar, will open its doors in the CBD on 15 September 2022.

Located on Church Street, the restaurant has taken inspiration from contemporary pasta eateries in Europe and is themed around serving small sharing plates, with all the pasta freshly made on site.

With pasta at the helm of its offering, the team behind Scala has welcomed Italian Michelin-starred chef Luciano Monosilio to work alongside executive chef Justin Barker to develop the menu.

 

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One of the youngest Italian chefs to be awarded a Michelin star at the age of 27, Luciano is known internationally as the “king of carbonara” with his rendition of the dish resulting in diners flocking to savour the flavours of this much-loved pasta dish. Capetonians can look forward to trying the iconic dish at Scala.

Executive chef Justin Barker will oversee kitchen operations and the in-house pasta laboratory where the team creates three different types of pasta: one prepared with double-zero flour and water, another with semolina flour, and the third made using just egg and flour.

Each of these pasta offerings has a unique flavour and texture when paired with a sauce.

At Scala’s pop-up launch, Luciano Monosilio said, “My mission is to teach people about all the Italian flavours. It’s not only about tomato and cheese. We have different flavours and different textures of pasta.”

Keeping true to its Italian focus, the pasta is perfectly cooked al dente, which has just a bit more “bite” to it than many South African diners might be used to.

The menu will include dishes such as truffle pasta “lollipops”, carbonara, pappardelle with chicken ragu, mascarpone-and-lemon-filled ravioli with seared octopus, Luciano’s signature tiramisu, and more.

From 4pm to 5:30 pm daily, Scala will provide smaller nibbles in an ode to Italy’s “cicchetti”, or small snacks often served with drinks.

These dishes will be offered at the bar and in the outdoor deck area.