BiCE Ristorante (now Luce Restaurant) in Hyde Park, which is a member of the global American-Italian chain, serves an intriguing array of Italian and Japanese dishes. The eatery is named for Beatrice (Bice for short), a famed New York Italian restaurateur and the mama of the two founding brothers of the chain. The Italian-born chef, Nicolai Paretti, who has been at this establishment for two years, adds his touch of flair to the BiCE food formula.  

The food  

If the idea of Italian and Japanese foods together on one menu has your upper lip curl a little, consider them as two different menus, both excellent. The nationalities don’t criss-cross the menu; they have different sections, so take your pick.  

Let’s consider the Italian fare first. Forget you ever ate spag bog or pizza – or just don’t admit it. This is modern Italian food par excellence. Everything except for two pastas is created on the premises, even the condiments. Wait until you try the basil pesto that arrives with your food, along with a fresh red tomato version and a garlic-olive-oil paste – it’ll change your perception of pesto forever. The use of South African Morgenster olive oil in the restaurant is a respectful touch.

A simple dish like freshly seared tuna on a salad of cannellini with red onion and rocket features ten-out-of-ten tuna and perfectly toothsome beans. It’s balanced and faithful to the principle, even if, in our instance, the rocket was mizuna and the rings from a white onion.

It’s no mere spaghetti that comes next, with its glorious rich ragu of veal and beef. Instead, it’s chitarra pasta, cut by metal strings more roughly than round spaghetti, providing a nicely adherent surface for the thick ragu. Exemplary.

We order a heavenly monkfish and thank goodness it’s on the green SASSI list. The round steaks are plated on a lightly herby white wine jus with butternut quenelles. I want that monkfish again.

While I waver between ordering a fresh, lemony sorbet, prosecco sgroppino or coffee, my companion plunges straight into the full, chocolaty depths of a triple chocolate plate. The chocolate is all gooeyness and dense, not an original idea, but evidently very satisfying. A grown man with dark, sticky smears across his face is a rewarding sight while you sip good coffee.

On the Japanese food side, one can’t do better than their incredibly fresh ingredients, superb cutting techniques and the bold, bare presentation. It’s delicious. This particular menu is easy to negotiate, whether you be a pro or a taster. There are starters like miso, edamame beans and deep-fried chicken or aubergine, tofu and crab cakes, and then you can order individual items on the sushi or sashimi side of things. A great solution is to have one of the combos. These are the whole deal, starting with a miso or tempura, followed by roses, maki, rolls, sashimi and so on. It’s a good way of experimenting. I was happy to see that, as a side dish, you can order eel on rice. Among the noodle dishes is another unusual and delicious goodie, yaki odon, a dry noodle dish with fish shavings.

The wine

If you think the menu is multi-national, the wine list is even more so, with offerings from Italy, France and South Africa. We have fun, ordering three different estate’s wines from two different countries, sharing and comparing across the courses. BiCE sets a superior example by providing each wine’s alcohol content by volume on the wine list.

The service

The service at BiCE is a big selling point. The staff are helpful, fun and efficient without being fussy. We lose our hearts to waiter Siboniswe, and the maître d’, Diego Montresor from Verona, is one hugely interesting asset.

The ambience

The set of customers at the Tsogo Sun Hyde Park is likely to include many international and eastern guests as well as the local sushi set. At BiCe (now Luce) it’s all about the view by day or by night, through the massive windows looking northeast. With light floors and white and cream touches, it feels classic and contemporary. The slippery nylon napkins weren’t great though.