Tongues began wagging even before construction got underway at Bree Street Italian spot, Bocca. Sister restaurant Burrata took home the award for Best Italian restaurant in 2013, and it’s safe to say that Capetonians were pretty excited to see what sommelier-turned-restaurateur Neil Grant and business partner Barry Engelbrecht would produce next.

We watched in anticipation as builders constructed a clever wooden deck raised above street level, and amazement as that deck filled with chardonnay-swigging Bree Street locals approximately 20 seconds after it opened. (Who are these people and why don’t they have jobs?) Eat Out’s resident gingers, Katharine Jacobs and Linda Scarborough, donned their sunhats (and plenty of suncream) and set out for that very deck to find out why it’s drawing such crowds.

Food

A highly recommended starter (in the ‘fingers’ category of the menu) is the dish of delicate, battered zucchini fries, which comes with achingly tasty herb mayo. You could share this, but rather than test the limits of your friendship, just get your own.

The ‘spoons’, ‘small plates’ and ‘large plates’ can be rustic and robust, too: try the crispy pork ribs with chilli and basil, or the meatballs in a fragrant, tangy tomato sauce. The adventurous could order inventive pizzas like the Lady Zaza, topped with kimchi, ginger and pork sausage, but this is some of the best pizza in Cape Town and it’s almost a shame to obscure the flavour of the beautiful crusts that are baked to perfection in a matter of seconds. A simple margherita or the option with prosciutto, mozzarella and rocket gets our vote.

Bocca. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

The dessert menu is somewhat brief – and our saffron panna cotta with seed crumble is not quite as delicious as everything else (saffron has a slight hay-like taste that doesn’t work for everyone) – but we’ll be back to try the macaroons, biscotti and dark chocolate and amaretto truffles.

Drinks

The wine list is expertly constructed – as you might expect from someone with Neil’s background – and well-structured for those of us lacking that kind of training into categories for ‘zesty’, ‘aromatic’ and ‘rich’ whites, and ‘subtle’, ‘medium’ and ‘full’ reds. Options are predominantly local (we fall in love with the Vondeling Babiana), with a couple of Portuguese, Spanish and Italian options (including one prosecco).

Ambience

The emphasis at this vibey city-bowl location is on sharing, and the set-up works well to encourage this attitude. A few stacked side plates await your arrival on each bare table – unencumbered by fiddly centrepieces or fussy linen – inviting you to stretch across to get a slice of this or spoon of that from your neighbour. The pizzas are served on wooden boards with their own cutting wheels, which is a great little touch – cut your slice any way you like! Outside tables on the deck are perfect for watching Bree Street go by, but if that feels a little too frantic, you can climb the stairs to perch at the counter overlooking the downstairs section, slide into a cosy booth or just grab a table. It can get noisy upstairs, but this is a place for sociable get-togethers after all, so order another glass of wine and turn your volume up a notch.

Bocca. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Service

Service is informal, but well-paced. Neil himself is often present, a fact which helps to ensure a good quality of service and a general feeling of being looked-after.

And…

There’s also a lunch menu with a range of paninos and salads from R48 to R67.

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