A good end to a celebration

Spiga

Where: 465 Innes Road, Morningside, Durban

Open: Daily 11am to 9pm

Call: 067 138 1115

A 90th birthday always calls for a celebration, and Mother’s big day was certainly no exception. Somehow we contrived an epic event that folded into three parts - a lavish tea and cards at the bridge club on the day, a second tea at her retirement home on the weekend and a lunch for family and friends.

And so after feasting on milk tarts and mini bee-sting cakes at the bridge do, a small crowd of us took her to lunch at one of her favourite spots on the Berea - Spiga. I think it has as much to do with the good authentic puttanesca as it does with owner Sergio Santonicola’s charming “old-fashioned” (her words) Italian manners. She’s always made to feel especially welcome.

I’m joined by the Niece, and the Boyfriend and the Poet for a simple lunch to mark the day. Well, considering we had had an over the top tea a mere two hours ago, it turned into quite a foodie affair. I’m not sure how we found our second stomachs.

Starters here are a simple affair. There’s a selection of brushetta or focaccia, a few platters of antipasta, and some favourites like meatballs, or mussels, or prawns or carpaccio - which is enormous from past experience.

We tried the simple tomato and basil pesto bruschetta (R45) which while packing lovely strong  flavours of ripe fresh tomato, good olive oil and basil pesto, the toasts had unfortunately softened somewhat by the time they got to the table. Mom enjoyed her calamari starter in a good lemon butter sauce (R150). And the rest of us charred the antipasto del contadino which included a good olive tapenade, plenty of black and green olives, grilled brinjals, marinated mushrooms and buffalo mozzarella (R230). It came with a lovely crisp herbed focaccia, the brinjals and mozzarella working well on the flatbread. It also came with chunks of gorgonzola, which we all love. 

To make the platter more Italian, so to speak we also ordered a starter of grilled artichokes (R150) served with bruschetta toasts. Somehow I expected the dish to be hot and possibly gratinated with Parmesan and their butter sauce. Instead they had been grilled previously and were served cold. Pleasant, and we all love artichokes, but I was expecting something else.

We’d already had a feast - and then came mains. Spiga is known for it’s simple range of pizzas and pastas.

Mother had her usual linguine puttanesca (R140), that simple mix of garlic, capers, anchovies, olives and chilli, and enjoyed it immensely. The poet and I shared their canneloni alla gorgonzola (R195) filled with their Bolognaise sauce. We both gave it the thumbs up. While the Niece and the Boyfriend shared a bacon, feta and avo pizza (R150) with a gluten free base (+R45) as the Niece is intolerant. This was made from chickpea flour and butternut flour, and actually came out nice and thin and crisp. It was nothing like the disastrous cauliflower base they tried the last time we went Italian. You can also get Vegan cheese as well.

They were more than happy.

And then, as if we hadn’t eaten enough, we couldn’t resist when the waiter offered us a special of Zuppa Inglesi. It’s what the Italians call trifle. Although literally translated it means English soup. The waiter laughed when I translated it for him. It shows what Italians think of the humble English dessert. We would order one and all have a bite. This was unlike my trifle - it had no fruit - or a traditional South African style trifle - with no jelly. But it was delicious layers of boozy cake sandwiched between soft velvety custard and livened up with flaked almonds and chocolate chips. It too got the thumbs up. We finished part 1 of the proceedings with decent coffees.

Food: 3 ½

Service: 3 ½

Ambience: 3 ½

The Bill: Despite it being Mom’s birthday, we were treated.