Doppio Zero, Bel Air Mall

D1 and I had been planning to see The Script (Irish pop/rock band) live in concert for months now.  What we hadn’t planned on was the traffic heading towards The Dome at Northgate.  “Together We Cry” was the anthem sung by all motorists as they shuffled along in a train formation and snaked their way up to the venue.

Concert “grub” was not going to be the order of the evening so we, ingeniously, decided to make a turn towards Bel Air Mall and were happy to discover a Doppio Zero (a stable restaurant franchise in S.A.) at this centre.  The rather large outside area had been closed off due to wintry weather conditions and all patrons were seated indoors.  Our waiter, at times overwhelmed by the influx of customers, was smart enough to initiate the evening by considering whether we were one of the many concert-goers so he could ensure our food would be served in time.



First place winner

  

A basket of small bread slices was brought to the table with plenty of butter to smear on them.  Between the two of us, we had no problem in clearing this in record time.  D1 has a knack for selecting a good wine to accompany our meals and didn’t disappoint this time – a glass of Boland Cellar Five Climates Merlot (“aromas of succulent berries and hints of mint enhanced by soft oak flavours”).  We proceeded with our mains - I ordered Linguini Pesto Arabella, a simple pasta dish infused with pesto, artichokes, mozzarella and pine nuts – hold the artichokes! 

D1 went for good old faithful – a 250g rump accompanied with pepper sauce and sides of roast vegetables and spinach.  Both meals, which arrived at the table together, were well presented and fresh ingredients had been used. 

Winner: the full bodied wine with its blend of subtle flavours.

Loser: pasta dish could have done with more olive oil and a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan.  The rump was a little too cooked for the medium/rare request.



Herbivore and Carnivore options are available



Before we headed off into the cold snap of the frosty night, we ordered cappuccino’s to round off the dinner portion of our evening.  The coffees were hot and the beans used, of a high quality.  Delicious!

 

A great start to what turned out to be an eventful evening with a crowd of 18 300 strong.