Rabbit in the Moon, Illovo

Escape the hustle and bustle of city life by delving into a wonderful world resembling that of Alice in her magestical Wonderland.

Walking through the door of Rabbit in the Moon, you are transformed into a world of mismatched tables and chairs, scented candles, colourful cushions, framed artwork and wallpaper on both walls and ceilings.  The decor is unique – crocheted finishes, chandeliers dripping with pearls and seductive maroons and purples give it an unpretentious plush look.

The well-groomed waiters were attentive and delivered on our requests.  What I can only assume as being ever-changing, the menu is simply printed on A4 paper and lovingly bound together with pink ribbon.  The range is short, yet you would be hard pressed to find an item that wouldn’t catch your attention or have your mouth salivating.



Colours and textures collide



A bottle of Haut Cabriere helped us relax into the evening, and this was accompanied with our crunchy bruschette starters – cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella for D1, emmenthal, provolone and asiago with honey and basil for myself.  The latter being quite the winner with its zing of cheese and sweet richness of honey.



Pretty as a picture

For mains I requested butternut panzerotti.  This arrived in a delicate piece of artwork looking good enough to eat too.  The pasta was well cooked and the smattering of olive oil ensured it wasn’t dry which can very often be the case.

D1 ordered a medium-rare fillet with vegetables.  The fillet was placed on a wooden chopping board and the vegetables crammed into a blue and white China bowl on the side.



Curiouser and curiouser

All food is presented in a clean fashion – either small wooden “cutting boards” or in crockery that is as mismatched as the furniture but each with its own unique design and pattern.  The only sign of a rabbit I saw were our salt and pepper shakers on the table – another quirky element to this distinctive restaurant.



A madhatter’s tea party



For dessert, D1 ordered a home-baked chocolate éclair (which was subsequently cut in half and stuffed with cream to create a kind of cream puff sandwich).  I ordered a Tres Leches – an Argentinian three milk cake.  This was accompanied with two deliciously hot cappuccino’s and a side plate of biscuits. 



Sentence first – verdict afterwards

All in all a fantastic evening out with first-class company, fine service, new flavour infusions and an environment allowing creative juices to flow.  Prices are a tad bit on the high side but meals are well and efficiently prepared, service is excellent and the overall décor will keep you coming back for more. 

A unique venue indeed.