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Furnishings & DecorTaste fanciful Venetian flair at Montecasino
With a captivating leisure and entertainment complex as a backdrop, Southern Sun’s new Montecasino hotel forms the perfect platform for Punchinello’s, its theatrical Venetian inspired restaurant.
The elegant four-star, 194 bedroom hotel, modeled on the Palazzo Corsini, built at the end of the 15th century on the slope between Gianicolo and the Tiber in Italy, embodies an inimitable synthesis of old world charm and contemporary flair – a melded dichotomy that extends into its specialty restaurant - Punchinello’s- in terms of cuisine and décor.
With magical hands, Punchinello’s Executive Chef, Gerard Vingerling, and his team, including Sous Chef Xolani Mfeka, and Pastry Chef Patrick Ngobese, create a food experience enthused by the spirit of Venice.
“Informed by Italian, Mediterranean and Arabic tastes that have influenced Venetian cuisine, Punchinello’s showcases Southern Sun’s culinary talents, while embodying the prominent theme of the interconnection between food and dreams,” says Southern Sun’s Brand Development Chef, David van Staden.
“Punchinello’s unique open showcase kitchen represents this relationship and encapsulates our objective of creating a bond with our customers. Food connects people. It tells a story. It is a vehicle for expression and creativity. And our new restaurant constitutes a platform to nurture this process.”
Just as the Montecasino Hotel incorporates elements distinctly Venetian, so too does Punchinello’s menu and setting. Using the flavours of the Mediterranean, Punchinello’s offers patrons a selection of modern and classic dishes capturing the aromas and tastes of Venetian fare. “Venice was a melting pot of exotic, rich flavours, and spices including pepper, ginger, saffron, cloves and nutmeg,” explains Vingerling. “The Venetians were also famous for refining sugar brought from India, for colouring polenta with saffron and rice with the ink of cuttlefish. Seafood was always central to the table,” he says. “We are continuing this legacy of flavourful, colourful food using the freshest ingredients and artful presentation.”
Patrons can entice their tastebuds with selections from a Mediterranean table comprising meze, anti pasta, tapas and fresh baked flatbreads; hot meze, paste e risotti including a giant ravioli of taleggio and aubergine with prawns, or wild mushroom risotto; various dishes from the chef’s wood fired oven and open grill (such as chicken tagine or veal ossobuco, oven baked duck with shallots, mushrooms, green beans and pancetta in red wine, or classic mediterranean grilled prawns); and not forgetting an array of delectable desserts: gelato – true Italian style – berries and zabaglioni, or grand marnier torte, to name a few.
“To complement these dishes, Southern Sun’s Group Certified Sommelier, Miguel Chan, has compiled a bouquet of beautiful South African wine pairings, by the glass,” says Vingerling.
Punchinello’s furnishings echo the transcendence inherent in Venice’s tapestry of reflective waterways and connecting bridges, mysterious canals and opulent palaces – all of which created a sense of romance and secrecy. The restaurant, which seats 120 guests, is housed in a classic interior with a modern twist – mirroring the overarching theme of the Southern Sun Montecasino Hotel. “There is fusion with the contemporary – captured in light features, splashes of colour, and clean lined vaulted ceilings,” says Ryan Illgner of Blacksmith Africa Interior Design Consultants. Elegantly handcrafted furniture pieces capture the Venetian style while mosaics and reclaimed oak wooden floors depict the Arabic influence. With its lush aubergine and grey hues, vintage style upholstered benches and green glass featured panels, the décor blends the old with the new.
As symbolised in fine charcoal etchings displayed throughout the restaurant, Punchinello’s is about the theatre of food. Central to this is the state-of-the-art show kitchen where patrons can interact with the experience of cooking.
The restaurant’s live kitchen TV channel (launching on 15 May 2010, and shown on the in-room TV channel and the mind and mood system throughout Montecasino), will broadcast Punchinello’s chefs’ cullinary skills as they prepare recipes from the menu.
The Southern Sun Montecasino hotel’s restaurant expresses a fine affinity with characteristic Venetian gastronomy. So for those craving something sublime, indisputably Mediteranean and somewhat theatrical, Punchinello’s is sure to satisfy.
Ends
Issued on behalf of Southern Sun
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