forti grill & bar

it’s a beautiful restaurant and the setting is lovely.
service is attentive.

my husband enjoyed the steak. i didn’t enjoy the signature risotto. the mint was overwhelming and it was served raw and crunchy. i was informed that they serve it al dente like the italians but this was just undercooked and disappointing.

we loved ritrovo and wanted to give forti a go for a celebration dinner with my parents. the food is really expensive for what you get. but since we’re celebrating we tried to ignore the price tag.
the food was mostly delicious (but not everything is well presented) except that my husband’s fillet steak was quite tough and chewy. ordered and arrived medium but it was so tough he could hardly swallow a bite! we all tasted and agreed.
when the waiter asked about our food we mentioned about the steak, which he took to the kitchen.
one of the chefs came back and said that they all tasted it in the kitchen and don’t know what we’re complaining about!!?? he made quite a scene. when we all had a bite and it was definitely not soft as expected from a medium fillet.
so our entire evening was spoilt because they couldn’t just admit a mistake and make another fillet without all the fuss and drama and defenses.

unfortunately, we will not return due to the way the situation was handled and spoilt our entire celebratory evening.
the vibe gets noisy later at night and it doesn’t have the personal feel that ritrovo had.

what a lovely evening. the staff is friendly and helpful. the setting is perfect. the gnocchi is highly recommended, it is so light and fluffy. the wine selection has a great variety.

rooftop venue at the lovely times square, can’t complain about this place, had drinks only. must say the menu is impressive and so is their wine selection.

we had dinner here the night before valentines to avoid the crowds and it was a pleasant evening.

service: our waiter, although friendly and attentive, was not at all knowledgeable about the menu which dampened the mood slightly.

atmosphere: the view, particularly around sunset, is spectacular. the ambience is youthful and the tables are well spaced which makes it incredibly comfortable.

food: mediocre at best. the tuna carpaccio lacked care and the amount of parmesan was just too much. the pasta sauces lacked seasoning however the pasta itself was beautiful and authentic. the chocolate brownies for dessert really need a great deal of work as they were extremely dense and uninteresting. the caesar salad was lovely.

prices: it seemed overpriced considering the overall experience and food quality.

awesome place, opera experience every friday and saturday is an amazing touch. the chef adds a personal touch, a really special experience in the middle of menlyn.
well done.

forti grill &bar is in the new menlyn square casino and has great ambiance. the dec outside has a great view. the staff is friendly and very attentive. food is big portions and very flavorful and tasty.

what a lovely first experience. the waiters was fast, friendly, helpful and attended to the table a lot. it’s wonderful to have the chef come out and explain some of the dishes and specials. the drinks and food came out fast and it was as delicious as it looked. loved the setting and ambiance. the food and drink prices are reasonable. i would love to go back.
my husband had the pork belly
i had the shiitake mushroom risotto,
cappuccino and almond panna cotta

we came on a quiet monday evening and found a little gem in pretoria. what an amazing setting, friendly service, and great food. the atmosphere is awesome. highly recommended.

the food is amazing and definitely “forti” standard! the service by wilson was amazing and very attentive and extremely professional. well done wilson! although the ambiance is not the same as ritrovo, the scene is very different and forti does an excellent job to preserve the specialness of italian hospitality. all in all, i am very impressed and will be back for more.

has to be 5 star, great entertainment with the head chef singing opera. love the vibe and the food is great. we sat in a private section for a 50th birthday and had the whole section for ourselves (even got to play our own music on the tv) . just mentioning the service of forti which is great.

there is only one word that can aptly sum up my first visit to forti grill & bar.. flawless. from start to finish, flawless.

i first met chef fortunato mazzone at ritrovo ristorante in waterkloof heights, (with his father, giovanni) quite some time ago, and have long been a fan of pretoria's top restaurateur and chef, so when i heard last year that he would be opening a restaurant at sun international's new casino, times square, i followed the progress with intense interest. 

needless to say, i finally made it there this past week and what an experience it was! 

ambiance: 
i will start this review with the fact that i am not a huge fan of restaurants in both casinos and malls due to the fact that i think it is much harder to create an ambiance and it usually puts the restauranteur at a disadvantage. however, the same cannot be applied to forti grill & bar. fortunato has worked hand in hand with the developers from conception in order to create a bespoke ambiance with the additions of colour from high end works of art, plush luxurious seating areas and simply world class interiors. i sat in this restaurant thinking that i could be anywhere in europe as opposed to a casino in menlyn and as such, with his exceptional eye for detail, the interiors and ambiance get a 5/5 from me. 

food: 5/5. 
i arrived wanting a traditional lengthy italian lunch filled with lots of courses, intense flavours and creative plating and that is exactly what i got! 

to start, the fresh oysters served on a bed of crushed ice.
then, onto the wine. i got to try out a very special award-winning nick & fortis 2013 shiraz. after one glass, it was hard not to ask for the bottle. 
homemade tagliolini al granchio: crab segments, tomato, garlic and white wine. 
mouthwatering beef ravioli with forti’s four meat ragu sauce. 
confit of duck leg and thigh served on a bed of creamy risotto, stir fried vegetables with a sticky black and sour cherry sauce.
and, as i had absolutely no space left, dessert had to be the sorbet. a wonderful way to clear the palate after so many indulgences. 

it's safe to say that this man's sheer passion for food has really shone through in my experience of all these dishes and i found it hard to pick just one that i liked most so i will let my extensive pictures attached do the talking. 

service: 5/5.
the knowledgable and chatty staff who work for fortunato, work seamlessly and professionally as a team, which is wonderful to see in action. everyone seems to be on their toes and buzzing around, yet able to stop by if you've made eye contact at any point, just to check. another thing that i like is that many of his staff that i chatted to briefly throughout my lunch have worked for fortunato for many years, and as such, seem more like family than staff, which to me is always a good sign. 

in summary, i've reached over 880 reviews on zomato and afforded very few 5/5 all star ratings, so i will let the numbers and photos speak for themselves. 

*recommendation: if you haven't made it to this gem, what are you waiting for?

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good fast service, very chilled vibe and great view.only good till altitude, which is right next door, starts getting loud. so the earlier you leave the better. lol, unless you join the party

nice location with (just) above average food and service. buffalo mozzarella would be a 6/10, sirloins 6/10, fillets 7/10, seafood pasta 8/10, sorbet and deserts 6/10, service a 6/10. don pedro and cappuccino- stay away. pricing generally on the premium side. will visit again, but not soon and not often. service and waiter training can definitely be improved although the folks were pleasant enough. you just expect a little more for the price you pay.

gorgeous wine selection.
food menu is extensive, but very pricey!
the menu displayed on zomato is not what you receive there. i found the menu very difficult to read and it looked unprofessional for the cost of the meal.
ordered salmon medium and it arrived well done, which was disappointing.
portion size was good, and the rest of the meal was tasty.
service was good.