forti grill & bar

this will be one of my top ten restaurants in pretoria!! elegant & classy with stunning decor & artwork. there is a warmth to the place & you feel right at home. the service is excellent with forti & quinton taking special care of the all the patrons.

we were quite a large group & i got to sample a few of the items on the menu. the pork belly is great & tasty, however the crackling was not "crispy" as described on the menu & was chewy instead. it was also missing the pickled ginger. the "fettuccini con salsiccia" & the "fettuccini al amatriciana" are good pasta options, but both were lacking a bit of chilli & maybe a bit of flavour too (the tomato flavour was a bit over-powering). pasta was perfectly cooked al dente though. the lamb chop special was divine but the fillet was slightly dry & lacking something. for dessert we had the profiteroles with a delicious custard cream inside & sorbet on the side - i would recommend this dish!!

a greatexperienceoverall & i can't wait to go back & try something else!!

from the start, the bread basket and welcome drink were a nice surprise. i had the arabiat penne. the chillies added a refreshing crispness to the dish. and the tomato flavor was just right. i really enjoyed the all roundexperienceand the service was lightning fast. only reason i am rating 4 and not 5 is the rather high and unnecessary price.

i booked a table well in advance for my husbands birthday - he loved ritrovo and i thought fortis new restaurant would be a treat. upon arrival a sign stated that the restaurant has been fully booked for a private fiction and we were only informed then that we would be sitting outside. we were seated at a small bar table with hard chairs. had it been a pub lunch this would have been ok but this is definitely not suited for an evening of fine dining during a cold winters night - especially if you are celebrating a birthday. had we been informed in advance about the circumstances we would be dining in, we could have made an informed decision if we would like to do so. (please do not create an expectation which you are unable to deliver, rather inform customers in advance). it was an extremely disappointingexperienceand we will not be visiting the restaurant again.

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 overallexperienceand food quality.

awesome place, operaexperienceevery friday and saturday is an amazing touch. the chef adds a personal touch, a really specialexperiencein the middle of menlyn.
well done.

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 anexperienceit 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 myexperienceof 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?

for more, find me on instagram, facebook & twitter: laurasworldza

the decor is nice.
but the food is totally overpriced and not as unique as you would expect. most of the authentic italianexperienceis lost with forti compared to ritrovo. it's an impersonalexperiencewith average food.

20.06.2017 how does one describe the evening we had at the newly launched "forti", besides using the haagen-dazs tag line "make life extraordinary" because that is the night we had. extraordinary.

firstly i must say that theexperiencewe had was a one night only event, so sadly, everyone will not be able toexperiencethe cuisine and cocktails that was made on the evening. it was a unique collaboration with haagen dazs and fortunato mazzone, who was affectionately known at his previous restaurant ritrovo.

prior to the food, we were fortunate enough to be taken on a tour of the premises to see the extreme thought, effort and care that went into each and every detail that has been placed in this modern setup. from the chandelier, to the crockery and cutlery, including the bottled water being consumed, not forgetting the colourful and exquisite paintings that adorn all the walls and last but not least the “bathrooms”

fortunato also prides himself on the humidor that is placed as you enter (for those cigar connoisseurs), as well as the impressive butchers block that weighs practically a ton, all adding character to the contemporary space. while in the kitchen we were served an aperol slush by chef eddie (double shot aperol, sparkling wine, and raspberry sorbet) wow did that kick start our evening, followed by a “mango twist” on a margerita (mango sorbet, grand marnier and jose cuervo tequila) as we made our way back to our seats

shortly after being seated, the next haagen dasz cocktail arrived, a twist on a raspberry daquiri (raspberry sorbet, skyy vodka, lime and fresh strawberries) incredibly decadent.

bringing back childhood memories from the good ‘ol days, along with our starter we then got presented the “naughty coke float” (coke with a shot of brandy, topped with haagen dasz macadamia) it was something fun.

the starter:

deconstructed prawn cocktail in a parody of 1970’s sa restaurant menus – prawn tails poached in asian cooking liquid with coconut cream and lemongrass, avocado mashed with hd vanilla ice cream to make a beautiful creamy avocado and thousand island ice cream, combined with mayo and heinz ketchup served in quenelles alongside the prawns.

before tucking into the prawn cocktail, we were treated to a performance by the very talented opera ladies - loveline and bongi, and ending off with the man himself showing us his other skills and love - singing opera. you couldn’t get more festive than that. the starter was delicious, and although our ice cream has melted slightly, it didn’t take away from the uniqueness and taste from every bite.

the next cocktail to grace our lips was a salted caramel and grand marnier smoothie. our fellow foodies were convinced that salted caramel, should be a food group on its own, so the jury is still out on that one.

the mains:

crispy pork belly served with curried cabbage, sweet potato mash, whole roasted baby onions in sweet and sour sauce, pickled ginger and a scoop of cookies and cream served with a don pedro deluxe – (glenfiddich single malt, vanilla ice cream). personally i wished the pork belly crackling was more “crackled” for lack of a better word. i wanted it more crunchy on the palette. the curried cabbage was definitely something else, it had a strange but delicious taste.

the dessert

lemon and ginger tart served with raspberry sorbet served with a death by chocolate cocktail – (belgium chocolate ice cream, galliano with vodka topped with nougat pieces) deathly it was.

ending off the evening, our final cocktail was a macadamia martini, (bulldog gin, macadamia nut brittle ice cream and kahlua) by this time, we were all sugared up and ready to head home and hit the pillows.

a major thank you goes out to forti, andronicki, chef eddie, monica and the rest of the team for a truly unforgettable evening with great food, awesome drinks and fantastic company.

#makelifeextraordinary #hdxforti

this was a once-off exclusive diningexperience- with off-menu items, but i thought i would share it anyway because it reflects the creativity and character of this restaurant so well!  i have had a 'normal' restaurant meal there as well - and it was a fantastic experience, the service and attention to detail is fabulous - and the pasta dishes, the best around! so what do you get when you combine one of our most well-known and well-loved chefs with an internationally acclaimed ice cream brand? you get #hdxforti!. yes, that was the hashtag of this exciting once-off collaboration event last week at forti’s grill and bar at the brand new time square casino complex in menlyn, pretoria. with some of my favourite foodie friends as company we were looking forward to be wowed by this exclusive opportunity – and boy, we sure were!

went with my wife and her colleagues to celebrate a work achievement. we were served with welcoming drinks. i had soup with penne noodles for staters. my main was fillet and roast veggies. food and service was really good. and i finished the night if with cappuccino with cream. to add to an already goodexperiencewe were entertained by two ladies that were opera singers. forti also later joined in. really memorable.

a great venue and a greatexperienceas always i have to say im glad i came.

amazing buffalo mozzarella starter well balanced and a light way so ease into the evening.

had the rump made perfectly with roasted vegetables and potatoes.

and the best for last the lemon and ginger tart.

thank you forti and the team.

will be back for more.