forti grill & bar

oor geprys maar die porsies is darem nie klein nie. mens mis die geselligheid van n gewonde italianserestaurantwant die atmosfeer is tiepies van n casino restaurant.

heard good things about thisrestaurantbut it certainly did not live up to the reviews. service was pathetic. or more exactly non existent. meals messed up, wrong steaks delivered, had to call the manager a number of times. if we weren't honest people we could have even walked out without paying for the starters because the waiter was so incompetent. sorry, but never got our value for money.

therestauranthas a gorgeous setup with some lovely pieces of artwork, which are on sale, their attention to detail in their decor is impeccable. there's a pleasant little deli area, a wide variety of wines and a delicious selection of fresh seafood. they stock luderitz oysters, which in my option are some of the best that money can buy. their mussels were so fresh that it seemed like they were just pulled out of the ocean. we tried a few of their pasta dishes and each one delivered in terms of flavour. the chef is exceptionally attentive and made my visit even more special, i wanted a pasta dish with truffle however they didn't have such a dish on the menu, he then proceeded to make up a dish especially for me. i highly recommend thisrestaurantfor a special night out.

had a late lunch / early dinner at forti grill & bar on sunday afternoon. the outside area has a really nice view and atmosphere with most people having sun downers enjoying the sunset. inside therestaurantis beautifully decorated and looks really sophisticated. the food overall was good. the buffalo mozzarella starter was lovely - just a pity there was a lot of water on the plate. seafood pasta main was really nice (home made pasta is always a winner) although i did bite on a few bits of shell. prawns were slightly rubbery. had the pistachio creme brulee for dessert which was so creamy and delicious. although the food was nice, i'm not sure if it is worth such hefty price? service was flawless and we were well taken care of throughout the whole evening.

we went to forti tonight to celebrate my mom's birthday. menlyn maine is highly viewed so we went excited to try some gourmet food at a very expensive restaurant. (r3000 for 6 ppl main and dessert) i am sad to say that we left very dissapointed. most of us ate their speciality cut of meat and all ordered the cuts to be cooked medium- but it was either very under cooked or so over cooked and full of sinue! the vegetables were a little bit of stirfry veg that was watery and tasteless - pls keep the price tag in mind here. the mash looked like it was slapped onto the plate and my dads seafood pasta left his mouth discoloured and he emptied the parmasan bowl, mustve been for some taste. the chef then came out to say bon apetit to plates that looked more like spur than a top pretoria eatery and that after he got all the meat orders wrong and messed up an order - to top our frustration the waiter that got the order wrong was very absent minded and actually quite uninterested. we then ordered dessert (brownies and ice cream which they explained in a much more fancy manner) and what we got was cake with brownie sauce over it, my moms berry desert seemed to that same cake with jam spread on the inside. i wouldnt recommend thisrestaurantto anyone with a taste for the finer things in life, unless its about status for you then please just go for a sundowner and be done with it!

good, friendly service, lovely decor, delicious food and huge and extensive wine list. therestaurantis quite big, but we sat next to the glass fronted wine cellar, which made it more cozy. the highlight of the evening was being serenaded by fortunato himself. special moments

we decided to eat at forti the night before my birthday and it was honestly one of the best dining decisions we have made. this two year oldrestaurantwas created by a man of many talents, fortunato, who is no stranger to therestaurantbusiness. not only is he a brilliant chef & business man, but he's also a friendly guy who made us feel at home. therestaurantis a beautiful space overooking the newly developed pretoria. the space is clean and open with the most beautiful pieces on the walls. the lighting is grand, the seating is pure quality and the whole vibe is modern yet homey and warm.

we had the signature cocktail to start the night off & it hit all the right notes. for starters we shared the oysters, the freshest we've had. cyprian had the lamb kidney. a real unusual treat. and i had the garlic snails.
while we had our starters, we were treated to a live performance by two opera singers. during the last song, the owner, fortunato joined them in singing. (i did tell you he's a man of many talents)

for mains we shared (brilliant idea). we had the prawns and risotto. omg. the prawns were delicious, but the risotto was equally as good (if not even better). the wagyu steak done medium. it tasted succulent and tender. this was served with potato pieces. we closed mains off with the heartiest oxtail stew. it felt like real soul food. perfect for these winter evenings. a trio of three of the most popular dishes at forti.

for dessert we had another trio of sweet treats. the sweetest was the cream filled pastry treat. i had to order two extra just for the ride home.

overall, i had such a pleasent evening. the staff were friendly and the host, really with the most reminded me how important it is that you do something you love over something you have to do. watching fortunato navigate his way around therestaurantchatting to the hungry patrons and entertaining each table with his warm presence was lovely to watch. by far, one of my favorite dining experiences.

awesome funny and super couteous attendants super helpful and firstrestaurantthat made me #food #theos #21st
#theos21st #bash for his one big day

located on top of the times square casino, thisrestauranthas a beautiful view especially if you are seated on the deck overlooking the streets. the service was extremely friendly, we took the waiters advice when it came to the sirloin steak and we were not disappointed. they make mean cocktails so if you want to sit back and enjoy a lovey afternoon of drinks, this would be a great place...

therestaurantis a breath of fresh air and has absolutely amazing food! the baked oysters are my absolute favourite. i will definitely return again.

i booked a table well in advance for my husbands birthday - he loved ritrovo and i thought fortis newrestaurantwould be a treat. upon arrival a sign stated that therestauranthas 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 disappointing experience and we will not be visiting therestaurantagain.

it’s a beautifulrestaurantand 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.

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 arestaurantat 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 thisrestaurantthinking 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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so i wanted to always go to the casino here and this was also a perfect opportunity to try out the famous new place which is fortis. when we came in they were extremely full which is amazing to see. one can expect to wait if you don't make a reservation but that's totally fine. only problem is that when we arrived there was no host and actually had to get a waiter walking around to ask for a table. the young gentleman who i assumed was the manager or host then approached us and gave us a table not long after. unfortunately he didn't realize that the same waiter at the bar had told two other people to wait to be seated and they were before us. but either way we sat down and then ordered. the wine menu is super amazing, and the style of therestaurantshowcasing the kitchen kind of makes this place. however, therestaurantsomehow lacks warmth. we ordered two pasta dishes of which one was the seafood pasta. look, they are really really pricey and honestly feel that it is not worth it. the pasta wasn't out of this world and i probably would have gotten more value for money at let's say, a cappuccinos. but then again, this isn't cappuccinos and is in a more upmarket place. considering my food was under seasoned i asked the waiter for salt and pepper. i got my salt after five minutes and had to wait another five minutes for pepper but ended up asking another waiter to bring it. so service slightly slacks. the nice thing about the place is that forti himself walks around and socialized with the customers so that kind of makes up for whatever was outstanding. oh and by the way the forti wine was splendid ❤️

therestaurantdefinitely has a very upmarket feel to it, with staff who play the part well. therestaurantlooks amazing with a balcony area available as well, that looks spectacular at night. i was dining with a party of ±13 people inside and we were allocated our own area closed off from the rest of the restaurant, in regards to the noise. there was no need to compete with the noise of the whole restaurant. therestaurantprovided entertainment that particular night with opera singers who gave a short performance for a couple minutes; truly something unique. the feel and aesthetic of therestaurantis definitely a 5/5. the only shortfall in my opinion was the food and service here and there. a few orders had to be requested a few times before they arrived, i assume they were forgotten. the food arrived relatively quickly, it was good but nothing for me to brag about, perhaps is was my choice of meal. i ate the lasagna. the presentation of the food was however incredible. i believe the highlight and best aspect of therestaurantis their vast selections of wine. i am not a wine drinker myself but my company could not have enough of it. 

would i go again?
perhaps. considering the pricing and the whole experience, it's something i could do for a special occasion i am invited to. but out of my own volition, i may opt to try a different restaurant. the food was good but not the best i've ever had. 

what i feel therestaurantis best for?
it's a nice place to go if you're looking for decent food and an amazing atmosphere.