pretoria is known for being the hub of continental food. pretoria has many hidden secrets and the other night i was exposed to a very different take on pizzas. a rustic, warmly lit restaurant like toni’s, i was very pleasantly surprised. so for those who want a different take on the traditional pizza, toni’s is the place for you.
this small restaurant had a very warm european evening feel to it, the simple décor allowed the food to be the centre of attention. the restaurant customers and waiters buzzed with energy and excitement. we were fortunate enough to meet the owner toni who was as amazing as her food.
we started with an insalta con pollo (chicken salad) and a house salad. the first salad consisted of chicken, cherry tomatoes, olives, feta, lettuce, toasted almonds, onion, and peppadew pesto. both salads were very delicious the flavours worked together very well and the different textures complimented each other.
for the main course we had the option of 14 different pizzas. all of them equally as exquisite in taste and colour as the next. but of all the pizzas that i tasted the ones that i enjoyed most were the insalata (garlic, chilli, avocado, rocket, grana padano, toasted pine buts, olive oil), the cipolle (with a tomatoe base, mozzarella, caramelised onion, brie, toasted almonds), the oxtail pizza, and the pollopizza(with a tomatoes base, mozzarella, tandoori, chicken, feta, olives and garlic). the insalta was a different take on the traditionalpizzabecause it did not have the traditional tomatoes base and it had a crunchy base and smooth avocado with a bite of chilli, you wont go wrong with this choice. the cipolle, one of my favourites was very interesting to me because of the savoury crunch of the almonds which complimented the sweet caramelised onions. the oxtailpizzawas very tasty as well, the meat cooked to perfection and not too tough and just the right amount of seasoning. lastly the pollo pizza, which was not just pleasing to the eye but untee will definitely be to your pallet. all the dishes were executed in a very different way making it a feast for the eyes and the stomach. the large sizes were very big and the pizzas very filling, prices varied but this place has so much to choose from you wont go wrong if you decide to eat here.
the desserts were equally as impressive. we were served a chocolate mouse, a home-made nougat, a chocolate brownie with ice cream, and a hazelnut and chocolate marshmallowpizzaand lastly to top it all of a cookie monster milkshake. if you have a sweet tooth like me toni’s will definitely satisfy it. the chocolate mouse was very thick but the rich taste of dark chocolate was soothing. the chocolate brownie was the perfect consistency between chewy in the middle and crunchy on the outside and the ice cream complimented it. the nougat was also very sticky and sweet drizzled with honey and was packed with thinly sliced and toasted almonds, which was delicioso! the cookie monster was an oreo milkshake and it definitely exceeds its name with an oreo in the middle of the shake. but the real star of the dessert show was the chocolate hazelnut marshmallow pizza, which was simply divine. i could have easily sat there and eaten a whole chocolatepizzato myself.
the food was delicious and upon meeting the owner and chef one can see that she is just as crazy and passionate about her food and this is definitely a feature that she portrays well through the food. it is obvious to see why toni’s is such a busy restaurant because it has the whole package of great food, great people and just an overall great atmosphere.
tyler mirtle