Any sports fan will tell you it’s the little things that make the difference between being good and being great. A sporting analogy may seem strange, but then this reviewer did spend his last meal at this otherwise classy restaurant staring at a football game on TV. Set in an antique, timber-framed house the ambience is clearly Mediterranean garden. Green walls, trellis, flowers and even a Romanesque central statue all sit under a glass roof that gives the place an airy feel. It’s all very pleasant, so why spoil the mood with a flat screen TV and loud music? In the same vein, the service is attentive but let down by a lack of knowledge—we shouldn’t have to ask for black pepper, and certainly shouldn’t get all our main courses at different times. You could argue that these are minor points but this is meant to be fine dining and these things make a difference. They’re especially noticeable because the food, by the former chef at Fallabella’s, is generally excellent, well-executed Italian dishes. The appetizers are a sign of things to come; while the baked scallops with cheese and spinach can be a little watery, the mixed vegetables, Caesar salad served with Parma ham slices, and Rucola Italian sausage salad are deliciously fresh, clean and balanced dishes. The pasta options meet the same high standards. The spaghetti alla amatriciana is packed with onion and bacon and the pasta salsiccia is a tasty blend of garlic, chili and sausage. The lamb shank is equally good; served with a creamy mash and a rich red wine gravy, it’s a generous portion of meat that falls off the bone—too bad that last time it arrived a good ten minutes after the other main courses. (To be fair we all received a free dessert as a result, a nice touch they blew by taking an age over the bill.) The desserts certainly hit the mark, try the chocolate soufflé, it’s pure sin. Vintage 21 is definitely worth a visit: great Italian dishes, well executed and reasonably priced. It gets close to greatness, but when it comes to fine dining it has to settle for very good. Corkage charge B300.
