Restaurant: Gabriellas

Gabriella's in Hout Bay is a small restaurant at the Mainstream shopping centre. Today, being Women's Day in South Africa, I was treated to coffee and wanted to go to Gabriella's because we were going to the shopping centre anyway. We were greeted warmly by the owner when we arrived and everything was looking good except that there is a huge tv just as you walk inside. I really do not like televisions in restaurants unless they are a sports bar. Really, can you not tear yourself away from the tube for a while and enjoy the tastes and smells of a lovely restaurant? Anyway, enough ranting about tvs. It was not so bad as the Olympics were on but it is really antisocial.

I was impressed with the menu as there was a good variety of items. I ordered a gourmet cupcake and gourmet it was. Red velvet, absolutely beautiful and tasty. I really should have taken a photo but I was really in holiday mode! My partner had a delightful scone. It was flat, round and tangy - just like scones should be! After the cake and coffee, and because it was actually lunch-time, I felt a bit more peckish and decided to order a snack. I ordered the bruschetta as it sounded like a small snack and was only R39 (oh, and a glass of my favourite wine, Beyerskloof Pinotage). Well, the  bruschetta was a lot bigger than I tought, coated in peppers, cheese, olives, tomatoes and lettuce and I was very impressed with the presentation. However, one bite in, I realized that the bread itself was soaked in oil! It was really soaked but the toppings were so great that I tried to overlook it. As I got home, I started to feel ill. Fortunately it was a public holiday so I was able to take a nap. After a short nap I was really nauseous. A bit later, my stomach started to ache and then to run! Sorry for all the details! Well, it did not ruin my day or anything but I will definitely think twice before ordering that  bruschetta again! Another point was that there is a smoking area outside, and the smoke wafts in to the non-smoking area inside which is a bit annoying (and I am sure illegal). All in all a nice restaurant with a large menu, many choices for wine by the glass and a homey feel.

The r8ing: 6/10