Pigalle

I have a passion for Paris. And although I’ve never been to that neighbourhood in the Montmartre where the divides between love and lasciviousness melt, the naughtiness of the Pigalle district has always beckoned. For academic reasons, of course, it’s not the underbelly of today, but rather that edgy stuff of French post-Impressionist Toulouse Lautrec that attracts me.

Look at one of Toulouse Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge paintings and there’s the movement of passion, the colours of love. Whatever one’s point of view about the man, there was nothing superficial about him.

I wonder what it was about the Pigalle that inspired brothers Naldo and Victor Goncalves to name their latest triumvirate after the area. And also not known to be superficial in their approach to business, this link must have been carefully thought through.
In a country littered with ersatz ethnicity, I have to declare myself and say it’s the closest we can get to that undeniable passion of Paris, albeit far from louche.

In the case of the one in question – Pigalle Sandton – the overall theme is baroque, but nevertheless the pervading sense is the indulgence in and by the advantaged rattling their jewellery in appreciation.

The brothers have moved smoothly and with aplomb from the slick pervasive minimalism to indulgent maximalism. Silks in sensuous folds, winking chandeliers, deep mahogany, and general plushness to absorb sound to a deeply satisfied murmur, the 160-seater through the geld-gate into the designer-area of the downstairs Michelangelo Towers already has the fabulous folk booking in anticipation of a night worthy of a Paris Salon Privee.

Their 27 years in the industry started with what was to become the vanguard of steakhouses, the Longhorn. This is what put them on the map. Afterwards the Vilamoura restaurants quickly became a must-do if you wanted to spoil yourself and impress others.

Remember O’Galito, initially the insiders’ indulgence then to become famous for its superlative Portuguese cuisine, then Vilamoura and The Grill Club in Pretoria? Nothing seems to get these two professionals down. And yet again they’ve set a trend.

With the Goncalves brothers, it’s always about creating the ultimate dining experience.

It really is about the total experience. After all, the dining experience starts with the response to the phone call to book a table.

If this all sounds a bit like raving, I have an unabashed admiration for the no holds-barred professional attitude of these two brothers.

The plate has broadened from their signature quality Portuguese menu to encompass other recognized top-end dishes from the Continent.

If the menu seems formulaic, it simply is that the brothers know and understand what makes for a winning recipe.

Having said that, the Ceasar Salad doesn’t follow the classic formula, but is probably the most interesting in its different elements, light and scrumptious I’ve ever had. On another occasion I had the Roquefort Salad, with the cheese clearly of the very best quality that could be found.

I am a great fan of the heavenly Portuguese green soup, Caldo Verde. Essentially it consists of potato, kale and chorizo sausage, and pale imitations abound. Here it is as it should be.

Main courses offer what the brothers are famous for – shellfish in abundance, in just about any flavourfully abundant configuration your passionate heart could long for, birds and prime cuts of red meat. Other specials include ostrich fillet with red wine, served with mushroom and black peppercorn sauce, on crushed sweet potato, Protuguese steak (pan-fried in white wine, ruby port and garlic, topped with a fried egg) and sighingly scrumptious lamb shank.

The desserts (again, classics like Crème Brulee, hot malva pudding and ice cream and hot chocolate sauce) is to my mind topped by the piece de resistence, the float-away-in-bliss Mille-Feuilles with kiss-your-partner fresh fruit and even fresher cream.

Seating spills out onto the promenade and to the back, a glassed-in area for smokers and those who prefer the view to the sky and an open-air courtyard.

The South Africa-focused wine list befits the overall experience, with local and imported products in abundance. Prices, cleverly, range from the sensible to the sensational, as do the products. My prize on one occasion was the swooningly luscious barrel-fermented Rupert & Rothschild Baroness Nadine chardonnay at R240. for lingering, an civilized selection of ports and the like, and cigars.

I, too have been to the Moulin Rouge. But today it’s commercial and superficial. For a professional experience with depth – and as sexy - I’d much rather spend an evening at Pigalle.

Average three course meal: R130 – R180

Rating:
Food: Abundantly top-end
Winelist: A treasure-trove
Ambience: Plush and sexy
Service: Professional
Value: Top-drawer

Open for lunch and dinner daily.

Michelangelo Towers Shopping Mall, Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton.

Tel: (011) 884-8899; booking essential.

Open breakfast and lunch Monday to Saturday, dinner Monday to Friday..