La Trattoria restaurant on High Street serves up real Italian food made by real Italians from real family recipes.
La Trattoria restaurant on High Street serves up real Italian food made by real Italians from real family recipes.
“We live on pasta,” says Liza Caporossi, the owner of La Trattoria. That is why it’s important to ensure the food she makes is worthy of this Italian staple and that it is made just like her grandmother used to.
Caporossi is from Civitavecchia, a small port town 40 km from Rome. “It’s small,” she says, “but not as small as Grahamstown.” But Caporossi enjoys living here. She says it’s ideal to raise her three children who attend school at Kingswood College.
Before moving to Grahamstown, the family lived in Kenya for 12 years. When her eldest child was to due to begin school, they visited Grahamstown on the advice of a Kenyan friend whose children were boarders at Kingswood. Unable to imagine a life with one of her children in boarding school in a foreign country, Caporossi moved her family to Grahamstown.
Decked out in simple green and white décor with a choice of booths, tables and couches, La Trattoria unpretentiously occupies a large space in High Street. Dimmed lights, plenty of room and a varied menu make La Trattoria a great, satisfying dining experience.
A tasty menu
Entrees include a selection of pickles served with Parma ham or deep fried Camembert cheese served with cranberry sauce and wafers (R45). Or for the main course, a hearty portion of homemade ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese (R49) or rigatoni alla Amatriciana with mild chilli and Italian bacon (R52). All can be enjoyed with a choice of wine from the comprehensive list.
“I am not a chef,” Caporossi says. She does not have “the certificate”, but she has both experience in the restaurant business and, more importantly, a passion for cooking that runs through the family.
La Trattoria’s patrons have seldom seen the soft-spoken Italian owner since the restaurant’s opening in April. Perhaps Bongiwe Galadile, one of the kitchen staff, sums up La Trattoria in the best and simplest way: “The food is great here.” And she likes Caporossi’s smile.
