Gemelli - La Famiglia Prima

GemelliPastaGemelli [dʒeˈmɛlli] are a type of pasta. The name derives from the Italian word for "twins." Gemelli are not twin tubes twisted around one another, as they may appear to be, but rather a single s-shaped strand twisted into a spiral.

Gemelli – La FamigliaPrima (gemellirestaurant.co.za)

At first glance, the Gemelli Restaurant in Bryanston did not seem to be what I was expecting.

The building in which it is housed closely resembles an industrial loft and in fact, for a brief moment, I thought I was in the wrong place.

Bare wooden tables with no decoration or trimmings.  The whole look is very functional and down to earth. The Map of Italy made of wine cork is probably the most decorative thing in the room.

Gemelli offers an extensive menu including a breakfast menu and signature pasta dishes.  Family size portions are also available for true Italian style family dining.  The ingredients are different with great combinations that are not what one would normally expect in Italian Cuisine. 

I settled for the Glazed Pork Belly - a flavourful combination of soy and honey glaze, potato puree, pak choi, sesame mayo, beure blanc and toasted peanuts. The meat was flavourful and tender and literally fell apart as I cut into it.  The portion was generous and I was pleasantly surprised.  

My companion's starter, was the glazed chicken thighs served with sundried tomato pesto, roasted garlic aioli, soy and lime fluid.

For dessert, we had to have the Gemelli Signature Almond Nougat Cheesecake.

At R110 a slice it was delicious!

We also got a friendly greeting from the Italian Stallion himself, restaurant owner, Alessandro Khojane.

It would seem that Gemelli's is indeed the place to be seen.  The food was good and I would definitely drive to Bryanston for a piece of the Cheesecake again. 

So next time you have some time and some money to spare hop on over to Gemelli in Bryanston for a meal. 

Founder, Alessandro Mosupi Khojane grew up in Roma, Italy, around a large family who enjoyed entertaining friends, which sparked his own love for people and food. With over 10 years in the industry, Alessandro has developed a passion for seeing truly happy customers enjoying their food experience.