Being wheat-intolerant I don’t tend to get to eat a lot of pasta.
But every now and again, when I’m feeling rebellious and in search of that particular (peculiar) rush that comes from eating something you know you (really) shouldn’t (never mind the purely allergic reaction), I always end up at the Pasta Factory digging into a bowl of spaghetti pesto.
It’s a funny place, with the most unusual seating setups (inside) that I’ve seen (balancing precariously on what looks like a huge bouncy ball is not the norm, I would think, especially when simultaneously negotiating with slippery sauces and uncooperative spaghetti).
The enthusiastic Italian chef who whips up the pasta dishes fires off rapid questions, comments on the choice of pasta and tries to engage one in conversation – but he speaks so fast that I can never fully get the gist of what he is saying, and generally end up just nodding in a bemused fashion, hoping he won’t think I’m being rude.
But, that general lack of comprehension on my part has, so far, not stood in the way of several fantastic meals. The pasta is delicious– all the ingredients fresh and tasty – and very filling.
My advice: go there for lunch, rather than dinner. Unless you’re going out afterwards and planning to burn off some energy, that there carbo-load will keep you awake well into the night.
Also, during the day the outside sections are lovely and sunny, but shaded, and make for a great lunching spot.
At the time of writing this, the Pasta Factory is running a daily lunch special of R19.95 for a selected pasta dish, and during term generally offers students special deals as well.
The Pasta Factory is on Park Rd, in Gardens. Unusually, they work on a card system – you order at the pasta counter, or at the salad bar, and put it on a card. At the end, you pay for everything altogether at the till. If you’re used to being waited on, this may take some getting used to!
Hi pia,
i loved reading all the things on your site and I can see why partner loves his hometown so much!
With an eye to the future, how safe is the living in Capetown??? I have read so many stories of the crime and dangers to the white population in particular that it does scare me. However my partner and I are looking to our future in Capetown, it being his home….he has been away from home for two years now and is currently working on a five year visa here in scotland. I could see so many benefits to living there and the quality of life for us and our children would be so much greater in many respects. An honest answer from someone living there would be great!
lorraine
Hi Lorraine
Thanks for your comments! I love Cape Town. I wasn’t born here (am from up north, Johannesburg), but I have lived here for 19 years now, and it is very much in my blood.
Safety is definitely an issue, though I am quite fortunate in not having suffered anything other than a pickpocketing so far. We Capetonians (and South Africans in general) have so many safety routines we follow without even realising we’re doing them. When you approach your car, make sure you have your key ready; lock the door when you get in, keep an eye out for any strange looking folk about – that sort of thing. We get used to watching our backs, and that vigilance keeps us out of trouble, for the most part (or has kept me out of trouble).
We realise how often we do it when we have visitors from overseas, or go over there ourselves… My brothers, for example, have lived in the UK for some time now, and on their visits, and mine to England, it becomes very clear how different one’s behaviour becomes.
What does frighten me is the thought of someone breaking into my home, and doing something violent to me… and it’s a very real possibility. I sleep with a panic button close at hand, just in case. But at the same time, I’m not obsessed by it – I don’t let it keep me awake at night.
We find our own balance, I think. There is so much beauty here, and life is exciting, if sometimes a little scary. I would rather live somewhere like this and be a bit watchful, than somewhere incredibly safe, but equally boring.
I just hope that the crime doesn’t get any worse. I came close to being mugged walking on Table Mountain, which brought home to me how easy it is to get caught out. And that starts to eat away at one’s comfort zone.
Not sure if that helps at all… please do email me if you’d like to continue chatting about it: pia [at] mothercityliving.co.za
Pia