Italian restaurant Settebello unveils ‘La Ciccia’

Do you enjoy Italian food? Well hold onto your taste buds. Settebello, the cosy Italian restaurant in Bedfordview in Johannesburg founded by Pino Di Benedetto and Miro Marques is unveiling La Ciccia.

It is not your usual Italian fare. This is all about meat, and it has got a South African twist. ‘Carne Diem’ is their special treat, which is a tasty treat on the dishes they offer.

La Ciccia

La Ciccia is a restaurant that loves making tasty meat dishes. It gets its name from an Italian word for ‘meat.’

They have special ‘Carne Diem’ nights every month where people can enjoy a nine-course meal all about beef. What is cool is they have big tables, and around 40 people sit together to eat, like a big family.

Each meal is all about different kinds of beef from Italy and what makes La Ciccia different is they really care about where they get their food.

They have their own cows and grow their own veggies without chemicals. This makes the food extra good and special for everyone who eats there.

Inspiration to create ‘La Ciccia’ and blend Italian and South African culinary traditions

In a conversation with The Citizen, Pino Di Benedetto, one of the owners, shared what motivated them to create La Ciccia and merge the culinary traditions of Italy and South Africa.

“The inspiration came from me wanting to change the stereotype that Italians only do pizza and pasta. Italians love their meat and we wanted to showcase that and show South Africans that we are more than just carbs.

Pino Di Benedetto also discussed how they go about obtaining and raising their own cattle exclusively for the restaurant.

“We searched high and low for a partner beef grower and finally found a small farm called Huntersvlei in Viljoenskroon who, like us, treat the cattle ethically.

“They have helped us find the best breed and are helping us produce the quality beef we want to serve but at the same time keeping to our principles, grass fed, free to roam and ethically treated, elaborated Pino Di Benedetto.

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What guests can expect from the nine-course ‘Carne Diem’ evenings

Excited about it, Miro Marques, one of the restaurant’s owners, talked to The Citizen and explained what people can look forward to in terms of flavours and different ways they prepare meat during the special nine-course ‘Carne Diem’ evenings.

“These evenings are a celebration of Italian meat traditions. The nine-course meal is traditional in cooking style keeping to the simplicity of Italian food and letting each ingredient used speak for it self.

Miro also described how the restaurant makes sure that every dish highlights the special characteristics of both Italian and South African meats.

“We believe we have taken the best of both worlds. As an example, our sausage is made with Italian flair but its more wors than salsiccia,” stated Miro Marques.

Settebello’s ‘Carne Diem’ evenings

Settebello’s ‘Carne Diem’ events happen once a month and include a nine-course meal with dessert and wine, all for the price of just R900 per person.

The next date of these special nights will on the 21st of September 2023. To make sure you get a spot, you should book ahead of time. You can do this by sending an email to eat@settebello.co.za or calling 010 035 5207.

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