There is an exciting new face on the Cape food scene: Walter Dri from Udine, Friuli, in the extreme North East of Italy has arrived for a couple of months and is bringing avant garde Italian cuisine to the Cape. He was deep frying zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies at the Mastrantonio stand at Food|Wine|Design this afternoon. Here he is with Roberto Bottega of Idiom fame who was offering a selection of wines to match from his extensive range of 150 he imports.

There was a spicy Aglianico, a super Tuscan blend of Merlot and Sangiovese and a wonderful 2006 blend of Sangiovese and Caniaolo from Umbria made by Lungarotti. For R400, one of the three best Italian reds. Basta! as they say in the old country. Italian cuisine in the Cape is all set for the Next Level. And this is even before Walter starts cooking at the new restaurant at Idiom in Somerset West that Roberto plans to open next year.