Cafe Bravo, Norwood

4.4 out of 5.0 stars4.4

I don’t usually write reviews on restaurants and cafes in my home city but I was compelled to write one this time for a couple of reasons. It was my wife’s birthday and she wanted to go out somewhere to have a bite and spend time together and talk over what had transpired in the previous few days. The day before was actually my birthday, but the day before that her mum passed away from lung cancer. So there weren’t any celebrations. Getting out of the house was enough for us.

The kids were with us too, our son and daughter. Our son decided we should go to Cafe Bravo on The Parade at Norwood. I’ve been here before a couple of times if my memory serves me correct and that would’ve been a while back.

We ordered a prosciutto pizza and a jug of lemon, lime and bitters. When the drinks were served I immediately thought why so much ice? One third of the jug had ice and the tall glasses half full of ice. What was the point of all that ice when there was so little of the drink? You could easily tell there wasn’t much lemonade, lime and the bitters, especially the bitters that gives this drink its distinctive amber colour. When I pointed this out and questioned one of the waitresses she replied; this is how we serve it, with plenty of ice. The issue wasn’t just the amount of ice but how the drink did not have the right portions of ingredients. Of course I wasn’t too happy. I’ve seen this before in other places when ordering jugs of soft drinks, they have too much ice. Actually, I’ve seen worse; jug half full of ice, which is water, so where is all the drink that one orders?

Anyway, the waitress got the manager over and I pointed this out, he said this is usually how they served it, but he did see that it lacked colour. He said he’d give us another. I didn’t want a whole new serve so replied it wasn’t necessary just top up what was there with lemon, lime and bitters. We had already poured out about half a jug into the four tall glasses. My kids going first got most of the bitters, my wife a little less and me virtually nothing as my drink was clear and got most of the lemonade with the water. In the meantime my daughter looked up images on Google of how this drink should look like. It was much darker than what we had. When the manager came back he brought us the jug filled with more lime and bitters and sprigs of lemon. Now that looked and tasted like this drink was suppose to be from the start.

At this point my wife mentioned it was her (our) birthday…and the manager offered some limoncello. I wasn’t too fussed. When he came back he brought two small liqueur glasses. I was surprised as I didn’t expect one and thought it was only for my wife. We had a short chat about limoncello and its origins and where the best comes from, not far from where one of the manager’s parents came from.

The pizza that was served was excellent. A bit on the thin side but nevertheless one of the best I’ve had for a while. These pizzas are very reminiscent of those I usually eat in Italy, in Rome and Tuscany where the pizzas are usually thin, not wafer thin, but just enough dough so the base is still soft enough after cooking for the ten minutes or so to get the toppings cooked right. The prosciutto pizza has, as the name implies, prosciutto as the main topping. It’s sliced thinly on top of the tomato base, flecks of shaved parmesan cheese are sprinkled over and finally a layer of fresh rocket tossed on top. Simple but very tasty.

The manager Nick asked if we wanted coffee, we declined but I said the kids will go for an ice cream. I said to my son to pay for them, but when he came back he said they were on the house. Nick was too kind. This truly made our weekend, especially for my wife stressed after the loss of her mother only two days earlier.

Again I can’t thank Nick enough how he handled my initial complaint. I didn’t expect anything extra, but he went out of his way to make our time at Bravo the best. Do I recommend Bravo Norwood? Yes, I certainly do and we’ll be back again at some stage. One piece of advice as I noticed the place was pretty well patronised with only a few tables available. I would suggest if in a group to call ahead and book enough seats or tables. The place is popular for a good reason.

Bravo Norwood are open seven days a week. To check the opening times and menu visit: www.bravonorwood.com.au or get in touch on (08) 8364 3663 or email: hello@bravonorwood.com.au

Ambiance	4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0
Cleanliness	4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5
Comfort	4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0
Facilities	4.0 out of 5.0 stars4.0
Food	5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Location	5.0 out of 5.0 stars5.0
Service	4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5
Staff	4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5
Value	4.5 out of 5.0 stars4.5