Karoo lamb takes centre stage at Carne eateries in July

Discover the rich diversity of specialist Karoo lamb cuts prepared by expert hands at Chef Giorgio Nava’s two dedicated Cape Town meat restaurants – Carne SA and Carne on Kloof during the entire month of July.

Grilled lamb chop with sweet potato

His special lamb menu comprises a choice of six prime cuts and a hearty lamb ragu pasta alongside his regular à la carte menu.

In addition to familiar fried and grilled Karoo lamb chops, there is a selection of tasty, rare cuts well worth exploring such as the succulent grilled lamb ribeye, rump or grilled neck of lamb. These special lamb dishes will rotate from week to week. Chef Giorgio’s rich and wholesome Karoo lamb shank is the ultimate winter comfort food.

Crumbed lamb chop

Grilled lamb neck with brussel sprouts

Grilled lamb ribeye

Lamb Rump with peas

Penne with lamb ragu

Carne SA in Keerom Street in the Cape Town CBD is open for dinner every evening from Mondays to Saturdays, whilst Carne on Kloof in the vibrant Kloof Street precinct is open for lunch and dinner. For bookings, call: 021-424 3460 (Carne SA) or 021-426 5566 (Carne on Kloof) or email: info@carne-sa.com.

Profile: Chef Giorgio Nava’s 95 Collection and Carne restaurants

Giorgio Nava

95 Collection

95 Keerom, Chef-proprietor Giorgio Nava’s flagship restaurant has been a bastion of authentic Italian dining in Cape Town for the past 15 years. Taking his lead from classic Milanese cuisine, he has wowed Cape Town palates with genuine Italian food since 2003. Giorgio was one of the first to introduce a wide selection of fish and beef carpaccio as well as delicate hand-crafted pastas to city diners. Today Giorgio has three 95 restaurants – the original 95 Keerom in the city’s legal district, 95 at Parks in Constantia and 95 at Morgenster on a spectacular wine estate in Somerset West.

Carne Collection

With the opening of Carne SA in 2008, Giorgio pioneered a new approach to enjoying diverse prime cuts, allowing the meat to do the talking in the true Italian minimalist tradition. Here carnivores are spoilt for choice with a string of expertly prepared beef, game, lamb and pork cuts, including the Italian Fiorentina T-Bone. Carne SA was a natural extension of his passion for Romagnola beef, Dorper lamb and game farming on his two Karoo farms. His Carne Collection comprises the landmark Carne SA situated directly across from 95 Keerom in Cape Town’s legal district, and Carne on Kloof , a more relaxed eatery in the city’s vibrant Kloof Street precinct.

More about Chef-Proprietor Giorgio Nava

Chef Giorgio Nava is highly respected for his uncompromising quality and Milanese flair. His unflinching faithfulness to traditional North Italian cuisine, yet simultaneously innovative with regards to food preparation and presentation, is legendary. Well known for his work ethic, and unerring commitment to quality ingredients to which his string of awards can attest, Giorgio is one of South Africa’s most successful chefs and restaurateurs. He has cooked with some of the finest chefs in the world at international food conferences and expos, such as Identita Golose and Expo Milano in Italy, Flemish Primitive in Belgium, and Seoul Gourmet in South Korea, and counts numerous Michelin chefs as his friends. In 2013 he triumphed on the international culinary stage as the winner of the World Pasta Championship of the Academia Barilla in Parma, and continues to be an ambassador of the academy. Giorgio also works as a consultant in various African countries, China, Japan and Dubai, as well as the USA with links to two big franchises in New York and Miami.

His South Africa story started in 1999, when he decided to live here permanently with the idea of producing mozzarella. Despite creating a top quality product with the help of two cheese makers from Italy, the venture turned out to be ahead of its time. With a non-existing fresh cheese culture in South Africa, it was simply too early for mozzarella. Not one to be defeated, Giorgio soon came to realise that there was a real opportunity to establish a high quality Italian restaurant in Cape Town – and the rest is history.

Born in Milan in 1964, Giorgio started out in the international flower trade, but he soon realised his passion for food at the kitchen coalface working with some of the best Italian chefs. He completed his training as a Certified Master Chef of Italian Cuisine.

With the increasing demand on his time from his growing restaurant endeavours, Giorgio’s day is a fine balancing act between managing the business side of things and focusing on what he really loves – being in the kitchen. He also makes time for engaging with his guests to make them feel at home. You’ll find him on the floor of his restaurants every night doing what he knows best.