BICCCS@Franschhoek

The Mazzone family, proud owners of award winning Ritrovo Ristorante come from a long line of artigianal Italian Ice cream producers. As a child Giovanni Sr. worked in the family gelateria which formed part of the family establishment “Bar Fortunato” in Pietrastornina, Italy. Pictures of this Gelateria are still on the wall of Ristorante Ritrovo with a beautiful vintage Carpigiani Icecream machine in the background. With this unique family history Giovanni and Fortunato Mazzone decided to pursue a dream. The result of this dream was the opening of our maiden BICCCS at the Waterkloof Heights Shopping Centre in Pretoria.

BICCCS new Cape Town branch is at the Cape Quarter Piazza on Somerset Rd, De Waterkant. This funky, colourful store is run and part owned by partner Paraguayan chef and food disciple Felix Falcon with the assistance of Johan Smit. All the stores are run and partly owned by passionate chefs who understand the BICCCS vision and mantra. All recipes and product development are driven by the Mazzone family tradition and in complete collaboration with their dynamic partners. The Cape Town store has two beautiful terraces – one overlooking the fashionable Mediterranean piazza ideal for people watching and the other with magnificent views over the Cape Town city bowl, harbour and “the mountain”.

BICCCS Franschhoek opened on February 1st 2010 on the Franschhoek main road with a dynamic team of Italian and Austrian origin at the helm. Our partner Peter Oberzaucher returned from Austria with his South African wife Klarisa to take over the helm in Franschhoek. Peter was previously in South Africa having worked under the late Frank Zlomke at Grand Roche in Paarl and refining his skills at award winning restaurants in Austria. Following training at our Pretoria main store and in Cape Town the opening of BICCCS Franschhoek has been simply astonishing. Peter is ably assisted by young SA chef Peet Swart. Our beautiful outdoor area, large (and unique for Franschhoek) parking with 40 bays and boules court and children’s playground have proved an instant hit. The combination of superb quality and value for money has proved to be an irresistible temptation to our food-savvy Franschhoek clients.

The unique name BICCCS stands for Bread, Icecream, Cake, Croissant, Coffee and Sandwich. BICCCS is a cross-over between the traditional Italian Gelateria, a top quality Bakery and Patisserie and a comfortable and contemporary coffee bar and haunt for the art and fashion set. All the stores are small and chic with comfortable sofas, comfortable outdoor seating and Italian chairs. BICCCS offers the finest Italian ice cream in South Africa made in front of your eyes in beautiful 1950’s vintage Carpigiani ice cream machines, to nibble at in a cone or cup or to take home for a decadent dessert.

Genuine southern Italian style bread is prepared from only natural ingredients without artificial improvers and chemicals and available fresh daily and in limited quantities as in Europe. The recipe perfected by chef Giovanni Mazzone over many years is known as “Pangiovanni” and so ask for it by name.

Crispy feather light genuine European style croissants (or Cornetti in Italian) and proper home-style rich and moist cakes are available for retail and on order for special occasions filled with quality real ingredients. This is baking as it once was. The menu is short and interesting. Light meals in the form of well filled Panini, great soup and beautiful interesting salads are all served with our crispy warm bread and are incredible value. The most expensive item on the food menu is R50 (a beautiful Walnut, Gorgonzola and Avocado laden salad) and prices vary from R10 for spinach pies through to R18 for a well filled and obviously rustic spicy meat and potato pie. Panini with the fillings of the day are interesting, varied and wholesome come in at R49. A thick garlicky slice of Italian home style pizza with rich tomato loaded with basil leaves and unctuous fior-di-latte mozzarella costs R30. Who would have thought it was still possible to find fashionable spots with true quality ingredients where one could leave spending less than 50 bucks a head!!!

For 2010 new additions to the menu include a great creamy scrambled egg breakfast for R30 and new Panini with Franschhoek smoked salmon amongst others. A short wine list from the award winning Leopards Leap range of wines made on La Motte in Franschhoek is available at our Cape stores. Ice cold beer is also available to fight the mid 30’s heat of the magnificent Cape Winelands summer. Every branch offers daily special dishes to tempt the regulars.

Quality coffee and hot drinks from a hissing Italian Ferrari of an Espresso machine will induce a lazy afternoon. BICCCS has its own proprietary blend of luxurious African coffee beans produced according to certified Fair Trade principles and roasted and blended by coffee specialists Sprada. There is a wonderful aroma and creamy richness to their coffee which is prepared strictly in the Neapolitan way. With origins in the only city in the world where coffee is a certified religion/obsession, what did you expect with two Neapolitans in charge!! All our stores have a fabulous coffee retail section where one can indulge in everything from chocolate covered espresso beans to a full house top of the range Coffee machine from Swiss manufacturers Sprada. Our Franschhoek store also has a small very high end kitchen accessory store to delight the senses, a sort of toy store for adults.

Combine your food with a read through the glossy magazines in comfortable chairs on the patio. Be converted and join the resident and de-stressing “Pavementista” society. BICCCS is about quality of life and unhurried and indulgent product. BICCCS will never be mainstream – there are more than enough formula coffee shops for that purpose. BICCCS unashamedly caters for the discerning hedonist who knows and appreciates quality and integrity and knows where to find it.