When you go to SINN, and you will, don’t expect a carbonara drowning in cream and don’t you dare ask for pineapple to be added to your pizza. You just won’t get it.
You see, Enrico Persegani is all about authenticity. As an Italian from the city of Cremona, Enrico has been brought up with food. Every Sunday, he and his family – that’s between 20 and 25 people – would walk to his nonna’s house for lunch. His uncle, says Enrico, had many restaurants and became somewhat famous because of appearances on local TV shows. So, combined with his love of food and a successful uncle, Enrico became a chef and entrepreneur himself.
From running restaurants in London to being a food and beverages manager, Enrico knows business. So, when he visited South Africa for the first time in 2023, he knew he had hit gold. “South Africans love eating. You guys love food. You love meat and you love grilling.” So, he moved here and opened SINN located at LXX Sandhurst, Joburg. The chef says he chose Sandton because there aren’t enough foodie options in Jozi and, well, no real Italian restaurants. “The pastas, they have American or international flavours.”
Using his nonna’s recipes, but adding his own twist, Enrico has created a menu filled with genuine Italian staples. “I make my pasta from scratch. The other people, they don’t use fresh eggs. They use water and flour. I need large fresh eggs, where you only use the yolk. I won’t compromise,” he says.
We ordered the butternut ravioli, a recommendation from Enrico, not only because it’s “the way it is from home” but because of the unique way he adds flavours to the actual pasta itself. “People normally use sauce to add flavour. I divide my pasta into sections and inject a component of the sauce into the pasta. It adds flavour to the core of the pasta.”
The venue, dark and moody, has a long screen with hi-res images playing over guests. There’s an eight-metre serving table where at night, the spotlight is on each dish. “It’s like a theatre show. And the spotlight is on each dish and I am directing every section, like an orchestra.”
His pizza, insists Enrico, is probably the best in Joburg. That’s because the dough is fermented for 72 hours. Other places he claims, make the dough in the morning and serve it that night. That means you, the guest, feels heavier after eating it. The tattooed boastful 31-year-old says all dough should be fermented longer and it’s something he hopes to work on in the future. Imagine going into SINN and asking for 72-hour, 3-day or 5-day fermented dough. It’s something he’s working on.
“The older it gets the more premium. The dough is judged on how you feel after and it should be light, not heavy.”
You’ll be able to choose fermentation dates but don’t ask for pineapple. “I knew it would happen. I sent the pizza with a note. ‘No pineapple’.” Enrico says then he spoke to the guests and explained that pineapple just doesn’t go on pizza. End of! “And the carbonara, it’s given me such bloody headaches. Customers want pasta with soup. I don’t do soup. I do carbonara. I’m going to remove it from the menu,” he laughs.
We tried the pizza. And he might be right. The best in Joburg.
