It takes more than good food to make a great restaurant. The ambiance and service are all part of the alchemy, so it was a treat to revisit Remo’s Maximilliano and remember what a gem it is.

Young owner Renzo Scribante is building an empire with branches in Umhlanga, Durban, this one at Waterfall Corner in Johannesburg, one in Sandton and another planned for Pretoria. The Waterfall branch is gorgeous, with Italianesque décor so ornate that even the toilets are a classy affair.

We ate outside, loving the music from “our” era of the 80s and 90s. Never too loud, but a nice background if conversation lulls. Our chatter only stopped once the food arrived, except for everyone proclaiming how tasty their dishes were.

There were a couple of hiccups on this buzzing Saturday, with the waiter apologising as various things ran out. Like the bread rolls for a dish of three mini burgers; the lovely Villiera Merlot when we requested a second bottle; and two choices of dessert. Each apology was delivered with a suggested solution.

The chicken assaggi at R120 was excellent, with tender grilled breasts on roasted vegetables, with piquant peppadew and “astonishingly good” zucchini fries. Artfully presented, too.

Another friend’s parmigiana con melanzane at R100 was tasty enough to convert me to aubergine, with layers of it covered in Mamma’s Sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.

My seafood risotto at R155 was disappointing, with arborio rice studded with peas and chewy calamari, but I fished around to find the prawns. The waiter’s flashlight proved they were there, but it still tasted rather unexciting. He must have passed the message on, because the manager came over to see if he could make amends. That’s admirable service.

Remos has a lovely deli attached which bakes bread and delicious desserts, so we were miffed that the chocolate fondant and caramel croissant pudding had both sold out. We shared chocolate brownies instead, and they were delicious, soft under a crispy top and served with ice cream. Another high point, making Remos a restaurant to remember.