The Cousins Trattoria

Par excellence as always

This was the third time I have been to Cousins with my wife and I must say, nothing has beaten the first time we went. My rating after that experience was 5 stars across the board but not so much anymore. A big positive for us is the vibe of the spot - it is cozy, comfy and homey. However, we have found that the quality of the food is just not as good and the portion size is quite a bit less. This also means that we can no longer justify paying what we now consider to be exorbitant prices in relation to what we received. They have also had quite a big price jump in the past few months. As an example, one of us have orderd The Cousins Pasta each time that we have been there. The first time we went, the pasta filled the whole plate and the amount of cheese that was added from the cheese wheel was imense to the point where we could really taste it. However, during the past 2 times, we can barely taste the cheese which is hardly surprising because we can see that not much is actually added as they do this in front of you. And then the pasta now barely fills the middle of the plate...As another example, I ordered the Ravioli Burro Salvia last night which cost R230. For that, I only received 5 pasta pillows filled with spinach. While it tasted amazing, the meal wasn't even close to filling me or the plate. All of this is to say that this is a classic case of shrinkflation - reduced amounts and quality but higher asking prices. We understand that these are tough economic times for businesses, but it is the same for their patrons. And while I don't mind paying higher prices occasionally, there are many other places out there that have not compromised their quantity and quality where I would prefer to spend my time and my money. With this in mind and since this is now the second time we have had this experience, we will not be returning to Cousins.