Flavour Cape / flavourBlog / Archive / September / 2009

September 2009

REVIEW African Relish not quite 100% Karoo

September 29th, 2009 — kim maxwell | 0 comments

I’ve never visited Prince Albert previously, but with good friends choosing this increasingly popular Little Karoo town as their wedding venue, I’ve now had the pleasure. The town is centred around dainty old-fashioned buildings along a long, wide main street that seem to offer more guesthouses and gift stores than houses in parts. Some of the manicured lawns contribute to an ordered attitude that defies the dust and crisp air causing city skins to dry out. PA is surrounded by little koppies with rocky outcrops and scrubby bushes, and dwarfed by the magnificent Swartberg range.

One of the newest arrivals to PA is chef Vanie Padayachee, previously cooking at Le Quartier Français, Grande Provence and fu.shi. African Relish is a modern open-plan space in the main street where the kitchen isn’t separated from the dining area, thanks to clever design elements of cement floors, exposed brick or painted walls. One to five-day cooking classes coordinated or led by Padayachee are the main attraction. But on Friday and Saturday evenings African Relish becomes a small restaurant. It’s an elegantly casual place you’ll want to dress up a little for, and one of the better alternatives in town.

A small menu: three starters, four mains (including a vegetarian offering) and three desserts. That’s it.

Fittingly the food is quality country-style rather than cheffy, professionalism showing in the plating. The only “formal” aspect of the meal was a delicious amuse bouche of vegetable soup made from broad beans, peas and herbs from the adjacent garden.

A slice of balsamic roasted onion tart hit the spot with lovely chunky bacon lardons in a vinaigrette over lettuce leaves. Alternatives were a butternut and sage fritter with garden salad and bitter chocolate dressing or a spicy chicken spring roll with mint dressing.

Slow-roasted lamb shank sounded heavy, while twice-baked leek and Parma Prince soufflé (a pungent hard cheese from Prince Albert’s Gay’s Dairy) with homemade tomato relish looked delicious going to another table. It’s easy to overcook game and unfortunately the kudu and pork potjie was, its samp and bean accompaniment delightfully creamy with Padayachee’s addition of cream and Parmesan. My Cape Malay chicken casserole was tastily succulent. It was probably spicier than normal with orange glossiness in the sauce, but I’m thankful that the chef’s Indian heritage means her family sends regular spice packages from Durban. Creamy risotto with squares of roasted pumpkin partnered the dish. A very pleasant Sauvignon Blanc/Chardonnay blend from local winery Bergwater was priced a little under R100.

African Relish portions are substantial so we shared dessert. Chocolate and fig brownie with white chocolate sauce was ordered, but the waiter brought a slice of moist warm chocolate malva pudding with quality homemade vanilla ice-cream. The mistake wasn’t a problem as the malva was enjoyable. Service wasn’t particularly informed, but then the open kitchen means Padayachee visits tables periodically to fill in the gaps. The African Relish menu has ‘100% Karoo’ stamped on the front page, which might mislead some diners. This chef mixes traditional Karoo favourites with her own style and doesn’t take it too seriously. That shouldn’t be seen as a negative.

Spend: Starters R45. Mains R75 to R95. Desserts R40.
Wine: No printed wine list. Local Bergwater red and white wines are served.
Value: Fair to Good. Flavour rating: High.

AFRICAN RELISH, 34 Church Street, Prince Albert. Tel 023 541 1381

FOODSTUFF New chef at Marc’s in Paarl

September 24th, 2009 — kim maxwell | 0 comments

I recently sampled spring menu items at Marc’s in Paarl’s Main street, prepared by new young chef Nandé-Mari Versnel. Originally from Paarl, she is back in her home town after training at Warwick’s chef school and working here and there.

Versnel is still finetuning her dishes and although I found the Med theme taken a little too far – a profliferation of olives in various fish and meat courses - there are some promising flavours. The Marc’s menu will have seasonal specials.

Tian of avocado and tiger prawn with a gazpacho sauce needs no tweaking whatsover – it’s delightful. Her spring desserts are great as is – you can’t go wrong with a pear tarte tatin, served here with Van der Hum parfait and sugar-almond crisp. Or a little more unusual: vibrant strawberry soup is combined unusually with fresh mint panna cotta and a dark chocolate-wrapped pastry cigar.

Noteable features: Med-style food and Lebaneze specialities (Marc Friederich is from Alsace and wife Maya is Lebanese). Delicious take-away Alscace flammkuchen from the pizza oven. Extensive yet affordable wine list overseen by owner-sommelier Friederich. Child-friendly. Free wi-fi.

MARC’S MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE & GARDEN, 129 Main Road, Paarl. Lunch and dinner.
Tel 021 863 3980.

RECIPE Ramsay the Beagle braaied peppered fillet

September 22nd, 2009 — kim maxwell | 4 comments

Some of you may be on the mailing list of the Main Ingredient newsletter from John and Lynne Ford’s gourmet-goodies-one-stop-shop in Sea Point. I loved hearing about their kitten Hamish the Greedy Guts Gourmet, who had allegedly “sampled (and, mostly, enjoyed) mange tout, wasabi, sushi ginger, broccoli, pork crackling, Laksa coconut soup, a corner of the Cape Times, smoked salmon trimmings, roast potato and some tomato”. They reported that he wasn’t - yet - keen on wasabi.

Recently pet-sitting two Terriers (one tall, one short) and a somewhat grumpy cat, I was delighted to make the acquaintance of the neighbour’s puppies. A Weimaraner called Chilli, and my favourite – a Beagle called Ramsay! I never asked what inspired the latter puppy’s name, but its owner lived in London so I’m assuming that a certain foul-mouthed Michelin-starred chef had something to do with it.

Ramsay is at that wonderful puppy stage of all paws. I noted on her frequent inquisitive visits into the kitchen that like some chefs I know, there is always tummy space for a little something extra. Chefs I know don’t have ears that drape into the food bowl though…

Our impromptu pet-sitting braai recipe for peppered fillet has been dedicated to the ever-expectant appetite of Ramsay the Beagle.

RECIPE RAMSAY PEPPERED FILLET
serves 5 or 6

1.2kg beef fillet, trimmed
olive oil
black peppercorns, coarsely crushed in a pestle and mortar
freshly ground salt
7 fresh rosemary sprigs

1.Rub the fillet with olive oil on all sides. Sprinkle with crushed peppercorns and salt. Using toothpicks, fasten rosemary sprigs into any folds, securing them in place with toothpicks.
2.Cook the fillet on a braai grid over hot coals (wood and charcoal mixed) for 20 minutes. Cover with foil in a warm place off direct heat while the meat rests. Serve slices of rare meat.

MUSHROOM SAUCE
½ packet of 20g dried chanterelle mushrooms
Approximately 250ml boiling water
⅓ cup butter for frying
1 pack portabellini mushrooms, sliced
a splash of white wine
250ml cream

1.Hydrate the dried mushrooms in a cup of boiling water. Strain and reserve the water.
2.In a saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the sliced fresh mushrooms for about 10 minutes. Add the drained mushrooms and strained water. Cook at high heat to reduce the liquid. Add a splash of wine while doing so.
3.Add the cream and keep reducing the liquid while stirring. The sauce should thicken slightly after about five minutes.
4.Serve warm with the peppered fillet.

REVIEW Friday lunch at re-opened Dutch

September 20th, 2009 — kim maxwell | 0 comments

I was thrilled to hear that a favourite vividly orange haunt in De Waterkant has finally re-opened in the Chelsea section of Wynberg. It’s taken a couple of years for Stephan van de Ven to figure out what to do, but good things are usually worth the wait.

Approached by fellow Netherlander Tin Korver (whose businesscard says Chair-Man of Twiice international) to share a space in a renovated Victorian building, Van de Ven didn’t hesitate. His neighbours are a vibrant florist, and a baby boutique selling those overpriced imported and cutely packaged clothing items geared at Bishops Court and Constantia young mothers (I’m not joking, a vest was over R300…).

The new space is fresh and inviting. The small menu has familiar Dutch favourites plus a few new options. It feels like Van de Ven just picked up where he left off. He even recruited his old kitchen and service team, including Marizka du Toit in front. The space feels more upmarket, thanks to dark grey walls, wood shelving details and orange only as accents - the original orange-framed photos are on the new walls. The team already seems very comfortable in the new open-plan kitchen.

The Merry Muncher was delighted with a new menu addition, a duck and chicken liver parfait (R60) served with nicely caramelised onion marmalade and a quality slice of brioche from Knead. Wild mushroom tart (R65) served on a puffy pastry disc hit the spot, a port-infused creamy mushroom sauce drizzled over, with rocket on the side. The old menu favourite deserves its place here.

Nasi goreng served with chicken satay, peanut sauce and Indonesian prawn crackers (R65) looked good, going to another table. Our shared main of two salmon trout fishcakes (R65) in crumbs was fried past its best, but decent enough with fresh dill mustard sauce. We drank Joostenberg Chenin/Viognier 2009 (R105) which is also served by the glass. The list includes a couple of whites, reds and MCCs, more than acceptable considering that this is more café than restaurant.

Vying with the old apple crumble with custard is a new item: chocolate cake with orange curd (R40). The description of the latter doesn’t do the pudding justice. It was thick, dark-chocolate-ish and chilled a little too firm in a mousse style. Served in a cappucino cup, liquid fresh orange curd on top. Excellent coffees arrived alongside, but then we could see a shiny stainless steel structure at work from our table, so knew they would be.

Tables in Dutch were already buzzing with young ladies in search of a nibble while catching up on gossip. Why they would be is quite understandable.

Noteable features: Patio tables out back facing a garden and picket fences. Trendy yet comfortable vibe with a good supply of current magazines. Child-friendly. Breakfast, lunch or in between. Private dining space for small functions too.

Spend: R39 to R55 for breakfast (uitsmijter to spicy baked beans on toast or pancakes).
R39 to R65 for lunch (uitsmijter to organic beef kroketten on rye to pasta or fishcakes).
Desserts around R40.

Value: Good. Flavour rating: High.

DUTCH, 51 Waterloo Road, Chelsea Village. Tel 021 797 5838. Mon to Fri 8am – 5pm, Sat 9am – 2pm.

FOODSTUFF Freedom Hill Country Restaurant opens

September 15th, 2009 — kim maxwell | 1 comment

Looking for an affordable country lunch without big menu or wine markups? Freedom Hill Country Restaurant recently opened at its namesake winery in rural Paarl. It’s worth a try, a few kms from Drakenstein Prison with Madiba’s statue outside in one direction; Pearl Valley Golf Course (already supplying restaurant regulars) the other way.

I met the friendly trio behind the operation, all Franschhoek restaurant and guesthouse veterans. Chef Adrian Buchanan, Ryan Bredenkamp and Pieter van Straaten are running the new kitchen and front of house between them. They’re offering a small printed menu of modern classics, plus blackboard seasonal specials. Anoraks take note: the menu is shorter than the very affordable winelist. And the talented Francois Naudé is Freedom Hill’s consulting winemaker.

Aiming at the local market, Buchanan says they are “guaranteeing an affordable dining experience”. With starters priced at R42 – R48, mains R65 to R110 and desserts around R45, they should stick to their word. I sampled a few dishes and while they may not all blow your socks off, there is a good balance of country appeal combined with a little cheffy fidliness.

Sample starters: oxtail-stuffed calamari tubes, beetroot and baby onion tart tatin with herb puree, goats cheese and red onion tart. Mains: saffron prawn risotto, pork belly with jus, signature quail breast and nougat salad with teriyaki vegetables. Desserts: double chocolate mousse with pistachio, pecan nut pie, mascarpone and raspberry tart. Service is a little shaky but should improve.

Noteable features: Patio tables offer views across the Berg River Valley towards the Simonsberg. Child-friendly. Affordable food and low wine mark ups. Freedom Hill wines by the glass, Cape wines by the bottle.

FREEDOM HILL COUNTRY RESTAURANT R301 Wemmershoek Road (between Paarl and Franschhoek), Paarl. Lunch and dinner. http://www.freedomhillrestaurant.co.za/ Tel 021 867 0963

WINE Unexpected five-star supper

September 11th, 2009 — kim maxwell | 0 comments

Spending two days visiting producers in the Hemel-en-Aarde wine valley near Hermanus researching a magazine feature has its up side. My mud-splattered car and plenty of notebook scribbles are evidence of tasting plenty of good wines, including some zippy, flavour-packed just-released 2009 Sauvignon Blancs.

Arriving home in Cape Town to a stewed chicken-in-a-pot dinner cooked by my husband was a treat. His eyes lit up when I uncorked two part-bottles to drink alongside the meal, given to me by their winemakers to finish off. Although I didn’t say anything until after said husband had given an opinion on the wines, they were two Platter’s South African Wines 2010 five-star rankers.

I generally use Platter or other awards only as a quality indication, but I wholeheartedly agree with the panel about these two wines. Kevin Grant’s Ataraxia Chardonnay 2008 is sourced from two vineyards in Hemel-en-Aarde and one in Elgin. Grant’s own Chardonnay vineyards in the newly named Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge part of the valley weren’t old enough to go into this wine, but if vines are positively affected by good scenic views these chaps will definitely perform!

At R175 per bottle the Ataraxia Chardonnay 2008 is too rich for my tastes, but it was a treat to savour a barrel-fermented glass with nuttiness, creamy marzipan and mineral notes. It’s rare that we both enjoy a Chardonnay enough to refill the glass.

The second five-star wine was Newton Johnson Domaine Pinot Noir 2008. R188 at cellar door from the winery’s new flagship range and sourced from the NJ “domaine” vineyards in Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, it’s different to their regular Newton Johnson Pinot Noir 2007 (R162) from Elgin fruit. It takes a while to warm up in the glass but like its humble winemaker Gordon Johnson, the Domaine Pinot 08 eases into the role with quiet confidence. This delicious SA Pinot doesn’t put a foot out of place. A pitter-patter of tannins, delicate length and sweet, squishy cherry fruit. Yum.

WINE Spring day grazing at Villiera

September 6th, 2009 — kim maxwell | 1 comment

Our conversation in the car on the first day of spring focused on eating habits and small versus large appetites, bringing to mind a colleague’s recent trip through the Kruger Park with inlaws. It’s that tricky situation we’ve all experienced when travelling with people we’re too polite to be forceful with about the catering arrangements, wondering whether their idea of a good meal is a slug of coffee or a full cook up.

Waking at the crack of dawn to witness animals in the wild at their best is only pleasant if you know you can expect breakfast or at least lunch after five hours. If not, there is little to focus your mind away from a rumbling stomach. My colleague and I are definitely of the hearty chomping variety, not grazers satisfied with ad hoc snacks.

Imagine our disappointment then after a 1pm start time to taste the new wine vintages at Villiera (website http://www.villiera.co.za/) and the lure of a big-name chef, to discover that lunch was grazing-style and on the run. One clever touch was a Caesar salad served in sabraged bubbly bottle tops, upturned and stacked in the traditional wooden bubbly riddling racks. But that’s all I sampled, so we wouldn’t miss the first safari drive to view game in a section of Villiera’s new Stellenbosch conservancy.

Villiera will be opening the conservancy and wine safari drives to the public on appointment during the summer season and they seem like a lot of fun. Together with a neighbour’s collaboration, a 175ha property is being developed as a wildlife sanctuary. The area is stocked with game and includes 10 dams and marshy areas that attract birdlife.

Villiera’s Brut Natural 2007 was launched too. It’s bone dry at 2.14g per litre residual sugar but elegant nevertheless. I found it lovely and fresh. Cellarmaster Jeff Grier says the Brut Natural is a hit with health-orientated customers who believe they are allergic to sulphur in wine. In this wine’s favour: incredibly low levels of sulphur, low alcohol at 12 percent, and no additives. Villiera’s first vintage of Brut Natural was released in 1998, and it’s become such a popular drink that volumes routinely sell out. Grier would love to make still wines with low sulphur but it’s too risky. Bubbly it will be then.

RECIPE Have another piece of chocolate cake

September 1st, 2009 — kim maxwell | 8 comments

I have that old Crowded House song in my head. “Can I have another piece of chocolate cake?” The rest of the lyrics deal with buying cheap Picasso fakes and Andy Warhol laughing in his grave. No idea what it’s really about but I’m happy because my weekend chocolate cake attempt was fantastic!

Let’s say I’m a fairly decent cook. I throw savoury things together hurriedly and the flavours work; when I set my mind and time to recipes they mostly perform on cue. I’ve never been great at pastry but I used to be pretty good at baking when growing up. British cooking wiz Delia Smith says baking is the one area where you have to stick to precise measurements and she’s right.

So I’ve found it incredibly annoying that after spending years in Asia where stirfry-orientated stovetops are standard in rented kitchens but ovens are not, I was finally armed with baking tools again. A reliable Defy oven, and a coveted Kitchen Aid artisanal mixer, the latter a collective wedding gift from generous family. Yet I still had baking flops.

Was it the recipe, the oven or me? The lightbulb moment was when somebody told me conventional fan-assisted ovens should be reduced by 10 degrees, the baking time shortened by five minutes or so.

I’ve edited enough chefs’ recipes and found crucial steps omitted to not even attempt some of them. I was in search of a rich and gooey chocolate cake recipe, ditching plainer versions from the very user-friendly cookbooks of Ainsley Harriott, Tessa Kiros, Rick Stein, Pete Goffe-Wood and Lannice Snyman in my collection. Then in a worn copy of Donna Hay’s Flavours I found an entire chapter devoted to chocolate recipes. A layered chocolate fudge cake sounded perfect, the synergy with Donna’s cookbook name only sinking in later.

The result? Reducing the oven temperature and baking time meant the recipe worked like a dream. Quality Nomu cocoa powder for the sponge, double layers halved and filled with chocolate cream.

A word of caution. This was no budget or diet-friendly version; three packs of melted Lindt 70% chocolate later, blended with butter and cream… But it was delicious and the sugar-free fudge frosting kept it bittersweet and not overly rich. A splash of Frangelico liqueur even kept it decent on day three. Three rugby-watching boys on Saturday afternoon were extremely happy to supplement their beer and biltong with a coffee and chocolate break. And most importantly, it seems I’m finally getting my baking groove back!

Contact me via email if you want to try Donna Hay’s delicious recipe, with my modifications. I’m reducing the fudge quantities as there was a heap left over.

Flavour Cape