HOT PROPERTY
HOT PLATE We chat to
TAMARIN VAN ZYL,
A cookbook to get your teeth into, and fine dining restaurants for New Year and beyond
the new head chef at Singita Sabi Sand’s Ebony Lodge.
To be working at Singita is such an amazing experience, with new and exciting challenges every day. I plan to source seasonal ingredients that are indigenous to the area and culture of this region. I want to incorporate more personalised recipes, traditional recipes that were used by our greatgrandmothers, to give our guests a real South African flavour experience. I am also learning how to prepare true Shangaan recipes and will be incorporating these into my menus.
Q What are your favourite ingredients to work with and what is one of your favourite dishes to prepare? The best ingredient for the perfect meal is great company. I love simple, honest food. I always say: life is too complicated, why make your food complicated? I love home-made jams, slow-cooked sauces and freshly baked bread with assorted cheese and meats, and my absolute favourite is gnocchi. Also, a good bottle of red wine always helps to inspire me.
Shades of Gray
Chef and restaurateur Philippe Wagenfuhrer has opened up a Joburg foodie haven on the East Rand called the Gray Restaurant. Encompassing all that is our fave city, the restaurant is located in a semi-industrial area in Boksburg and embraces sparse decor and an innovative menu. The decor, in shades of grey, of course, is modern and minimalist. Philippe has taken a puristic approach to his ingredients, and so vegetables, cheese, coffee, chocolate and wine are sourced from artisanal producers who can guarantee the quality of their products. Even the beer, which is sold on-tap, is sourced from a local microbrewery. Gray is in essence a steakhouse, and the beef is free-range and hormone-free. Open for breakfast and lunch from Monday to Sunday and for dinner from Thursday to Saturday. +27 (0)11 823 4184, gray-restaurant.com
Three, two, one …
Q What was it like to work at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant in London?
It was amazing. It enabled me to develop my passion and knowledge for Italian cooking and gave me a sense of honest flavours and seasonal ingredients. The kindness and generosity shown by the chefs there, especially when it came to imparting their knowledge, was unsurpassed. The experience engraved my passion for this industry even deeper.
Q Your dream guest?
American mega-chef and award-winning author of cookbooks such as The French Laundry and Under Pressure, Thomas Keller. He has been a true inspiration to me throughout my career. +27 (0)13 735 9800, singita.com
Start your new year in style at the Saxon Boutique Hotel, Villas & Spa in Sandhurst, where Executive Chef Nancy Kinchela has created a sumptuous menu. Leading up to a flourish of champagne and fireworks at midnight is a culinary feast to tantalise even the most discerning palate. Entrées include duck consommé served with poached quail’s egg with gold leaf or tomato consommé with basil tortellini. Mains include slow-cooked pork belly with roast lobster and artichoke, lamb set (slow cooked lamb loin, braised lamb shank ‘praline’) or gnocchi, truffle and chervil with wild mushrooms. Pre-dessert is a black-pepper cheesecake with rum granite, seed and nut croquant and tropical fruit sorbet. The pièce de résistance? Espresso dark chocolate mousse cake followed by a decadent cheese platter. +27 (0)11 292 6000, saxon.co.za
14 | December 2011
Tamarin van Zyl interview by Catherine Riley
Q What exciting new dishes will you be bringing to Ebony Lodge’s menu?