December 19, 2024
Farewell 2013, hello 2014
(OUT & ABOUT)
Eating out in Cape Town is oh-so-easy. With long summer days stretching from sunrise before 5am to sunset around 9 — there is plenty of time to enjoy all sorts of relaxation, good food and plenty of wine. And we did — from a tiny dim restaurant on Long Street at the top of the city centre, to a 400 seater with multiple kitchens offering everything from sushi to steak close to the waterfront.
Parts of old Cape Town have been transformed with industrial buildings re-purposed into high end shopping centres and restaurants. One such is the Old Biscuit Mill in Woodstock, host to numerous boutique shops and on Saturdays, a neighbourhood goods market. We bought cheeses sourced from local farms, different olives, organic chickens and beautiful Karoo lamb. Long tables with mismatched chairs are set out in the market centre and punters can grab anything from a coffee to a cocktail to accompany breakfast wraps, sweet treats or more substantial burgers, steaks and curries. Need to get there early though. By 10am, even on the only overcast damp day, we couldn’t move — grabbed our pretty cupcakes and fled.
Highlight of our eating out experience was the Pot Luck Club on the top floor — access in an all glass elevator — with expansive 360 degree views. Table Bay Docks and Robben Island on one side, Table Mountain on the other — and from the ladies loo — the southern peninsula spread out to the mountains.
Menu is divided into five taste sections — Salty, Sweet, Sour, Bitter and Umami — plus sweet endings. Described as the fifth taste, umami was a new one on me. The word is borrowed from the Japanese and was coined in 1908 by a chemist at Tokyo University, Kikunae Ikeda. Parmesan has been described as the most umami taste in Western cookery — otherwise fermented foods, soy sauce and marmite help give an indication of this moreish but difficult to describe taste. Ikeda’s research led him to pinpoint glutanate as the savoury source and he went on to produce it in industrial quantities patenting the notorious flavour enhancer MSG!
Umami tastes on the pot luck menu included spectacular mushrooms on toast sprinkled with grated lemon, parmesan and porcini dust. Also smoked beef fillet with black pepper and truffle cream and the avocado ritz served in a gorgeous retro silver goblet. Presentation is beautiful — think slate, glass, weathered wood and hand-thrown pottery. Water comes in copious jugs flavoured with lemon and mint. Waiters are knowledgeable and the ambience laid-back.
In a large group of ten people we were able to taste almost everything and it was a continual delight with wonderful juxtapositions of flavours. We sampled steamed edamame beans (green soya beans) salty with miso and toasted garlic salt, served in the pod and peeled on the table. Korean chicken with pineapple and miso slaw was a taste sensation. Favourites included the meltingly soft pork belly flavoured with Chinese 5 spice and roasted apple, the glazed beef with a soft steamed bun and sweet pickles and the Moroccan lamb ribs with a rosemary and cumin roti. Dipping into the shared plates was a convivial way to eat. Bitter taste was a blood orange and gin sorbet served as a refresher half way through the meal — and we finished with delicious desserts — stem ginger ice cream with melted chocolate fondant, startling pop corn ice-cream and seriously strong espressos.
Individual dishes range from ZAR30 to ZAR90 and the total worked out just under US$40 a head including a lot of wine and the gratuity.
Great way to end the year and looking forward to new taste combos in 2014.
