Chef Interview - Jan Scannell

Jan Scannell, also known as Jan Braai, is the founder of Braai4heritage, who has made quite a name for himself in South Africa and abroad.  I got in touch with him to ask him a few questions...

 Q:  BRAAI4HERITAGE – WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO CREATE THIS NOW COMMONLY KNOWN BRAND?
 A: The idea is/was not to create a brand, but a national day of celebration. Some other leading nations of the world have national days of celebration and we did not/don't have one. The best example of a national day of celebration is StPatricks day of Ireland. Next step in thought process is that we have some religious and political holidays, and then we have one day, heritage day, that is actually designed to celebrate South Africa, and every part that combines to form South Africa. This day was really underutilised but I think we are getting there in terms of having active and inclusive celebrations on the day.

 Q:  HOW DID YOU SPEND THIS YEARS HERITAGE DAY?
 A: I had a braai in Parkview with JR and Shugasmakx (Skwatta Kamp) at midnight. Then slept for a few hours after which I went to ETV studios for a live on-air braai during the morning news. From there to Soweto where we gave away 150 live sheep to the readers of Daily Sun and listeners of JoziFM. The police and SPCA was there to monitor that all went smoothly. Next stop was a mass braai in Edenvale, and from there to a Top Billing shoot and braai with my friend Jeannie D. (Last year she accompanied me on the whole whirlwind tour on the 24th). From there I went to a braai in Rivonia hosted by Gareth Cliff, who is an Braai4Heritage ambassador. By now it was late in the day, so I headed back to Soweto for a braai with few thousand people in Thokoza park hosted by JoziFM. (JoziFM is the community radio station of Soweto).

 Q:  DO YOU MARINATE YOUR MEAT, AND IF SO, WITH WHAT?
 A: Usually not. Marinade tends to burn. I frequently braai meat as is, with no marinade and no spices or salt. When the meat is 75% done, I take it off and marinade and spice it, then it goes back on for the final 25%. In this way the marinade is warm and glazed, but it does not burn. The only reason to leave meat in marinade overnight is so that it would be less tough. But I think its easier to just buy meat that is not tough in the first place. Obviously there are exceptions and certain cuts or meals are fantastic when marinated and then braaied over slow heat.

 Q:  IF ITS RAINING, AND YOU HAD TO WHIP TOGETHER A DINNER FOR FRIENDS, WHAT WOULD YOU MAKE?
 A: I would cook a curry. (But first choice is to braai under an umbrella, or to have a built in braai inside your house.

 Q:  WHAT DO YOU NEVER BRAAI, AND DON’T SAY YOUR PETS?
 A: I don't like to braai pork loin chops, as they are invariably dry. Pork neck chops on the other hand are fantastic. Then I have never braaied a Texan/BlouBul steak. They are nice and big to look at, but I think they will be tough to eat. (As I type this answer my jaw literally just contracted by the thought of having to chew that thing). I am a massive fan of real home made braaibroodjies (cheese, onion, tomato, chutney between two slices of toaster bread), but I don't like those factory made braaibroodjies that look like little Portuguese rolls, have funny flavours like chili cheese & garlic and taste very artificial.

 Q:  MOST EMBARRASING BRAAI MOMENT?
 A: I try to stick to a few basic principles, and that keeps the embarrassment level down. The following tips are all based on personal experiences of embarrassing myself:
Meat does not burn, its the marinade or spices, so if you spice it later, then you don't burn the meat. Every now and again I re-learn this. Then, running out of coals mid braai is embarrassing, so make more than enough fire (and make sure you have enough wood or charcoal do make enough fire). Overdone meat loses taste, so rather take it off too early, cut and look at the inside of one piece. That is much less of a crime that to overcook the meat. Most of all, buy quality meat from a butcher that you can trust. No matter how well you braai a steak, a piece of boerewors, a lamb chop, a snoek, if the meat was bad in the first place, it will taste bad.

 Q:  WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE AT YOUR NEXT BRAAI?
 A: All my friends

 Q:  WHATS THE STRANGEST THING YOU HAVE EVER BRAAIED?
 A: Vegetarian patties

 Q:  WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THE WORDS “GOURMET BRAAI”?
 A: Make every braai one. I think that South Africa is now liberated and democratic enough that you can braai what you want and how you want. So whatever idea you saw on the cooking channel, or on the menu of some pretentious overpriced restaurant, you can also try that at home on the braai.

 Q:  YOU MENTIONED TO ME THAT YOU DO NO LIKE THE TERM “BRAAI MASTER” - PLEASE ELABORATE.
 A: Braai-Master, Braai-Off etc. These phrases all imply some measure of competition and the superiority of some over others. I don't think this the spirit of braaing. Everything that I said above is open for debate, and I am sure there are many guys that have other ways of doing it, and also arrive at great braaied results.

Eat @ Forty Three Restaurant

Get it Magazine - JHB West, October

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The Golden Wors Challenge

So the heat was on for national braai day this year, and I was challenged by an infamous “braai master” (Albert Van Den Berg) to a “braai-athon”, who guaranteed me that he would ‘braai me under the table’.  And who was I to refuse such a challenge?

The clients to whom I am currently consulting to opened up their gorgeous home for the challenge, fully stocked with enough booze, snacks and top quality meat and wors to feed a small Ethiopian army and invited a few friends around to help judge who would be taking home the golden wors. 

Beers were already flowing by just after mid-day, in true South African style, so you can just imagine how the afternoon ended (or should I say late evening!).  The meat was separated into two containers, so that we could marinate the beef fillet with our own secret recipes.  The fact that Albert had his meat marinating from the early morning already gave him a slight advantage, but I that didn’t perturb me in the slightest, as you don’t actually need to marinate beef fillet.  Alas, I very quickly whipped up a marinade anyway from what I could find in the dry store to ensure that the meat was melt-in-the mouth and had just that little extra bit of flavour.  The beef fillet that we had was already portioned by the butcher, and far too thinly if you ask me – another reason for the marinade.  (If you are using a tougher cut of meat, such as sirloin, its best to marinade it for a few hours in the fridge, using a mixture of acidic ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice or wine, as well what ever flavours you want to infuse – garlic, fresh herbs etc.)

I was at the Bryanston Organic & Natural Market earlier in the week, were I managed to get my hands on some Toulouse sausage (a great French sausage made from pork, smoked bacon, garlic & white wine), some great local cheeses and a selection of preserves from Wyckedd.  With Albert up first demonstrating his tricks of the braai trade, I put together two salads and a delicious gorgonzola garlic bread.  I used the Toulouse sausage in a salad with butterbeans, fresh rocket, spring onion and feta with loads of parsley and lashings of a quick vinaigrette made from extra virgin olive oil, wholegrain mustard, apple cider vinegar and a dash of honey.  My second salad was a variety of mixed leaves, cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and shavings of drunken pecorino – nice and simple. I must admit that I cheated a little and bought potato salad from Woolies, that I doctored with fresh basil and spring onion – don’t judge me!

We all ate like kings and queens, and to keep everybody’s drunken egos in check, we decided to call it a draw. 

What an amazing day – thank you to Jan Scannell, founder of braai4herritage, for helping to unite a nation around the fire on the 24^th of September, and keeping the braai flame alive. 

Braai4Heritage

What are your thoughts on Foie Gras?

Review: Roots Restaurant

I was thrilled to be invited to Roots for dinner last night, especially as they earned their position as one of the countries top ten restaurants two years in a row.

We made a reservation for 19h30, and all six of us arrived at around seven so that we could have a drink in the bar opposite the restaurant before beginning our gourmet extravaganza.  I was a little annoyed after sitting down for 10 minutes and no one came in to offer us a drink.  I naturally got up and walked into the restaurant to request some service.  After driving down a dirt road for 10 minutes in the pitch black of night, I needed a drink desperately. 

Other than the lack of service when we first arrived, the rest of the evenings service was fantastic – every little detail was attended to.  I could not sit down and remove my jacket on my own, because a friendly waiter was always right behind me to assist in taking off my jacket and pulling my seat out for me to sit down.  

There was no a la carte menu – and as far as I can gather, there never is.  It’s always a set menu of 6 courses, with the option of having wine “teasers” with each course, paired by the evenings wine steward, Shaun Marais.  

The menu for the evening was as follows, with my opinion under each:

1.    Butternut Air with toasted pumpkin

Absolutely delicious – as the name describes, it was a very light and airy butternut soup, served with toasted pumpkin seeds

2.    Malay pickled Kingklip, cucumber & aioli

Pickled fish is not my favourite, so this didn’t go down too well.  I also found this to be a little dry, as did the rest of the table.  Perhaps more aioli would have rectified this?  The cucumber tasted more like a ceviche, and had more seafood flavours than the Kingklip itself.

3.    Tempura Lobster with tomato jam & salsa

The texture of the lobster was fantastic, yet the batter seemed to kill the delicate flavour of the lobster.  Great tasting dish none the less.

4.    Crispy Duck Leg, ginger risotto & pak choy

I LOVE duck – its right up there with foie gras and caviar for me!  The duck was very tasty, however lacked the crispyness as suggested in the name of this dish.   The risotto was cooked to perfection, with just the right amount of ginger – a winner.  The wine paired with this dish was completely off though – Zorgvliet Cabernet Sauvignon (2005) completely overpowered this dish.

5.    Lamb Shoulder, baby vegetables, wild eryngii & gnocchi

Although beautifully presented, I found this dish to be very mediocre.

6.    Black Pepper Brulee, with strawberry sorbet & caramel

A delicious combination of flavours in this dessert, but again, rather mediocre.   The Weltevrede “Ouma Se Wyn” that was served with the dessert is a delightful dessert wine.  One of the other guests suggested a squeeze of lemon juice into it, which I would usually say is sacrilege, but was actually a really nice way to balance the sweetness without destroying the flavours of the wine.

For the six of us, all of whom chose to go with the wine “teasers” with each course, the bill came to just over R5,000.  Granted we ordered an extra two bottles of wine and numerous Patrones, I find this rather pricey.

All in all, I can see that Roots has the potential to be in the countries top ten, but I’m assuming that on the night we went, they were not on top form.   One of our guests said that he frequents Roots regularly and that our night was not one of the better nights that he has experienced. 

I will definitely go back to give them another go – it’s a rarity in Johannesburg to be able to experience true gourmet food, unlike Cape Town where the competition in the fine dining arena is a lot more fierce. 

http://www.forumhomini.com/roots/roots_restaurant.html

KREAM RESTAURANT - Pretoria

Kream Restaurant in the heart of Brooklyn, Pretoria, is probably one of the most aesthetically pleasing restaurant I have ever been to in South Africa.  You can have a squiz at their website, but the pictures really don’t do the real thing justice.  

I have been consulting here over the last 6 weeks, rejuvenating their menu and bringing a bit of gourmet to the already gorgeous restaurant.  

We spent the first four weeks running the new menu items as specials to get feedback from the loyal clientele and see which dishes will earn their place on the new menu, which is to be launched early next week.  

The restaurant is owned and run by Tufan Yerebakan, along with his partners Reinhardt and Victor, all of who work the most ridiculous hours to ensure that Kream is run like a well oiled ship - which it really is.  The service is fantastic, with all food specials and orders taken by the management (a team of five), with the drinks orders taken care of by the very well trained and knowledgable waitresses.  This is the same method of service used on most international cruise liners, and works a charm.  

There is a very comprehensive wine list, which is well priced and offers everything from entry level wines to the more sophisticated and rare wines that have been specifically chosen by Kream’s in-house sommelier, Sean Trollop.

With the new menu going live early next week, I am confident that Kream will move from it’s current 3rd place position on tripadvisor.com on restaurants to visit in SA to 1st in no time.

Now you know where to go if your in the Pretoria area and need to experience first class hospitality.  And if you want to do it in true style, give Kream a call before hand and arrange for the Kream Limo to come and collect you! 

www.kream.co.za 

+2 7 1 2  3 4 6  4 6 4 2  / 4 

Video: Snail Porridge

Review: Duchess of Wisbeach

Review: Duchess of Wisbeach

Me and my good friend were on a mission to ensure that we visited all the new restaurants that have popped up over the last year in Cape Town, one of them being the Duchess of Wisbeach in Sea Point, but could never get a reservation – which I think is normally a good thing.  For a restaurant to be fully booked from day one is quite a feather in ones hat!

We made an early booking for 7pm, so where the first to arrive.  We sat at the bar for a drink first, but there was no barman on duty, so the chef was called out of the kitchen to make our cocktails.  It was their signature cocktail (I’m assuming, with it being called the Duchess of Wisbeach Cocktail) and was so delicious it was consumed within a few sips!

While sitting at the quaint little bar staring into the stuffed cows head above us, the manager walked in from outside and greeted by the owner with “where the F*&$ have you been” on the top of her voice – I almost fell off my chair!  She continued with her abusive banter completely oblivious to the fact that we were sitting there.  We promptly decided to go to our table for our long awaited catch up and to see the much anticipated menu. 

The tables are really close together, so this is not the sort of place to go if you want to have a quiet and discreet evening.  The service was just the way I like it – friendly, confident and enthusiastic, without any pretences. 

The menu is far from interesting, with things like cottage pie (R90!!) and fish and chips (??) on offer on the very small menu.

We ordered the fish sticks and the gorgonzola stuffed baby onions wrapped in pancetta with fresh rocket for starters, which were both very average. 

For mains we had fillet with béarnaise and chips and the line fish of the day, sole with Dauphinoise potatoes.  Veggies are an optional extra, and come in the form of spinach with parmesan or gem squash.  The fillet was a little over cooked and very dry, which would have been compensated for by the béarnaise, had there been enough of it.  The sole was delicious, but a bit on the salty side, and the Dauphinoise potatoes were absolutely divine.

We decided to pass on the desserts, with home made ice cream being the waitresses recommendation.  I asked if they had an ice cream machine, which they didn’t, so not sure if it was “bought-in-home-made ice cream” or semifreddo – Ill forgive them for not knowing the difference.

The manager and service was the highlight of the evening, as well as the décor – the screaming owner and below average food their downfall.  I love dogs, so didn’t mind them floating around the restaurant, but do understand that some may find it a little strange.

If you wanting a Gordon Ramsay style evening of entertainment, the Duchess of Wisbeach is worth a visit (and I’m not referring to Gordons food).  If your looking for a quiet evening with a gourmet offering, then I would suggest somewhere else.

The Duchess of Wisbeach – 021 434 1525

http://www.eatout.co.za/restaurants/5960/cape-town/international/the-duchess-of-wisbeach%C2%A0

Review: Five Flies Restaurant

You’ve got to love winters in Cape Town if your a foodie.  All of the top restaurants jump on the winter specials band wagon with deals that are well worth taking advantage of. 

I went to Five Flies last night for the first time in almost two years, which is disgraceful considering it’s one of my all time favourites in Slaapstad. 

Their 2 course menu which is usually R185 is reduced to R125, and the 3 course from R235 to a measly R150, and both include a glass of wine - you can’t even go to the Spur for a 3 course and glass of wine for R150!! 

I worked with the infamous Alex Van Ness at Five Flies many moons ago, where I learnt some really invaluable lessons in running a fine dining establishment from the master himself.

The service as usual was fantastic.  I love it when waiters can balance the art of being professional yet still be themselves, without the pretentiousness often found with fine-dining restaurant staff.  The emphasis at Five Flies has always been on team work among staff, so you will often have different waiters serving your drinks and food, therefore never waiting too long for anything. 

The fact that the menu has not changed much over the last decade speaks for itself - “if it aint broke, then don’t fix it!”

I had the foie gras for a starter (there is a supplement charge for certain things on the menu, which your waiter explains before you order and is quite self explanatory on the menu itself) which was a decent portion and cooked to perfection.  Still nice and pink on the inside, served on a corn fritter, roasted baby beetroot and a balsamic syrup.

For mains I ordered the Springbok Wellington with mushroom duxelle, roasted butternut and foie gras, with a truffle jus!! Oh so yummy, and not at all dry as one could expect from venison done in this style.  My guests had the mussels and smoked salmon for starters, followed by the duck and the lamb shank special.  All delicious, except for the confit duck which was a bit over cooked.  We informed the manager who promptly took it off the bill without a second thought!

The Five Flies is located on Keerom street, right opposite the legal fraternity of Cape Town, and is well worth a visit, even if just to experience the beautiful building in which it resides for an after work cocktail.  If you have always dreamed of marrying an attorney or a judge, pop in after work and you may well meet your match!

Our bill for three people, two of whom had a two course meal, and one a three course, plus extra glasses of wine all round, came to R725 including a generous tip.  Seriously good value for money!!

Trading Hours:

Lunch: Monday to Friday 

12H00 - 15H00

Dinner: Monday to Sunday

18H00 to 23H00

021 424 4442 - booking essential