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

Click on image to enlarge and read the article

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 

First For Woman “Hot Man Chef” Competition

To promote Mothers Day, First For Women ran a competition for all their clients – “WIN A HOT MAN CHEF FOR A WEEK”.  Yip, you guessed it, I was the “hot” man chef – I really think I should update my pics on my website!

Upstream Advertising and Black River FC conceptualized and coordinated the competition, which was advertised countrywide. 

The winner was Johannesburg based Agnieszka Plaskocinska’s (I dare you to pronounce that after a couple of glasses of wine), who opted for a 3 course dinner for 8 people over three nights as apposed to four people over a week.   

Agnieszka and her family were an absolute pleasure to cook for – always full of compliments and gratitude.  I suppose when you are use to cooking dinner everyday after a hard days work, it becomes so habitual that you don’t even consider what it must be like to come home and just relax while dinner is prepared for you.  And I seriously doubt that many families cook a three-course dinner every day, so it was quite a nice prize if you ask me!

Some of the meals Agnieszka had cooked and served to her were:

Cauliflower and parmesan soup with truffles & croutons;  Line fish on chorizo and black olive risotto, saffron cream and crispy basil;  Tripple Lindt brownies with hazelnut cream and vanilla pod ice cream.  Each meal was paired with a local wine.

JHB Restaurants vs CT Restaurants

 To me, Johannesburg is the city of milk and honey in South Africa.

It amazes me to see how much money is invested in restaurants here, especially in the décor.  Yet the menu pricing in Johannesburg’s restaurants seems to be very similar, if not cheaper than that of Cape Towns.  Read on and you may agree with my sentiments as to why I say this…

I went to Orient Restaurant in Melrose Arch a few nights ago, and felt like I could have been in a leading London restaurant - the décor was amazing!  Upon our arrival, we were greeted by very friendly and welcoming staff, who could not help themselves in commenting on our outfits – we had just come from a black tie launch of a new TV series, The A List (launching on SABC3).  We played it very cool, as if this was the way we always dressed when eating out… ;)

We sat downstairs in the very funky bar area that also served as the smoking area for diners.  I must have looked like a lost tourist the way I inspected the room before being seated.  What really amazed me was the bathrooms; unisex, each fitted with its own basin, mirror and mini flat screen TV!  Never to be bored on the toilet again…

The menu was quite vast with options, all with of Asian decent, and reasonably priced.  I could not help comparing it to my favourite Cape Town restaurant, Kitima in Hout Bay.  Kitima though, has a lot more offering in terms of menu choices, and in my opinion, a much better menu, all be it slightly more expensive. 

We started off with a dim sum platter, which was R98, and consisted of a variety of three, totaling 6 pieces.  I was not impressed by the presentation or the texture of the rice paper, which seemed over cooked and gooey. It was presented in a bamboo basket with slices of carrot under the dim sum, which was tastier than the dim sum itself. 

We decided to go with a variety of starters as apposed to a main meal, so this may not be a fair review of the entire menu – but as I have said before: this is more my opinion based on my experience than a restaurant review.  The prawn tempura looked really messy when presented to us, and definitely could have been cooked a little longer.  The tempura batter was not crispy and was still white in colour.  We ordered quite a selection, which was accompanied by lots of bubbly, so you will forgive me if I cannot remember the rest of what we ordered.  For dessert, we shared the ginger crème brulee and the banana and chocolate spring rolls – both very average.

I would like to leave you with a question and open this to a debate – is eating out more about the décor and the vibe for you, or is it about food?  I can classify certain restaurants that I would go to purely for the vibe and forgive the average food offerings, and I have restaurants that I frequent were a minimal amount is spent on décor, but the food is phenomenal!  I have not eaten out enough in Joeys to pass an opinion on which city has the better food offering, but my gut is telling me so far that it is Cape Town – what are your thoughts??

HecticNine9 - SABC2

On Thursday 27th of May, I was invited to come co-present the very popular kiddies show on SABC2, HecticNine9, which is broadcast live at 16h00 weekdays. 

The theme for the day was food glorious food, and I had to demonstrate a couple of dishes that are easy to prepare and  more nutritious than the regular fast food alternatives.

First up was a smoothie to give the younger foodies a sustainable energy boost for the day, that tasted great and was incredibly healthy:

1 banana

1/2 cup of fat free vanilla yoghurt

2 tbsp goji berries (highest anti-oxidant food on the planet)

1 tsp organic raw chocolate nibs

1 tbsp raw honey

1/2 cup fat free milk

Add all except the milk to the blender and blend until smooth, then water down to a drinking consistency with the milk.

The next easy-peasy dish was an alternative to the common toasted cheese sandwich - a very tasty wrap:

1 tortilla

1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, grated

2 slices country ham (not the processed type!)

3 thin slices of tomato, seasoned with salt & pepper

Small handful fresh rocket

Cover the tortilla with the mozzarella and then either toast it under the grill or simply pop it in the micro for 20 seconds to melt the cheese.  Place the ham and tomato over half of the tortilla, followed by the rocket.  Fold over once as tightly as you can, then fold in the sides, and continue rolling it up until you get a nice little package.  Slice diagonally down the middle, and VOILA - a healthy alternative to a fatty melted cheese sandwich.  

The show was actually great fun, which ended in a massive food fight - not ideal when my next meeting was at the One&Only 6 star hotel in the waterfront, with cream still dripping out of my ear - charming!
For more pictures of the shoot, go here: http://www.jasonwhitehead.co.za/Jason_Whitehead/My_Albums/Pages/TV_Stuff_1.html

A very big thank you to talented photographer, Drikus le Roux for spending the day with me on set:

web: www.drikusleroux.com

Recipes: Malva Pudding

Quick 'n Easy puddings are way up there on my Sunday night decadency's, and as with all my recipes, I gave this Malva my own little twist.  I like playing with my food and sometimes the combinations won't appeal to everyone, so feel free to serve yours with just plain vanilla ice cream.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
50g of soft butter
2 tbsp of apricot jam (I used an apricot and passionfruit jam I bought when I was in Zanzibar)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda


Preheat your oven to 190 degrees.
Using an electric mixer (or whisk if you have the energy), and mix the sugar, butter, jam, vinegar and egg together until well combined and sugar is almost dissolved.  Add your flour and mix for a minute or so, followed by your milk and bicarb.  Pour the mixture into a glass or oven proof dish - no need to butter and flour it first - nice and easy.
Bake for about 45 minutes until nicely browned and set.


Meanwhile, make your sauce and custard:
SAUCE
50g of butter
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup peach or orange juice (I combined the two)
1/4 cup of water
3/4 cup of cream


Heat together until sugar is dissolved


CUSTARD
3 egg yolks 
1/2 cup of brown sugar (usually you would use castor sugar, but I wanted a caramelly flavour to the custard)
1 cup of pouring cream
1 vanilla pod
1 tsp good instant coffee


Beat the eggs and sugar until sugar has dissolved and becomes a pale yellow colour.  Gently bring the cream, coffee and scraped vanilla pod to the boil.  While beating the egg yolk mixture, pour in a dash of the hot cream mixture, then pour the egg yolks into the cream, beating all the time.  Put back onto the stove on a very low heat and keep beating it until you get the desired consistency.  Pass it through a sieve to remove the vanilla pod and set aside.


Once the malva is cooked, remove the oven and pierce it quite a few times with a fork.  While it is still hot, ladle the sauce on a spoon at a time allowing the pudding to absorb it before adding another spoon.


Serve hot with the custard, drizzle with some maple syrup and some toasted coconut.  Take it one step further and serve it with coconut ice cream... mmmmm!  

Chefs taking the piss - classic

Cape Town Chef and Nutcase - Jonno Proudfoot

JW - How did you get into working as a chef?

"When I left school, I had no idea what I wanted to do when a friend of a friend asked me to help out for day at his catering company. After frying 15kgs of Bacon and half a million eggs for a breakie buffet, I had to stuff flavoured butter under the skin of some chicken legs. I had seen Janie Oliver doing it on TV a week or so before and I was just loving it. At the end of that 16 hour shift, the guy gave me some cash for my efforts. I couldn’t believe I just got paid for having such a jol mucking about with food, so I suppose that was that!"

JW - Have you had any international cooking experience?

"I’ve had three UK missions but never at any fancy restaurants. I was the sous chef a restaurant on Leicester Square and I ran a breakfast restaurant in Mayfair. I also ran a pub kitchen in Bournemouth during my gap year but at that point I was more about the party than the work. I learned most of what I know at GINjA Restaurant in Cape Town and the rest I got from my enormous book collection and old faithful Google!"

JW - You presented a show on TV I hear – tell me a little more?

"That was a hoot!!! It was a kids cooking show called What’s Your Flava. Kids sent in their own recipes then two crazy twins and I had to cook them up under a heavy time constraint with no escape from the cameras. Heaps of fun but I had to keep a close eye on my language and sense of humour. They used to edit out half my jokes and lots of bloopers"

JW - Anymore TV appearances in the pipeline?

"I’ve been brainstorming a couple ideas lately but I’m in no rush at this point. I’m busy wrapping up a degree in Accounting so I’m trying not to over commit to anything else. Once I get those extra letters behind my name, banks will to be a lot easier to squeeze money out of. I’m not sure I’m finished with TV yet."

JW - What inspires your menus and cooking style?

"Most definitely the occasion I’m cooking for. Whenever I invent a dish I always consider who it’s for, what’s in season, how much effort it’s worth and most importantly how its going got be eaten. My style has changed dramatically in the last two years from hard core fusion fine dining to unfussy, relaxed country style. Whatever ingredient I’m working with, I always try to find a way to enhance the flavour as best I can. I used to find myself wasting so much time making my food look precious that I often neglected the actual deliciousness of it. I rarely pimp my dishes with fancy garnishes (so nineties)! You’ve got to keep it real."

JW - What other chefs inspire you?

"He’s received a lot of criticism but I really enjoy Jamie Oliver. He’s all fun and games on the outside but he’s a cunning businessman and he’s built up a fantastic brand with his name. He also made cooking cool. Before he came around we had Keith Floyd and Delia Smith so I think he’s had a huge influenced on people’s perception of food. Some others would be Nigel Slater (when I read his books I want to eat the pages), Gordon Ramsay, Nobu Matsuhisa and Thomas Keller (although I think he talks too much)."

JW - What do you eat at home?

"I eat quite healthily during the week. Lots of salads, pulses, grilled chicken with light sauces and dressings, tomato pastas and the occasional soup. On weekends though, I’ll chow just about anything. My favourite is a thick steak with mushroom sauce and fat cut potato wedges with some roast cherry tomatoes, rocket and shaved parmesan. In summer I go nuts for seared tuna with simple soy dressings fresh thai style salads and stir fries. I’m also a bit of a sushi slut."

JW - So what is your advice to young chefs thinking of getting into a job as a chef?

"Firstly, I would recommend doing some job shadowing. Chef school is expensive and I’ve seen so many chefs do the training at college and buckle once they hit the real kitchen because they can’t handle the pressure or the hours. Best get a sneak preview before blowing all that cash on something that doesn’t rev your motor. It’s flipping tough and senior chefs aren’t renowned for their leadership abilities and people skills. I would also recommend honing your business skills. Some of the greatest chefs in the world still have no idea how to run a business. Whether you’re working for yourself or a restaurateur, someone in the picture will be trying to make some cash. If you can manage your food cost properly and talk business with non foodies, you’ll be ticking extra boxes that make you easier to employ or lend money too."

Jonno is currently the Chef and Marketing Manager at Cloof Wine Estate - a man of many talents!

Review: Waterkloof Restaurant

WOW - what an amazing way to spend a Sunday afternoon! Unbelievably beautiful setting, amazing food, friendly and efficient service, great company and lots of laughter brought on by lots of fantastic wine!

Waterkloof wine estate and restaurant is tucked away in a hidden ravine on the slopes of Somerset West, with the most spectacular views over False Bay.

We arrived fairly early, as the only time available when making our booking was at 12h30, and were greeted in the parking lot by the most well spoken, well mannered and bubbly car guard I have ever seen. What a great first impression!

I’m not going to rant on about the amazing restaurant layout and decor (you can go to the website gallery and have a look - www.waterkloofwines.com), because the food and service deserve more of the glory - I could not fault a thing... well almost.

Its becoming a bit rehearsed now in most restaurants when the waiter is taught to up-sell by asking “would you like still or sparkling water for the table”, which is obviously then added to your bill. At Waterkloof, they offer FREE still or sparkling water along with the hot fresh bread rolls as you are seated - how refreshing! Before deciding which wine to order (to be honest, I was not familiar with Waterkloof wines at all), I asked for a taster of the Circle of LIfe, which was recommended to me by a friend. The waiter then proceeded to give us tasters of ALL the white wines on the menu (6 in total if I’m not mistaken) to help us decide on which we preferred before ordering the bottle. I know, it sounds a little unreal doesn’t it. We had been there for 10 minutes, had the equivalent to one and a half glasses of wine, 2 bread rolls, a glass of mineral water, and had yet to be charged for anything!

We decided on the chardonnay, which was unwooded and deliciously creamy, yet light. It was decanted for us at the table and put on a bowl of crushed ice.

The menu is only made up of 5 starters and 7 mains, so you would think it would be a quick order, but with everything sounding so appealing, it wasn’t that quick at all.

We each decided to choose something different and share in order to plow our way through as much of the menu as possible.

I went with the Oyster Mushrooms with rocket and crispy soft boiled egg (R70) for a starter, and the Quail with cream spinach, horse radish devilled quail egg and root vegetables (R140) for my main.

Vikki decided on the Confit Duck Leg in pistachio crust, sultana leather and consomme gel (R70) to start and the Glazed Pork Belly with poached golden delicious apple, fresh black figs and beetroot ((R135) for her entree. Everything was truly superb, except for the ‘consomme gel’ that accompanied Vikki’s duck starter, which was a little insipid. As difficult as it was to choose, my favourite would be the Glazed Pork Belly - to die for doll!

The amuse bouche before the meal was a pork pate with beetroot puree, which was amazing! In between each course, they served a small pana cotta with earl grey jelly and dried fruit, which was a little strange but a very welcomed surprise - not quite a palate cleanser, not quite a dessert, but tasty none the less.

For dessert, we came to the conclusion that the chef does not have a sweet tooth. Although beautifully presented, everything from the quince dessert that Vikki ordered to the chocolate fondant that I ordered, seemed to lack the sweetness you would expect from a dessert. Now I know that quinces are generally quite bitter, but served with a ginger ice cream which was also not very sweet (but very gingery), it all seemed a little to tart for our liking.

We finished off with a cheese plate which was served with little cubes of what tasted like quince jelly and fresh toasted bread. To be honest, I have had better cheese plates - no gorgonzola, no sweet marmalades or fruit to accompany the cheese selection - but thats just my personal preference.

All in all, I would highly recommend Waterkloof Restaurant, and look forward to visiting again, and again, and again.

Tel: 021 858 1292

Open Monday to Saturday, lunch and dinner.

Sunday, lunch only.

Review: The Towers Restaurant

I was lucky enough to be invited to dinner by the fabulous Bianca Coleman (aka Queen Bee) at The Towers Restaurant at the Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa last night. We arrived just after 19h00 with Bianca directing me towards the valet parking, to which I refused due to the embarrassing state of my car, and proceeded to the underground parking instead.

With Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa being apart of the African Pride group, it was no surprise that the décor was breathtaking. I’m always a sucker for fibre optic lighting, especially when there are curtains of them, and the carpet studded with little shining lights had me on all fours (shut up!!) investigating the reality of what I saw – the entire reception area is absolutely stunning!

We were escorted through the very empty restaurant (it was a Monday night, and we were early) to our table. There were quite a few different seating areas, including a private dining room. Our table was an intimate table for two, romantically lit by only one candle, which would have been perfect if you were having a bad hair day, but not so perfect for trying to read the menu.

One of the attentive waiters picked up that we were struggling to see and brought us a lamp to shine some light on the subject, in this case the menu.

Now being a chef and having worked in numerous restaurants for the better part of my life, I do try very hard not to be too critical, especially if I am an invited guest. But as I am giving an honest review from my perspective, and this is not going into any publications, I owe it to all of you (assuming anyone is actually reading my blogs – one must be optimistic!) to portray the restaurant from my experience.

From the decent selection on the menu, I decided to go for the Seafood Bouillabaisse as a starter, and the Sole for my mains. Bianca opted for the Steak Tartar, followed by the Veal wrapped in pancetta for her entrée. On both occasions, Bianca’s choices won hands down.

My Bouillabaisse tasted like it was made with canned tomato and onion, seriously lacking some fresh herbs and depth of the true French original. It was topped with a stale bread stick – needless to say I didn’t finish my starter. The steak tartar on the other hand was amazing! Served in three neat tiaans, all with different toppings: sour cream, a raw quail egg and micro herbs. The flavour of the beef was not overpowered by any of its accompliments, the texture perfect and the meat of great quality. I was selfishly hoping that Bianca would not like it so that I could finish it off for her – no chance of that!

My main course of Sole with Norwegian Salmon (already an odd combination), sweet potato and a caviar and lemon grass foam was beautifully presented and a really decent sized portion. However, if you are going to follow the craze of foams, you need to do it properly, or don’t bother. The lemon flovoured milk, that I’m assuming was suppose to be the foam, with a little dollop of fish roe (not caviar) was completely lost with this dish. I could not tell the sole apart from the salmon – it tasted like a whole new breed of fish altogether. Ok, I’m probably being over critical here, but I am being honest!

Again, Bianca’s entrée was a lot more appealing. Her veal wrapped in pancetta was served on a gorgeous rich mushroom ragout of sorts, which had a slight undertone of truffles – yum! My only negative remark would be that the pancetta slightly over powered the flavour of the veal.

I failed to mention earlier that the amuse bouche was a piece of salmon nigiri, and the palate cleanser was a chilli and lime sorbet. The homemade bread on the table was straight out of the oven and delicious!

Overall, the company and the setting was amazing, the service attentive, and the food very mediocre. As I was not paying, I didn’t get to see the final bill, but I think it came to around R750, which was for two people having a two course meal with two bottles of wine and a bottle of mineral water.

Best cooking show Ive seen yet!!

Now why aren't there more cooking shows like this one? I ask you with tears in my eyes??

Mothers Day at Nazareth House

My heart really goes out to the children of this world who don’t have a mother to thank and appreciate on Mothers Day. This is not the case at Nazareth House however, my charity of choice - the children there have many mothers to thank. They have loving nuns and full time staff that provide them with absolute unconditional love and care that every child rightly deserves.

I decided to spend a day with these amazing children preparing a High Tea for their “mothers” to celebrate and say thanks this Mothers Day. This would not have been possible without the help of some sponsors that I pulled in, namely:

•Charly’s Bakery

The fabulous Charly’s Angels, Daniella and Alex, really went all out to help make this occasion bright, cheerful and delicious. They sponsored cup cakes, petit fours, heart shaped cookies and orgasmic cheese cake!!

•Vredehoek Spar

David and Johnny from the local and very popular Vredehoek Spar very generously allowed me to go shopping for ingredients for the sandwiches, wraps, teas and coffees, which rounded off the High Tea spread.

•Exclusive Hire

Nicola and her team very kindly sponsored all the décor, including the cakes stands, crockery & cutlery, which formed the foundation on which to display all the yummies for the day!

All in all, a great day was had by all! I’m looking very forward to spending some more time with the kids during their June / July school holidays, making pizza’s, home made burgers and what ever else tickles their fancy!

Nazareth House is a non-profit organization that relies on donations, gifts and volunteers to sustain itself. If you would like to make a donation, or get rid of some of your children’s old clothes or toys, please either contact me, or Jannice at: fundraising@nazhouse.co.za

www.nazhouse.org.za