Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
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!"
"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!"
"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"
"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."
"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."
"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)."
"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."
"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!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
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.
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