Best Jewish food. (30-Aug-08)
OUR culinary DNA is enlivened by the food we eat at our parent’s table. Sucking the meat (such as it was) from the chicken feet or eating the giblets was even more delicious than eating the chicken soup for me but for many eating feet or entrails of any sort is anathema. When I think of the food that informed my tastes, my happiest memories were of large family gatherings to mark Jewish festivals. While the religious meaning is lost on me, a connection to the food isn’t.
Ashkenazi Jews come mainly from Eastern Europe while Sephardics, from areas like Rhodes Island in Greece. Although I was a sent a selection of both cuisines, this piece, to coincide with the Yiddish festival, is about Ashkenazi food.
I asked four Jewish delis and caterers to prepare their selection of traditional dishes. All prepared gefilte fish, three chicken soup and kneidelach, two herring and kichel, two perrogan, three potato latkes and one chopped liver while another offered blintzes.
New York Bagel, Regent Road, Sea Point’s liver was outstanding and although not kosher (they trade on Saturday’s) it was better than most of the liver I’ve tasted in homes other than my aunt Babs’.
The best gefilte fish was from Goldie’s in Main Road, Sea Point. I especially liked its sweetness. While my sister agreed it was the best of what we had tasted, she thought the minced fish ball cooked in a fish stock and usually served cold in a gelatinous sauce crowned with a sliced carrot should not be sweet.
Annette Kesler, arguably the matriarch of Cape cookery writers and now the editor of www.Showcook.co.za says the secret ingredient, aside from love, passion and endless time, is the trace of sugar in gefilte fish and beating the eggs mixed with a little water into the fish (with lots of energy) that helps to produce a light and delicious result. Annette also likes to add two minced parsnips to provide that subtle, sweetish flavour. A red fish like Red Roman should almost always be used with two others for a complex flavour.
Gefilte fish also comes as a delicious oven-baked option which the Kosher deli at Checkers Sea Point provided.
Chopped herring, often decorated with patterns created with grated egg white and grated yolk, is traditionally served with kichel - a thin, crisp, sweet baked pastry that is cut into diamond or squares and dusted with sugar before serving. I preferred New York Bagels’ herring but Goldie’s was also outstanding. The secret ingredient to perfect chopped herring according to Annette is using Granny Smith apples, a few good Marie biscuits and a dash of lemon juice to taste.
While the chicken soup from Norrie Caterers (who also own Café Riteve at the Jewish Museum precinct in Gardens) was delicious and full of meat, I think Jewish Penicillin as my mother calls it, should be clear with just with a few noodles and perhaps slices of carrot to garnish.
I thought the best came from Goldie’s. When making it yourself, Annette Kesler insists on boiling whole, free range chickens and frequently skimming the foam.
Best perogan (mince pie with a flaky pastry served with soup) was Checker’s meat (they also do a chicken one). Mazzo balls or kneidelach (served in soup) should be light and tasty – some had heavy cinnamon tones and others had ground nuts at their centre. Best was from New York Bagel. In the potato latke stakes Checker’s came tops, and while Norrie’s were the only ones to send blintzes (crepes filled with savoury cheese and fried) they were utterly divine.
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Vineyard Hotel and Spa's new Garden Suite From 48 Hours (21-Aug-08)
THE Vineyard Hotel and Spa is one of those places many Capetonians have been to over the years. From its historic role as Lady Anne Barnard’s home to its current, entirely contemporary role as premium hotel, spa and provider of excellent cuisines, its longevity means that many have enjoyed it.
I was very excited by the Angsana Spa when it opened there and the hotel unveiled a new wing of contemporary river-side suites.
It hasn’t wavered in its expansion and now neighbouring houses form part of the Vineyard Hotel’s accommodations.
Although rated only four stars, guests experience a five-star property.
Despite knowing the hotel extremely well and having stayed overnight previously, this was the first time I really enjoyed the facilities - the river walk and indoor pool chiefly amongst them.
The Liesbeek river snakes through the property and there is a path through the glorious gardens, verdant and mossy in parts while other sections have tumbling flowers perfuming the air.
The newer wing is also home to The Spash Café for lighter fare and the indoor pool and gym.
Energetic swimmers will be better suited to the adjacent outside pool, as sleek and almost as long an Olympian’s, but for what I wanted to do, gently float (and buoyed but the salt water and champagne previously) the indoor pool it is utterly fabulous.
Although only 15 minutes away from the city, the Vineyard really feels like a refuge.
When the Square, previously the hotel’s Courtyard restaurant was remodelled, a swanky sushi bar was installed. Highlights are the sexy chandeliers, over-sized mirrors and changing under-counter and overhead lighting that melts from red into an icy blue before warming to orange and cooling again to green.
I loved when Philippe Starck used changing lights in his St Martin’s Lane Hotel in London and it certainly adds energy to the experience here.
We enjoyed our Kendo sushi platter - all named after martial art disciplines, (a free glass of bubbly is served with platters ordered on Wednesdays and Fridays between 17h30 and 19h00. I think it’s a good deal.
Keeping things Asian, at breakfast the following morning I ordered Thai rice with chicken which was delicious.
The sushi bar transforms into a juice bar and breakfast buffet come daylight. Delicious pastries and cheeses and a natty honeycomb honey dispenser caught our eye.
We stayed in Garden Suite 190 which is to the far left of the property.
A double-storey family home has been cleverly converted into two, two-bedroomed self catering suites which are ideally suited to a family travelling together.
The kitchen is fully equipped which is a massive money saver for families who are staying for two or three weeks at a time.
For the type of accommodation, not to mention access to all of the hotel’s amenities, R3740 per suite per night is excellent value. The suites also have private access from a double garage nearby and are suitable for guests in wheelchairs.
I did wonder why I felt much smarter than usual after staying there and later found out that Dr Stephen Hawking, arguably the most brilliant man on earth, had slept in the bed previously.
The Vineyard Hotel & Spa
www.vineyard.co.za
021-657-4500.
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High End, Mount Nelson Tea and Friedman & Cohen (11-Aug-08)
ONE of Pretoria’s best restaurants is Ritrovo and one of its greatest assets is chef patron Fortunato Mazzone.
No one meets Forty as his friends call him and survives untouched - his lager than life form and his even bigger heart will leave a warm and lasting impact.
Until now Capetonians have had to rely on seeing him on TV, at one of the gourmet shows or at Ritrovo.
The Asara Wine Estate in Stellenbosch is now home to a number of new projects, a luxury hotel and fine dining restaurant among then. It is also home to High End, the aptly named “kitchen” store owned jointly by Forty.
Based on the crowds that were there to welcome him on Friday, he obviously knows a lot of the moneyed folk here.
High End is not cheap. Artisan breads sell for R40 and there’s a silver dinner service for a quarter of a million Rand.
That said, there are items that are, at the least, affordable and the store is beautifully laid out like many of the international top end speciality stores.
We managed to buy an ice cream after turning away from the most fabulous KitchenAid section that offers the entire range (in all the colours).
Think of it as shopping at Fortnum and Masons or Williams Sonoma and the prices will be bargain basement.
High End at Asara.
Polkedraai Road (next to Neethlingshof) Stellenbosch.
It may be hard to teach an old dog new tricks but our beloved old girl has yet another new offering - as elegant and appealing as the rest.
Afternoon Tea at the Mount Nelson is now even more fabulous than before.
Those clever marketers who made Origin Coffee famous, have now brewed another success positioning themselves as champions of Africa’s tea growers, as they focus on supplying leaf tea from selected plantations.
For the Mount Nelson Hotel they’ve not only mixed a special rooibos-based brew (complete with Mount Nelson garden roses), but they have designed gorgeous Orient-inspired tags that list the name and natty egg timers for those teas that must be brewed for three minutes and no longer.
What makes the extended tea menu special is that it is possible to enjoy a leaf tea as part of the Afternoon Tea buffet or at any time of the day from the menu. Some of the teas are charged at a premium, but for those wanting an elevated experience I think it quite reasonable. Also, their pastry chef has created treats that include some of the teas to provide a harmonious tea and cake pairing.
Although this column is about life aimed at the rich and famous (or wannabees like I am) the lunch special at Friedman & Cohen department store in the Strand is such amazing good value, and that store is so wonderfully (albeit unintentionally) retro, I want to share it with you.
For R26 you can enjoy a lunch special of three courses and coffee. This is not a cuisine experience but I don’t know where you’ll find a tummy filler like this one for the same price.
We had onion soup, bobotie with yellow rice and pumpkin and blancmange for dessert and, here’s the kicker, there’s a great view of the beach and sea. Friedman & Cohen, Strand.
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Steenberg Hotel Heritage Suites in Good, Better, Best (01-Aug-08)
I have made an effort recently to avoid absolutes as their definitive nature limits further comment. After our night at Steenberg Hotel’s Khoi Khoi Heritage Suite, I am compelled to say it is amongst the finest hotel suites I’ve visited - anywhere in the world.
Unique is another absolute I avoid but when writing about the Heritage suites - and here I’m including Steenberg’s Cape Colonial and Dutch East India suites too, they are each unique - one offs entirely for the pleasure of guests.
The Cape Colonial and Dutch East suites are studies in authentically replicating another time but the Khoi Khoi suite is a fantasy that is grounded in hunter-gatherer truths.
Every aspect of the design, the cave-like feeling created by the rounded stair well, the forged iron balustrades and handles are custom designed and the rain shower, enclosed in stone and glass with timber beams is exquisite.
Aside from the décor which is the suites main appeal it also has a fully equipped kitchen. We had lots of fun with the robotic coffee machine - the type that grinds the beans, froths the milk and delivers a perfect cuppa at the push of a button.
There was also a smoothie maker. We’ve decided to purchase one for home but it should be part of all luxury hotel suites as guests like to prepare something healthful before breakfast. Even though we added cream to ours (left over from the previous evening’s risotto) it was the most fruit I’d had in ages and it really tasted fabulous.
The highlight of our stay was having executive chef Garth Almazan cook for us in our suite. While Steenberg’s Catharina’s restaurant is being totally rebuilt (there will be glass walls to bring in the views of the mountains and the distant city), breakfast, lunch and dinner are being served in the Cape Colony suite which has a very similar look to Catharina’s.
I have a great affection for Garth not only because I like what he does with ingredients and flavours, but because while he is often softly spoken he is entirely his own man.
I think I may have felt a little uncomfortable having him cook in my suite if I didn’t know him as well as I do. His menu began with Ostrich, served as a carpaccio and tartar.
It was the addition of warmly glistening jus to the plate of cold meat that caught my attention. A boiled quail’s egg and remoulade (think tartar sauce cut into ribbons rather than chopped) were served in a line on a rectangular plate.
Crayfish risotto followed. The mark of a great chef is one who with just a few ingredients can create an elevated experience. As a good cook myself I can make crayfish risotto but I bet that even with the same ingredients I could not have orchestrated what Garth did. He chopped one of the tails and cooked it with the risotto while frying the other two to serve as a “garnish”. The addition of baby tomatoes brought the slightest acidity to the dish. For the first time in a restaurant I brazenly asked for a second helping.
Beef fillet came next served with asparagus and thyme gnocchi and for dessert, a crème brule of mint, vanilla, chocolate and ginger. Had it not been for a delicious lunch only hours previously where
I quaffed copious quantities of Steenberg’s Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, I would have enjoyed the wines with dinner more - their Semillon with the risotto, Nebbiolo with the ostrich and beef courses and the always fabulous Groot Constantia Vin De Constances with dessert.
At a Steenberg wine tasting earlier in the day I was enraptured by their Merlot and surprisingly impressed by the Rose’ which is in a sexy new bottle with blue capsule and label.
At R11350 the Khoi Khoi suite is costly but for a family (sleeps four in two en-suite bedrooms) it delivers value and for those seeking an extraordinary experience, cheap at the price.
www.steenberghotel.com
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