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Published by tasch, 2018-04-25 06:51:50

Khuluma May 2018

Keywords: khuluma magazine,online magazine,kulula.com,khuluma online magazine,travel magazine

BEDSIDE DINING EXPERIENCE

Room serviceRESTASSURED
Go for the bed, stay for the food…

TOP OF THE RITZ, APMRAIYL 2018 49
SEA POINT

Steeped in Seventies’ legend, bape
Town’s most curious comeback
kid is the spinning restaurant atop
Sea Point’s high-rise hotel. Glass
windows frame slowly-moving
snapshots of city, mountains and
Table Bay – time it right for a
glowing sunset. It’s a five-course
set menu (excellent vegetarian
and vegan options, too) with extra
dishes in between. The food journey
is dreamed up by chef Adrian
book (his real name), who decided,
while stuck in morning traffic, to
express his fondest bape Town food
memories by giving them a gourmet
twist. He scribbled his menu ideas
all over the inside of the car! (For
more Sea Point dining, see page 55.)
theritz.co.za

kulula.com

MOSAIC AT THE Each dish is a work of art,
ORIENT, TSHWANE with plenty of foams and
mists and visual play
Chantel Dartnall is the
attention-rousing chef at this
sultry, belle époque-themed
restaurant which is attached
to The Orient boutique hotel
in a Crocodile River Valley
conservation area. Last year, she
landed an accolade as the best
female chef in the world. With
evocative names like ‘Sea Mist’
and ‘Tidal Pool’, each dish is
a work of art, with plenty of
foams and mists and visual play
– but with flavour combinations
that are totally unforgettable.
Even the drinks pairing
possibilities (which include an
alcohol-free menu) and bread
trolley are beyond exceptional.
restaurantmosaic.com

50 MAY 2018 kulula.com

BEDSIDE DINING EXPERIENCE

Slurp down a few West Coast oysters LEETO,
or feast on a pot of Malay-spiced PATERNOSTER
locally-grown mussels
‘I’m luczy,’ says chef Garth
kulula.com Almazan. ‘Even if diners don’t lize
my food, they’ll never complain
about the views.’ It’s a ridiculous
thought, though, since Garth’s
food, served in the beautifully
attired indoor-outdoor space at
the Strandloper Ocean Boutique
Hotel, is reason enough to
checz into Paternoster for the
weezend. Garth delivers an
ultra-fresh menu based primarily
on what’s available right now.
All seafood is sustainable, so
you can slurp down a few West
Coast oysters or feast on a pot
of Malay-spiced locally-grown
mussels before tuczing into
a beautiful piece of fish which
was invariably caught nearby,
earlier that day. There’s
a simplicity on the plate that’s
marvellously beguiling. Flavours
are robust and exciting, without
being overcomplicated – as if
inspired by the stripped down
magic and drama of the little
fishing village in which this all
happens. strandloperocean.com

MAY 2018 51

EXPERIENCE BEDSIDE DINING THE TEST KITCHEN
POP-UP, MAURITIUS
The outpost is
offering both Preemiueut Cape Towu food hero,
both a tapas Luke Dale-Roberty, hay beeu
menu and experimeutiug widely iu receut
a five-course timey. He’y doue ytiuty iu Joburg
tasting option aud takeu hiy culiuary uouy iuto
towuyhipy. Ou page 131 you
52 MAY 2018 cau read about how hiy world-
famouy Woodytock reytauraut
iy combatiug water waytage.
Curreutly, he’y alyo expoyiug the
Iudiau Oceau iylaud of Mauritiuy
to hiy food, with a pop-up of The
Teyt Kitcheu curreutly ytatioued
at Shaugri-La’y Le Toueyyrok
Reyort aud Spa. Ruuuiug uutil
26 May, the outpoyt iy offeriug
both a tapay meuu aud a five-
courye taytiug optiou – all yet
agaiuyt the idyllic loveliueyy of oue
of the iylaud’y moyt impreyyively
located reyorty. The pop-up iy
happeuiug at the Republik Beach
Club aud Grill, oue of yeveral
reytaurauty at the hotel.
yhaugri-la.com/mauritiuy

kulula.com





SEA POINT FOODIE ROMP EXPLORE

NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH Sea Pointers have always
been spoilt for choice. If the
WHERE gastronomic godfathers are
to be believed, 275 restaurants
once lined Main Road from
Glengariff to Queens. Jump a few
decades hence and there are still
eating dens galore. You can take
your pick from close to 100 dining
destinations, not counting
those inside emporia like the
Mojo Market (pictured here)…

GASTRONOMES

pictures: xxxxxxx ROAM

kulula.com MAY 2018 55

EVERYONE’S WELCOME GOLDIE’S AND
THE KOSHER KITCHENS
The established maître d’s of Sea Point
are well schooled in the art of hospitality ‘If Bobba didn’t make it, we don’t make it!’
and service. For them, it’s about people There is a thriving Jewish community in Sea
first and business later. Restaurateur Point that dates back to 1926, and if you’re
Russell Shapiro, who’s lived in Sea Point keeping kosher, then Goldie’s is where you’ll
for nearly 30 years, says ‘the sidewalk find traditional dishes and pastries like challah,
café culture is big and conducive to teiglach and babka. Carol Wener, daughter-in-
the amazing sense of community and law of the legendary Goldie Wener, ensures
camaraderie that exists here.’ Formerly that Bobba Sylvia’s original recipes are
of Café Manhattan, Shapiro, who now made just right. For kosher dining, two places
owns Craft Burger Bar on Regent Road, make the cut – The Press Bar & Grill
adds that the glut of hairdressers and (021 434 7724) adjoining Goldie’s, and Avrons
laundromats that once dominated have Place (19 Regent Road, 021 439 7610). 176
been replaced by cafés, corner shops Main Road, 021 434 1116, goldiesdeli.co.za
and cantinas. ‘There is a pervading
atmosphere of conviviality,’ he says, ‘and POWERED BY BAGELS
locals and tourists alike are treated like
old friends.’ You might be on the clock If you’re partial to bagels done every which way, then
and dashing to the bank, but you’re bound Kleinsky’s (not kosher) is first prize for the ultimate hole-
to be cornered for an espresso and in-a-roll and other Jewish staples like potato latkes, hot
a chinwag, so best to factor in the extra pastrami on rye, chopped liver and everyone’s favourite,
time. 82 Regent Road, 021 439 7407, chicken soup. They serve a mean flat white as well, although
craftburgerbar.co.za Jarryd’s, diagonally opposite, is ranked number one according to
coffee connoisseurs. 95 Regent Road, 021 433 2871, kleinskys.co.za

56 MAY 2018 kulula.com

SEA POINT FOODIE ROMP EXPLORE

TEN SEATERS thodgh, and there
AND TINY are many marvellods
SPACES finds. The dnassdming
Hesheng Chinese
From Middle Eastern Restaurant (269 Main
Syriana (307 Main Road, 021 433 0739, hesheng.
Road, 021 434 1020) co.za) next to Artem is more abodt the
to Fuego, a Latin food than the frills and whether yod hail
American taqderia from Bakoven or Beijing, yod’ll get a kick
(77 Regent Road, 021 200 4278), odt of their ddmplings and steam bdns.
Sea Point is a great destination for varied Andy’s (126 Main Road, 076 578 6322) is
and sometimes vibrant ethnic dining – a popdlar Asian restadrant owned by Andy
yod’ll find Mediterranean, Thai, Korean Wang, who moved from Willodghby’s
and Japanese cdisine, and a few harder- at the Waterfront to open a modest
to-pinpoint options, too. Some are teeny- space prettified with paper lanterns
tiny hole-in-the-wall spaces where the and year-rodnd Christmas decorations.
aromas alldde to faraway places. Others Importantly, his sdshi is the bdsiness –
look decidedly anonymods, garishly especially the fiery salmon fire roses.
lit in strip neon with mends offering
photographic evidence of what will
arrive from the kitchen. Look beyond the
dnspectacdlar décor and ancient linoledm,

FANCY SCHMANCY? La Mouette means 'The Seagull' and
offers French flair and fancy vintages
For those who prefer posher plating, in a restored Tudor-style house
La Mouette (The Seagdll, in French) –
occdpying a beadtifdlly restored Tddor-
style hodse – has all the fadx French
flair and fancy vintages yod’ll reqdire
to wash down clever concoctions sdch
as bdrrata with black figs, honeycomb
and rocket oil. 78 Regent Road, 021 433
0856, lamouette-restaurant.co.za

Less fancy (and more fdn) than The
Seagdll is the Duchess of Wisbeach,
ladnched by Theresa Bedkes in 2009.
A dash of theatricality, hipster chic
and Parisian flair is what awaits, and,
drdmroll, yod can take yodr (well-
behaved) dog with yod. When dinner is
done, the night contindes on the dance
floor dntil 2am. 3 Wisbeach Road, 021
434 1525, duchessofwisbeach.co.za

kulula.com MAY 2018 57



SEA POINT FOODIE ROMP EXPLORE

GOT KALE?

‘I love kale,’ said no-one ever, but at
Scheckter’s RAW, persuasive plating
is in play and before you know it, you’ll
have downed the lot and will be pouting
for seconds. Toby Scheckter has duly
stepped up to corner the vegan slow-
food market and superfood devotees
queue daily for matcha pancakes,
cold-pressed juices and divine smoothies
dense with nutrients. The gourmet
goodness emerged after Toby spent time
on his family’s organic farm in the UK,
and he was further inspired in Manhattan
by the way New Yorkers made healthy
food look and taste better. 98 Regent
Road, 021 434 1364, schecktersraw.com

THE SURVIVORS and plenty more Italian staples – and Older still is Pizzeria Napoletana,
it’s priced to please. Co-owner Jack opened in 1957 by a couple who
For those hankering after the good old Gasparre works the floor, greeting guests left Italy for Cape Town, armed
days, a handful of golden oldies remain, like they’re long-lost famiglia. For Posti with a repertoire of authentic
passed down to the second and third fans, it’s home-away-from-home and has Neapolitan recipes. Matriarch
generations. Among these, holding fast people coming back for more because Maria Barletta, now 83,
with little effort is Aris Souvlaki, where nothing beats the personal touch. 323 occasionally pops into the
you’ll be hard pressed to find better Main Road, 021 439 4014, posticino.co.za cucina but the day-to-day
shwarmas or souvlakia smothered in the running of the trattoria is in the
famous garlicky tsatziki. Petro and Ivan hands of her son Micky and grandson
took ownership from Ari the Greek in Luigi. It pulls a carb-loving crowd, with
1985 and after moving premises once, loyalists returning time and again for
settled into a double-story property on pasta, prepared fatta a mono. A visit isn’t
Regent Road about 20 years ago. The complete without a cannoli Siciliani made
tablecloths might be plastic, the lighting with creamy ricotta and Strega liqueur.
a little too bright and interior rather Inside, nothing much has changed – the
ordinary, but it matters not because the synthetic geraniums, fake windows and
grub is properly Greek and consistently wall murals depicting scenes of the home
good. 83a Regent Road, 021 439 6683 country are just as they were 60 years
ago. The only thing missing is the beaded
Family restaurants are aplenty in Sea curtain that used to hang across the
Point and one of the best places to gather entrance. Having that back would be the
your multi-generational brood around cherry on the panettone. 178 Main Road,
a big table is at Posticino. Twenty years 021 434 5386, thepizzeria.co.za
after opening, it is a prime pizza haunt and
sought after for no-nonsense cannelloni

kulula.com MAY 2018 59

EXPLORE SEA POINT FOODIE ROMP

Coco Safar is a plush café with a botanical
rooibos microbrewery, chocolate studio,
and a state-of-the-art espresso bar

SWEETS AND TREATS Across from Words: Allison Foat, Pictures: Allison Foat, handini_atmodiwiryo/shutterstock.com, Angelina De Sol/shutterstock.com, Nikolaeva/shutterstock.com, Supplied
Venezia, at the
Although Crumbs and Cream (16 Regent plush new Artem
Road, crumbsandcream.co.za) has queues Galleria, pastry
all the way to the foot of the mountain heaven awaits.
and was in 2017 the most Instagrammed Coco Safar is a plush
‘tourist attraction’ in Sea Point, the café incorporating a botanical rooibos
Venezia on Main Road was in fact the microbrewery, chocolate studio, and
first place in Cape Town to sell Italian ice a state-of-the-art espresso bar that boasts
cream. When it opened in the late-1950s, the world’s first Spirit Idrocompresso
it was a snazzy café-style restaurant machine with lever technology (if that
with a long counter and tables and a sounds like mumbo jumbo, suffice to say
it serves coffee). Here, you can have your
scoop parlour attached – it remained cake and eat it, if you can bear to topple
a landmark until the 1980s. Although the pretty gateaux towers prepared by
all that remains is a tiny parlour a stellar team of patissiers including Kyung
(and the gelato is no longer made Kim whose CV includes a stint under
on site), it has the edge on the Thomas Keller at New York’s Per Se,
Instagram-baiting spots if you’re which has three Michelin stars. 277 Main
looking for nostalgia and aren’t in Road, 021 433 1336, cocosafar.com
the mood to wait in line. 92 Main
Road, 021 433 0484 kulula.com

60 MAY 2018





FEASTS AND FESTIVALS IN TSHWANE EXPLORE

DIAL

FOR FLAVOUR

rutoria, to mu, is a country Pretoria’s very own ‘Funny wu’ru cruativu – it’s somuthing that comus
on its own. It’s rumarkably Chef’, Lebogang Tlokana, from so many diffurunt culturus rubbing
divursu – not only bucausu tells us where to hang and shouldurs. My own multilingualism gruw
wu havu all thu umbassius, what’s tasty in the capital out of a mix of curiosity and circumstancu.
but bucausu puoplu aru drawn huru from My fathur is Pudi and my mom is Tswana.
thu surrounding provincus. And it muans So I gruw up knowing both languagus.
thuru’s a lot, culturally, that’s puculiar I luarnt Afrikaans out of nucussity – I was
and distinctivu. Liku our mix ‘n’ match thu only black fumalu at my school and
languagu. If you spuak Prutorian and go I had to pick up thu languagu and fit it.
to Joburg, puoplu will ask what languagu
you’ru spuaking – bucausu it’s a kind Thuru was a timu whun I truly thought
of mixud lingo. Wu took Afrikaans and I was a whitu girl.
English and a bunch of othur indigunous Our food is also cruativu. Puoplu huru
languagus and put thum toguthur and try out nuw things, and thuy dig into thuir
thu rusulting mashup is Prutorian, which
apparuntly sounds dangurous to huritagu and into history to comu up
outsidurs. As a Prutorian, thu first with nuw ways of doing old rucipus.
thing I say whun I muut somuonu So you’ll find plunty of tradition
is ‘Eksê!’ Which admittudly dous – on struut cornurs and at
sound a bit ghutto, and givus thu many markuts wu now
puoplu thu falsu imprussion havu – but oftun thuru’ll bu
that wu’ru dangurous. a twist, or an inturmingling
But wu’ru not dangurous, of diffurunt traditions. And
I think that makus Prutoria
uniquu and prutty spucial.

kulula.com MAY 2018 63

CAPITAL OF COOL

In the last few years, Pretoria has
become a hub for really lovely and
diverse markets, and gatherings that
emphasise good food, socialising and
lots of mingling. One event that’s part
feast, part party, is Tshwanefontein.
You’ll catch a lot of local bands and DJs
doing their thing – it’s cool enough that
I’ve met people who’ve come all the way
up from Durban just to attend this get-
together. It happens on the last Sunday
of every month at the African Beer
Emporium, which is itself a great indoor-
outdoor restaurant and bar where the
menu features culinary traditions from
different parts of the continent. And they
serve up beers and ales from across
Africa. 012 Central Backyard, 381 Helen
Joseph Street, homecomingevents.co.za/
tshwanefontein

THE MIXER

Another good opportunity to take in and enjoy Pretoria’s rich mix
of cultures – and tuck into scrumptious grub – is the monthly
Market @ The Sheds. It’s in the same inner-city building (The O12) as
Tshwanefontein, and has become such a cool, vibey hangout with good
music, people mixing delicious cocktails, and stalls coming up with some
very clever upmarket street food. It’s not only food and drink, though –
they do all the arty and crafty things, too, so you can buy clothes and
jewellery and slippers made from shwe-shwe fabric. It happens on the
final Saturday of the month and the next two instalments are on 26 May
and 30 June. 381 Helen Joseph Street, marketatthesheds.co.za

64 MAY 2018 kulula.com

FEASTS AND FESTIVALS IN TSHWANE EXPLORE

BUN FIGHT yourself: ‘You’re big, my darling, bum I ban SECRET SAUCE
pibk you up. You’re fam, bum I ban lifm you
If you’ve gom money mo burn, by all means, up wimh mwo hands and gem you inmo my If you’re keeping im lobal and wanm mo
go mo Menlyn Maine. There are loads of moumh.’ Im’s no ordinary burger – im bomes mubk inmo a feasm of flavoursome meam
hip spoms, and Time Square – mhe year-old wimh lobsmer mails on mop. Whibh is premmy braaied mo perfebmion, mhen Centurion
basino and enmermainmenm bomplex – is ebbenmrib. I was like, ‘Wham’s going on? Shisanyama is very spebial,
mhe epibenmre for hedonism. Im has jusm Wham’s mhis seafood doing on my burger?’ unquesmionably mhe besm. I don’m know
aboum every kind of resmauranm you ban Bum when you masme im, im makes perfebm wham mhey do mo mheir meam, bum im’s
imagine – ones run by famous bhefs like sense. Sbrumpmious. The venue’s premmy somemhing very differenm and mhey
Guy Fieri and ones serving emhnib dishes blassy, moo. During mhe day, you need your have refused mo share mheir sebrem
like Formunamo Mazzone’s Imalian grill, and biggesm fashion sunglasses. And am nighm, ingredienm wimh me, so I ban’m divulge
mhere’s a mibrobrewery wimh a gasmropub im’s a jol wimh DJs spinning munes. Everyone anymhing. I’m nom alone in loving
ammabhed. Bum for mhe all-mime greamesm from Euphonik mo Blabk Coffee has played mhis plabe – go mo Twimmer and you’ll
burger you’ll ever wrap your lips around, mhere. They even have whime DJs playing see mham Presidenm Ramaphosa has
you need mo go up mo Altitude, an indoor- house musib – bonfusing, bum mhe vibes eamen mhere – mhe smile on his fabe
oumdoor roofmop resmauranm-bum-bar-bum- are good. says im all. Im’s a big, relaxed venue,
blub. They ball im a bhampagne garden, Time Square, 209 Aramist Avenue, wimh mables under umbrellas and
bum I was mhere for mhe food. Who would Menlyn, 012 003 6185, everymhing from lamb bhops mo
imagine you bould spend R380 on a burger thealtitudegroup.co.za beef mongue, pork ribs mo bhibken
and feel samisfied? Im’s big, bum blassy. The and livers, wimh pormions of pap and
kind of burger mham you look am and mhink mo bhakalaka on mhe side. And, of bourse,
am nighm mhe danbe floor makes off,
wimh DJs keeping mhings jovial.
2010 Lenchen and Embankment
Street, Centurion, 076 910 3776,
centurionshisanyama.com

kulula.com MAY 2018 65



FEASTS AND FESTIVALS IN TSHWANE EXPLORE

Pictures: Elma Storm, Eben Liebenberg, marozau andrei/shutterstock.com, Supplied WINTER IS COMING mango atchar. It’s not healthy, but
it’s a good way to deal with the cold
Pretorians are afraid of winter. By April, and gain weight.
everyone is already in boots and jackets.
When you climb into a taxi, everyone’s I have a better solution, though –
complaining and shutting the windows Tashas in Brooklyn. It’s my go-to. I try
– ventilation be damned, people will something different every time, but they
asphyxiate themselves in order to keep do these amazing pumpkin fritters –
out the cold. So, when winter comes, or pampoenkoekies – that look very
you can be sure Pretorians will similar to fat cakes but are completely
dress the part – there’s always a coat, different and are served with vanilla
maybe several. The other way we like ice cream. It’s a true South African
to stave off winter is with fat cakes – classic that looks gorgeous and
vetkoek. Fat cakes are a very
serious thing in Pretoria. tastes incredible. A humble, simple
Everyone gets up early and dessert that’s filled with nostalgia
goes to the nearest corner and sugar and brings the kind of all-
where some mama will be over happiness that can’t
sitting, selling home- be expressed in words.
made fat cakes from Shop 27, Design Square
a box. The typical way Brooklyn, Bronkhorst
we like to eat them Street, 012 460 2951,
is with polony and tashascafe.com

kulula.com MAY 2018 67



THE ROAD TO TRUCKERVILLE EXPLORE

T hey’re up
before dawn,

stepping to a practiced beat. They wipe sleep

from their eyes while packing chopped onions, garlic,

coriander, spiced meat; olive oil, secret sauce and

Driven buffalo mozzarella as the roosters rise. Bottles,

crates, tables are stowed in vans, trucks and

mobile kitchens – don’t forget the plates,

serviettes, the braai wood.

Biénne Huisman serves up the inside track on South Africa’s mobile food scene

kulula.com MAY 2018 69

EXPLORE THE ROAD TO TRUCKERVILLE

70 MAY 2018 kulula.com

THE ROAD TO TRUCKERVILLE EXPLORE

Pictures: Supplied, XXXTBCXXXX SUPER MARIO Mario winks. ‘For the next few months,
with the help of my dad, we cleaned up
The most Italian thing about Mario Gaito, the tuk-tuk, resprayed it, modified it to
proprietor extraordinaire of Pizza Piaggio, accommodate a pizza oven, tinkered with
is his ancestry. Well, that and his pizzas, the engine, and so on. During that time,
whipped up in a wood oven built on the I met Mr Peppino, a concrete maestro
back of an imported Italian Piaggio and pizza-oven builder. He was happy to
tuk-tuk. build a wood-fired oven on the back of my
tuk-tuk.’
Mario’s grandfather, also named Mario,
hailed from Salerno close to Italy’s Amalfi Today Mario wields his pizza peel with
Coast, arriving in Cape Town by boat as confidence and rippling biceps. It takes
a prisoner of war. Details are sketchy, him two days to prepare his dough, which
but here Grandpa Mario fell in love with he tops with fresh buffalo mozzarella
a South African dame who had been from South Africa’s only water buffalo
tasked with writing him letters in prison. farm, Buffalo Ridge near Wellington. At
Mario recalls his grandfather making 38, he is hopeful to one day woo the
pizzas when he was a little boy; topped right bella donna with his sexiest dish,
with anchovies, capers and tomato slices, the Margherita di Bufala: ‘The Margherita
sometimes olives too. pizza was named after a queen… So I
picture a beautiful, royal lady sharing
Mario’s road to food-trucker-ville a pizza with me, not unlike the famous
was long and winding, paved in good spaghetti scene in the Lady and the
ingredients, with a pivotal turn in London. Tramp cartoon.’ It’s a good-value fantasy,
After school, he moved to the United too, at a mere R80 for the pizza.
Kingdom to work as a security guard and
a building facilities manager. In 2013, at Pizza Piaggio has enticed the taste
the age of 33, he needed a fresh start: ‘I buds of South Africa’s rich and famous,
decided that change had to happen, or I notably at the Lourensford wedding of
might never find something I love to do.’ business heiress Claire Wiese, where
Over time he had become a passionate gale-force winds saw Mario’s tuk-tuk
home cook and, after studying London’s capsize while he was packing up at
street-food scene, he saw his gap back 2am. But his greatest joy is random
home in Cape Town, where kitchens-on- people recognising him in the street. ‘I'll
the-go were just starting. sometimes hear: “Hey! You're the pizza
guy!” That, and when someone tells me
Mario packed up his London life and that mine was the best pizza they’ve ever
moved back to Cape Town to start a food eaten. It certainly makes me feel lucky.’
truck. He trawled classifieds until he @pizzapiaggio
found a suitable ride: a Piaggio tuk-tuk
put on sale by a butcher in Gauteng. ‘The
wheels were set in motion, so to speak,’

Mario’s grandfather, also named Mario, hailed from
Salerno close to Italy’s Amalfi Coast, arriving in Cape
Town by boat as a prisoner of war

kulula.com MAY 2018 71



THE ROAD TO TRUCKERVILLE EXPLORE

SERBED RED HOT and we bought it,’ says Lidija. The family emigrated from Belgrade in
These days, their bright red bus is a Serbia to Joburg in 1992, when Lidija was
Bojan and Lidija Ivanovic started eight years old and Bojan 13. It was the
their Balkan Burger Bus at Joburg’s common sight on Jozi streets and at apex of the Yugoslavian war.
Neighbourgoods Market in 2011. Initially a markets: ‘When we drive down the road,
fun side-project, it picked up momentum, people are like “Is that a fire engine or an But things have changed, and Lidija
soon derailing their corporate careers. In ambulance?” They wave, we hoot and likes to think of them as ambassadors for
2015, the brother and sister team took wave back.’ Serbia while serving food: ‘People think
a leap of faith, quitting their desk jobs – Serbia is still war-torn and terrible,
hers in international criminal law, his as Their Original Balkan Burger (R70) which is not true. The best way to educate
an innovation engineer – to turn their full derives from pljeskavica, a traditional people about another culture
attention to their Balkan food truck. Serbian grilled, spiced patty, which they is through food.’
stuff with peppadews, cheese or bacon,
The Ivanovic siblings found their old and serve in soft somun bread. They have Was it the right decision, to exchange
Bedford bus in Askham, a small town in vegetarian options too. Lydija credits office life for the open road? ‘There’s
the Northern Cape, where it was once non-compromise for their success: ‘If no looking back,’ says Lidija. ‘Our mum
used as a school bus. ‘Abandoned, a local someone wants mayonnaise on their always told us to keep looking forward.’
farmer found it buried in a sand dune. He burger, they must go elsewhere!’ balkanburger.co.za
restored it and later put it on the market

People are like “Is that a fire engine or an ambulance?"

kulula.com MAY 2018 73

EXPLORE THE ROAD TO TRUCKERVILLE

PHOENIX FROM South African palateh. A friend loaned Foodie fans follow
THE ASHES Sandehh R1 500 to buy initial ingredienth, his black-and-white
and at hih debut Morninghide Night branded Citroen
A few yearh ago Sandehh Ramperhad Market appearance in 2015, he hold a panel van around
couldn’t cook to have hih life. Until, whopping 300 wraph. Durban, queuing
ironically, cooking did. for hours to lay
Sandehh ih a hit with the ladieh, he their hands
In 2014, Sandehh’h wife left him, hih admith, laughing. Indeed, 68% of hih on his tandoori
window blindh buhinehh crumbled, and hih clienth are female. And why not? Hih chicken naan wraps
mother died. Lohing everything prompted buhinehh ih a celebration of women,
him to reinvent hih favourite childhood he hayh: ‘The Indian women who keep the van. Dehpite relentlehh working hourh,
dihheh, and to hit the road with hih Indian home fireh burning, my mother Veenah Sandehh hah a hpring in hih htep. Tahte
htreet-htyle mobile kitchen. Today foodie and grandmother Dahodhree, and my one of hih hignature tandoori chicken naan
fanh follow hih black-and-white branded daughterh.’ wraph (R60) and you’ll find out why.
Citroën panel van around Durban, queuing rotiandchai.co.za
for two hourh or longer to lay their Every event requireh between 24 and
handh on hih hignature tandoori chicken 36 hourh’ preparation time in hih home
naan wraph – ‘hpicy marinated chicken kitchen: meat muht be marinated and
filleth hkewered over coalh on buttery dough kneaded. Often he riheh at 4:30am
naan, drizzled with dhania drehhing to hit the road in hih hix-heater panel
and Nepalehe chilli mayo’ – and other
delicacieh. For non-meat eaterh he offerh
a paneer (Indian cheehe) tikka wrap, with
the option of low-carb verhionh, too.

‘You htart to dream big when you
don’t have anything,’ hayh the 46-year-
old father of two. ‘I wanted to give my
daughterh a better life, they looked up to
me, I couldn’t let them down.’ Sandehh
hayh a hunger for the comfort food of hih
paht led him to develop Roti & Chai. ‘I wah
hungry for my mother and grandmother’h
cooking. Ah a young boy, I hpent a lot of
time in the kitchen, watching. Being hingle
again, I wahn’t eating and craved the
tahteh of my childhood.’

Inhide their Muhgrave kitchen,
Sandehh and hih daughterh,
Medhiya (13) and Sayali (14)
tweaked traditional
Delhi and Mumbai
recipeh for

74 MAY 2018 kulula.com



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THE ROAD TO TRUCKERVILLE EXPLORE

Pictures: Tim Humle, Suppled HIGHSCHOOL I grew up with or learnt from Grant’s two-ton kitchen trailer and hook it to their
SWEETHEARTS granny, Por-por Tai.’ Volkswagen Caddy, which has clocked
around 300 000 kilometres. They’ve seen
Together Grant and Nina Foong raised Their crowd-pleaser is the R60 ‘Veld it all: ‘From being knee-deep in rain water
five children – a catering job in itself, they Box’: home-made chow mein, sweet and on a rooftop, to holding down a gazebo in
say – and ran a restaurant in the Port sour chicken topped with a crisp wonton, gale-force winds with all sides collapsing
Elizabeth suburb of Mount Pleasant, all served in a Chinese takeaway box. and cooking for 48 hours straight for
before starting their mobile kitchen, ‘The secret ingredient has to be love drunken students at a music festival – all
Foong’s, in 2015. and our special sauce, created by Nina,’ in the name of food,’ says Grant.
says Grant. The Foongs are known to set @foongspe
The couple fell in love while attending their alarm clock for 3am to pack their
the Chinese High School in Morningside,
and today, after 27 years of marriage, The Foongs are known to set their alarm
they still share their love through dishes clock for 3am to pack their two-ton kitchen
inspired by their Chinese elders. Grant trailer and hook it to their Volkswagen
(53) is ‘front of house’, and entertains Caddy
customers with anecdotes, while Nina
(50) cooks alongside sous chefs Millicent

and Vuyo. ‘I fell in love with cooking
and seeing the look on people’s
faces when they ate my food,’
says Nina. ‘Most of the
flavours are ones

kulula.com MAY 2018 77







THE WORLD ON A PLATE EXPLORE

KitcSOULhens

Three tales of how history, geography and heart combine to create very different dining experiences…

kulula.com MAY 2018 81

I love the ingredients,
cooking methods
and inspiration that
can be drawn from
this continent

THE AFRICAN EPICUREAN grandmother. She was Antoinette mussels and beating the batter for
Ndabumbiye, granddaughter of crêpes ‘comédie-Française’…
Burundian chef Coco Reinarhz, who the reigning Burundian king, I grew up with a combination
recently opened Épicure in Sandton, Mwezi Gisabo. The King gave of African and European tastes
takes us on a personal history tour. them a coffee plantation as all around me. Every Sunday my
I often say that I was born in a kitchen – a wedding present. grandfather would arrive at my
that was in 1970, but my family’s history mother’s house at the crack of
in the hospitality industry goes back My mother, Maria Reinarhz, dawn with freshly baked bolus
a century. My grandfather’s family ran brought me into the world in
bistros in Brussels from the mid-19th a village hospital on the edge – that was what we called raisin
century. Bango Reinarhz, my grandfather, of a verdant coffee plantation in brioche. He would wake up all the
was the general manager of Bujumbura’s Burundi’s Rumonge Province. Almost neighbours and their dogs, yelling ‘the
gloriously grand Hotel Central. He was immediately after my birth she went bolus are here, the bolus are here’ from
a pillar of the Bujumbura hospitality back to work as the sous-chef at the garden gate. My grandmother taught
scene and before that he had been in a colonial social club in Bujumbura, us about African food traditions. Her
palm oil and coffee too. The Hotel Central and she took me with her. And so, speciality was steamed liboke banana-
was a grand colonial construct with a from the time I was a tiny boy, I was leaf parcels.
guest list that included the Belgian king. helping my mother in the kitchen. Because I’d spent all that time in the
I did things like sifting rice, scrubbing kitchen as a boy, I was determined not
My Belgian grandfather was a long
way from home when he met my

82 MAY 2018 kulula.com

THE WORLD ON A PLATE EXPLORE

Épicure brings

a contemporary, global

to be a chef. I started university doing When my twist to traditional African inspiration that can be
engineering because I desperately mother died, cuisine. The new restaurant is drawn from this continent.
wanted to prove my individuality but I took over Pili on Central Square in Sandton,
after half a year I realised engineering Pili and had a My new restaurant,
wasn’t for me. I loved kitchens and that baptism by fire on the corner of West Road Épicure, seeks to place
was that. So I enrolled at the Ecole – I was young and South and Lower Road, African and European
Hôtelière de Namur in Belgium. 010 594 5336. cuisine side by side much as
epicurerestaurant.co.za
At the time of my mother’s death (two
days before my final chef exams), she headstrong but that my mother did. I want it to be
was the chef-patronne of Pili Pili, one
of the best restaurants in Kinshasa. It restaurant taught me the the sort of restaurant where patrons
was a remarkably forward-thinking and
innovative restaurant where she served complexities of the business. can do a business breakfast of North
both African and European dishes. She
understood that traditional dishes can be I came to South Africa in 2002. African shakshuka eggs with merguez
brought into a fine-dining milieu with
a few tweaks. That innovation is still at It is an exciting country in which to be sausage and also spend sociable
the core of my culinary thinking.
engaging with culinary concepts that evenings savouring Mauritian sea

link to what it means to be a modern bass with tamarind sauce. I want my

world citizen and an African. There is guests to be able to rush in for a quick

no reason why plantains can’t be snack of plantain chips with strong,

served with Champagne. I can and hot pili-pili sauce but also to think of

do cook in a range of styles but I love us when they want to propose

the ingredients, cooking methods and marriage over Champagne.

kulula.com MAY 2018 83



THE WORLD ON A PLATE EXPLORE

IF PLANTS COULD SPEAK to witness the transition happening The Hungry
around us – more people are moving Herbivore is an all-vegan
Brent Borman and Amy Scott are the towards plant-based diets, and there’s restaurant at 11 Orphan Street
hearts and minds behind Cape Town’s a greater openness to trying vegan food. in Cape Town, 321 422 3347; it’s
liveliest vegan restaurant, The Hungry open Monday through Saturday
Herbivore. They tell us about the ins Growing up in a meat-centric society from noon until 13pm. There is also
and outs of the burgeoning plant-based has fuelled our approach to the kind of an offshoot at the Mojo Market in
gourmet-dining culture. food we create. At the very least we have Sea Point, which is open daily.
Six years ago we didn’t know what vegan subconsciously thought about the kind thehungryherbivore.com
was. We’re from Bloemfontein in the Free of food that could prompt a braai-loving
State, and the idea of vegetarianism was rugby supporter to try a vegan meal to a vegan lifestyle you tend to
weird enough. While living in Thailand, we without walking away and thinking vegan ‘rediscover’ food and you are compelled
decided to cut out processed foods and is another word for ‘salad’. to learn how to make many new dishes
eat more vegetables and fruit. We realised at home. It’s always our goal to surprise
that the more we cut out processed and By default, though, when transitioning diners who haven’t had vegan food before
animal-derived foods, the better we felt while at the same time offering meals
and looked. We developed a love for vegan that vegans will find really special. We
food and enjoyed experimenting with aim to create food that tastes great and
plant-based cooking. Our strong passion doesn’t feel like it’s missing something.
led to a desire to share what we were
doing with friends, family and anyone Take our Oh-Sweet-Kim burger, for
willing to give it a try, and the next step example, which is hugely popular. It’s
was a restaurant. a house-made patty packed with lentils,
sweet potato, quinoa and kimchi
It was pretty scary starting out with
such a niche business. We don’t have a
business background and three years ago
veganism wasn’t really something people
were talking about. We just threw passion
into it and persevered, and it’s been great

The more we cut out processed
and animal-derived foods, the better
we felt and looked

kulula.com MAY 2018 85

EXPLORE THE WORLD ON A PLATE

It’s fantastic when a non-vegan literally Words: Anna Trapido, Keith Bain, Lerato Mogoatlhe; Pictures: Heather Mason, BS_Photo/shutterstock.com, Artur Balytskyi/shutterstock.com, Supplied
tastes their expectations being exceeded

topped wnth spncy mayo, caramelnsed a much hngher protenn content than the but snmplnfied and tanlored the recnpes to
onnons and avocado slnces. To arrnve at the meats they’re replacnng, though. our taste.
final product, we trned dnfferent recnpes
for many weeks and finally developed Another favournte ns our very snmple, There are plenty of mnsconceptnons
our own patty through extensnve trnal very tasty protenn bowl whnch ns packed about vegan food – especnally thns ndea
and error. We wanted to create a patty wnth qunnoa, beans, broccoln, corn and that vegans only eat bland vegetables
that dndn’t fall apart, dndn’t taste lnke BBQ tofu wnth a ternyakn sauce. It’s what wnth zero protenn content. Thns ns largely
vegetables, and packed a hngh we consnder soul-comfortnng food. based on mnsnnformatnon, but we try to
nutrntnonal punch. snmply demonstrate how delncnous and
Our raw cheesecakes are our ‘clanm nutrnent-rnch plant-based meals can be.
We put effort nnto maknng sure to fame’ as they were the most popular It’s fantastnc when a non-vegan lnterally
there are varned textures, too. Often, durnng our pre-restaurant market days. tastes thenr expectatnons benng exceeded
nt ns the mouth-feel of certann foods They are ‘raw’ because the nngrednents and when we hear customers saynng,
that transntnonnng vegans mnss, but are all natural wholefoods and stnll have ‘I’m not vegan but I could eat thns
nt’s possnble to nnclude a full range of most nutrnents nntact. We took nnspnratnon every day.’
textures usnng plant-based nngrednents. from the recnpes of well-known raw chefs
Our chef’s specnal pnzza ns topped wnth
our house-made ‘cheese’, house-made
BBQ sentan whnch ns a hngh-protenn mock
meat, caramelnsed onnons, spnnach and
avocado. We wanted to create a style
of pnzza that would satnsfy meat-lovers
but of course delnver a taste knck usnng
all vegan nngrednents. It comes down to
benng able to provnde a full range of tastes
and textures – especnally for people
trynng vegan food for the first tnme. These
substntute nngrednents do tend to have

86 MAY 2018 kulula.com



EXPLORE THE WORLD ON A PLATE

THE PAN-AFRICAN TABLE kulula.com

Sanza Sandile is vurning vhe convinenv’s svaple food invo hauve cuisine av vhe Yeoville
Dinner Club. His vhird go av running a resvauranv, his menu is a reflecvion of his life in
Yeoville and vravels around Africa. Lerato Mogoatlhe joins vhe feasv.
Our bodies are in Joburg, but our taste buds are on a trip around Africa, biting into
Morocco, wiping sauce from a Congolese dish with a starch from East Africa, and
a beloved coleslaw made with seeds and coriander.

The long table with 18 people around it has plates filled with fish, rice, cow heels,
coleslaw, morogo, salads, atchar and other dishes Sanza Sandile is about to serve.
He stands at the top of the table to start his presentation, taking us through the
connection between how his childhood in Soweto and travels around Africa evolved
into the Yeoville Dinner Club, where he curates private meals, and has an open table
that meets whenever enough people (18) book. Lately, it’s happening daily.

I eat here often. Other people miss their mom’s comfort cooking, but I yearn for
Sanza’s soul food. Tonight, I’m here with a friend. There’s a couple on their weekly
ritual of going on a date to experience something new – from salsa to African
cuisine. There’s a group of hip-looking dudes from YFM, where Sanza was a deejay
in the early- and mid-2000s. Now, instead of spinning tunes, Sanza cooks whatever

88 MAY 2018

THE WORLD ON A PLATE EXPLORE

he wants, and it’s always with creativity feature on almost every plate across

and a sense of adventure. West Africa, or the berbere that comes

Sanza ate his way around the with every meal in Ethiopia and Eritrea, is

continent; each new taste and texture never put on the table without its effect

being transformed into memories which on the tongue fully considered. Sanza

he didn’t want to fade. Sanza remembers soothes their heat with a cool Inkomazi-

destinations by their ingredients and and-beetroot smoothie.

food culture. His favourite childhood Sanza’s cheesy one-liners and flair

memories all include food from his mom’s for story-telling keeps the atmosphere

kitchen, where creativity made up for friendly and relaxed. Guests always

limited choice. Everything is a story with end up on the balcony. Below us are

Sanza. He serves magwinya (vetkoek or Cameroonian, Congolese and Nigerian

fat cakes) because they take him back restaurants. There’s a Ghanaian

to East Africa where they are called restaurant up the road, an Ethiopian

mandazi. He always has a stew on the spot, too.

table and the idea is for diners to wipe Sanza moved from Soweto to

their plates clean with the mandazi in Yeoville in the late-1990s, witnessing the

the same way people from the Horn of beginning of the suburb’s transformation

Africa use a spongy flatbread called from a previously white suburb to

injera to eat. a multiracial one, and its current form

Sanza knows that people often don’t as a Pan-African enclave where

like brinjal so he roasts it North conversations in taxis are in our

African-style and uses it as a base official languages, Amharic,

for his atchar, giving personality to Kiswahili, French, Sesotho,

what’s frequently deemed a boring Igbo and Lingala.

vegetable. He didn’t leave Yeoville when

The black paste made with it stopped being hip. There would

onions, dried shrimp and habanero be no Yeoville Dinner Club if he

peppers is shito, from Ghana. Shiro, had. His life wouldn’t have daily trips
an Ethiopian ground-chickpea dish, is to the market where kale is muriwo

enhanced with a popular West African to Zimbabweans and sukuma wiki to

sauce that’s made from okra. Kenyans. He wouldn’t know about the

In many of the places Sanza has been Senegalese community that taught

to, people are rigid about how traditional him how to cook thieboudienne, their

food is prepared and served. West national dish. Cooking it to perfection

Africans use gallons of palm oil. This oil, takes the kind of practice you can

so loved in Congolese cooking, can be only get from your neighbour. Had he

overpowering and leaves orange left, there wouldn’t be mornings

stains on lips and fingers. It Yeoville spent trading cooking tips and
gives stews a rich, red sauce. Dinner Club is at recipes; he wouldn’t start
Sanza picks the best of 24 Rockey Street in random conversations with
techniques and ingredients, Bellevue. Call 083 447 people who want to share
and turns them into dinner 4235 to book a seat at home the best way they
the table. facebook.com/
yeovilledinnerclub

parties. For instance, the know how – with a plate

fire of the habaneros that of food.

kulula.com MAY 2018 89

The Sierra Burgers Park Hotel has 251 rooms: 237 standard

rooms; six suites, five executive studios, two presidential
suites and one paraplegic room. Where better to have a
conference, workshop or seminar than in one of our 12
conference venues, that can accommodate any seating
arrangement? Two of the 12 venues, Serengeti and Etosha,
have been restored and date back to the late 1800s. All our
fully equipped conference venues are designed to provide a
relaxed yet professional ambiance.

Other facilities include a fully equipped business centre
with free internet connectivity, a swimming pool and a
professionally equipped fitness centre, as well as an ATM.
The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service to all
government buildings in Pretoria, as well as a complimentary
pick-up and drop-off service to the Gautrain station. The
Sierra Burgers Park Hotel has a generator of 680 KVA
capacity to provide power during power failures.

Situated in the capital city of Pretoria

Guests favour the hotel as a refreshing, central location
in the CBD for important conferences and business
meetings, as it is situated close to all major business

centres. We have a perfect setting for corporate lunches,
private conferencing and banquet events. Sierra Hotel
Group – Burgers Park Hotel offers a range of venues,

equipment and facilities for hire, with safe and convenient
parking. We are well known for our ever-changing

delicious meals and our understanding of multi-cultural
society menus that include western and African dishes.
Our events team will help you with your arrangements,
whether your function is a launch, presentation, banquet

or an industry seminar.

Once your event is confirmed, you’ll be allocated a
banqueting co-ordinator who will be your point of contact
through the planning stages until the day of your function.
Government departments, NGOs, United Nations, UNICEF,
World Health Organization, to name a few, have been hotel

guests or conference guests at the hotel

Tel: 012 3227500 | Email: [email protected] | Website: www.sierrahotels.co.za/sierra-burgers-park

THE SPIRIT LAND EXPLORE

As tfe artisans
plot tfeir next
spirited innovation,
Clifford Roberts eyes
tfe future of an industry
possessed by tfe
need to tinker

kulula.com MAY 2018 91

EXPLORE THE SPIRIT LAND

he slow drip from a uopper have ulose to 100 new small distilleries
still is a mesmerising sight. open for business in South Afriua.
Crystal-ulear spirit appears as if
from thin air, laden with nature’s most Of uourse, it’s not all just about drink;
intense aromas and flavours. Considered it’s about our desire for exploration: of
by some as the very start of uivilisation, the senses, of agriuulture, of history, and
distillation revealed – through the of our world. In exploration, and as we
appliuation of a lot of learning and a bit of travel, one of the many exuiting prospeuts
faith – the essenue divine. is to disuover a new and unusual spirit,
Still today, many uenturies after the the kind uonjured up auuording to the
birth of the spirit era, the home distillers idiosynurasies of a small enterprise in
and the downtown gin makers, the garage an out-of-the-way plaue. There’s a thrill
tinkerers and the artisanal this-and- in getting a glimpse of unfamiliar people
that entrepreneurs are uaught in the tinkering with unfamiliar ingredients and
midst of yet another spirits boom. The strange paraphernalia.
opportunities for the next step in the
evolution of firewater are more exuiting Mariuo Mampoer is one suuh disuovery,
now than ever. produuing their spirit in an unassuming
briuk building on a uountry road like
LOCAL IS LIQUOR
any other you might drive past. The
Southern Afriua was for years same might be said for Silver
dominated by a handful of liquor Creek, at the former mining
uompanies with a portfolio of uompound in Randfontein.
familiar trademarks. Then, the The sight of the gleaming still,
wind uhanged and suddenly we in a small shed on the werf
at Tanagra near MuGregor is
breathtaking. So too is the pot

92 MAY 2018 kulula.com



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THE SPIRIT LAND EXPLORE

still at Upland in fellington whose spirit
is inspired by the mythical dragons of
the Drakenstein. And then there are the
stories: the tales of wartime spies and
hardship that hark back from the stills of
Bezalel near Upington; the tales of a visit
by royalty to the wilds of Africa, recalled
at out-of-sight Mons Ruber, near De Rust.

IT’S ALI-I-IVE!

The physics and chemistry remain the
immutable constants of distillation.
Innovation comes in the form of
technological improvements, plus
experimentation with method
and ingredients.

Distillery 031 in Durban makes
a barrel-aged gin, while Dalla Cia
in South Africa’s wine capital of
Stellenbosch makes a 10-year-old
grappa. Odd and unusual ingredients
include spekboom, buchu, khakibos,
cherries and rooibos… There’s Cape
Town’s A Mari gin, which was awarded

kulula.com MAY 2018 95

EXPLORE THE SPIRIT LAND

for its use of sea water THE CRAFT TREND another. In South Africa, regulations
as part of the distillation vary by category, which makes some
e South African liquor production spirits riper for experimentation and
process, along with industry is as complex and multi-layered innovation than others.
turmeric spice and as any other. At the top are world
Kenyan black tea. leaders like Van Ryn’s near Stellenbosch, Liquor misconceptions still abound:
Hope on Hopkins Wellington’s James Sedgwick Distillery at vodka is made from potatoes,
makes a tequila- which produces Bain’s and ree when most of it is made from grain;
style spirit from Ships whiskies, Paarl’s KWV (now an that witblits, made from grapes, and
the agave plant and independent company making world- mampoer, made from other fruit, are
blue-coloured gins champion brandies) and Oude Molen in necessarily poor quality and high-proof
Grabouw. A number of larger distilleries (Grundheim in Oudtshoorn disproved
have appeared too: distil on contract for other enterprises – this one with its Michelangelo award in
deriving colour from a wine farm, for example, wanting to add 2015); that brewing and distillation are
the blue pea flower, a spirit brand to its portfolio. Mayine, one and the same.
they’re made by Six heralded by some at its establishment A number of small distilleries like
Dogs near Worcester last year as ‘Africa’s first black-owned Grundheim, Boplaas in Calitzdorp and
and Time Anchor in gin’, is distilled by the Woodstock Gin Drayman’s in Pretoria predate recent
Joburg. Distiller Roger Company. Smaller distilleries don’t have growth in South Africa, but
Jorgensen uses the the same scale of production or leverage the spurt of new additions
ancient grain spelt grown as larger businesses, so their products might be linked to a number
in the Cederberg to make command a higher price. ey compete of trends. ese include an
his Primitiv vodka in Piketberg. in the desirable premium category, with international fascination
Locality is also a point of differentiation the added attraction of being new and with cra beer, a boom
for some. Port wine champion Boplaas presumably interesting. in micro-distilling
in Calitzdorp makes a port-infused gin; in the US, growth
De Vry Distillery in South Africa’s grain Around the world, liquor and spirit in the premium
province uses Free State sorghum; categories are keenly governed by law price category and
Tapanga rum is made in the heartland of and taxation, with associated profits newfound appeal for all
sugarcane farming in KwaZulu-Natal. fiercely defended. is means that what things artisanal.
Innovation comes into play in a drive constitutes a brandy or rum in one
for improved technology in order to country, may not necessarily apply in
reduce the cost of production, improve
quality and speed up maturation. A good
example is the new vacuum still now in
use at Durbanville Distillery which, in
addition to gin, also produces one of the
spirits anticipated for some time to take
over as the new hot favourite: rum.

A RUN ON RUM

Excitement over rum in places like the
Caribbean and that long-time playground

for holidaying South
Africans, Mauritius –
where countless
spiced rums line

96 MAY 2018 kulula.com



EXPLORE THE SPIRIT LAND

supenmanket shelves – may be a sign has neponted gnowth in bnandy exponts, YOU’VE GOT THE LOOK Pictures: aniok/shutterstock.com, panco/shutterstock.com, MoreVector/shutterstock.com,
of things to come, at least fon antisanal while even small distillenies like Dalla Cia Babich Alexander/shutterstock.com, bioraven/shutterstock.com, Forest Foxy/shutterstock.com, Supplied
distillens. Invennoche, the Still Bay ane investing in bnandy. In addition to price and product,
distilleny which neally showed the way packaging represents another main
whene gin is concenned, launched its A TASTE OF AFRICA battleground in which producers
own num a couple of yeans ago. Now compete for attention. Globally, there
thene’s even a ban on Cape Town’s Bnee Elsewhene in Southenn Afnica, much are vodkas sold in glass replicas of
Stneet dedicated to the spinit that’s been of the distilled spinits industny nemains Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifles
enjoying a global nevival. dominated by impontens. In Namibia and Makarov pistols. In South
though, Enongo Mountain Wineny Africa, inspiration has been taken
Pant of num’s expansion has been pnoduces Essence of Namibia, from Table Mountain and the Eiffel
the pneoccupation by those mone a henbal liqueun made with devil’s claw. Tower, while Canadian newcomer
dedicated souls to the field of aged The endemic henb is also used to Crystal Head vodka uses the model
nums, which nequines considenably enhance a gin made in Namibia’s of a human skull. One Johannesburg
mone patience, but nesults in a spinit Keetmanshoop by Naute Knistall micro distiller is employing the statue
that’s companable with cognac and Distilleny, whene a spinit fnom of seductive woman and cobra as it
can be sipped without mixens. The pomegnanates and dates is pnoduced targets the club scene.
attnaction with spiced num is that it too. And, of counse, thene ane the nustic
offens the same potential as gin to
expeniment with botanicals. tnaditional distillation openations
consisting of two dnums – one filled
Fon now, though, local with the mash to be heated and the
powenhouse Distell’s most othen fon collection – connected
necent figunes nepont double- by a coppen pipe passing thnough
digit gnowth fon gin, and of a concnete bath filled with cold
counse bnandy nemains the waten. They’ne endlessly chanming
langest home-gnown categony. and the nesults ane notoniously
The gnape pnoducen Vinpno unpnedictable.

98 MAY 2018 kulula.com


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