Forager: an experience to heighten all senses...

Your run of the mill restaurant is losing appeal in this modern era and if you classify yourself as a 'foodie' you tend to be looking for more than just the food... you are looking for the whole experience.

Forager. delivers just that and more. The brainchild of Werner Venter and Seline Van der Wat, Forger is a pop-up restaurant that appeals to those looking for a night out packed with food and fun.


Last night saw the launch of this new venture and the 6 course meal, accompanied by wines from one of my favourite wine farms Babylonstoren, did not disappoint.

With each course designed to be experienced with the 'loss' of one of your senses in order to heighten the other four, or simply applying one sense more than the rest, we were left blushing as we donned blindfolds, earplugs and sniffing lemongrass infused dry ice.

When Werner first told me the concept behind Forager and the name, I laughed asking if we will be 'foraging' for our food through piles of lettuce. Well, we did forage, although there was no lettuce!

After sipping some wine on the patio of the gorgeous Black Bamboo restaurant, situated at the Menlyn Boutique Hotel, we were ushered inside where we took our seats for the first course.

The first sense we 'lost' was our sight as we assisted one another in tying black blindfolds over our eyes and giggled at the thought of what a room full of blindfolded people trying to eat must look like.

Our plate was placed in front of us and we had to use our hands to eat what we found... note to anyone out there, eating with your hands, blindfolded, and then trying to find your wine glass in order to pair it with what's in your mouth equals not easy! Super surprised we didn't break any glasses!

The second course was accompanied by earplugs! Have you ever eaten a meal with earplugs? I doubt anyone in that room had ever done so but I can tell you that its quite an experience and you really do 'hear' the food! Amazing. The addition of popping candy to the squid ink soil and curried custard really brought the dish to life.

While on the topic of bringing food to life, I must just add that I went to this dinner solo and was a little concerned about the company I may find myself keeping. However, after meeting Britney and Cindy, who are Dentistry students writing for a Durban based magazine, Ginja and taking a seat opposite some of Werners friends, the night got interesting. A lot of food swopping, table cloth art and wine glass top ups took place... all before the third course.

When I read the words 'Pork Belly' I lost all concentration on the words that followed... pork belly mmmmm my favourite! Our third course tested our sense of smell. We were treated to a plate of pork belly, mushrooms, parsnips and more X2! The plate was divided in two and the same spread was laid out on both sides. We ate the first portion with all our senses, taking in the rich smell of the meal before us.

 

Then we took a great wiff of lemongrass infused dry ice (don't breathe too deeply at if you try this at home, it burns...oh it burns!) and ate the second portion. I didn't really enjoy the second portion as much as the first, perhaps our sense of smell does make a difference!

A surprise awaited us before our forth course, another course! An amazing pallet cleanser that could easily be sold on its own on any hot sunny day.
So delicious and refreshing!

 Could one possibly eat more after four courses? Yes you can! Bring on the beef... The fourth course tested our sense of taste. Gorgeous sechuan beef, accompanied by popcorn sweet corn, cauliflower and parsnip puree, and five different types of spices. These spices had either sweet, salty, bitter, sour or 'the morish' (MSG) flavour. As we sipped our wine and paired our food with different spices, we came to realize how important the right spice is to enhance a dish.

Of course my favourite of the meal had to be dessert. This course focused on the sense of touch and we had to 'play' with our food to create of own dessert. However, this dessert consisted of beetroot and a lot of it! A couple of the people at my table were worried about the fact that beetroot was going to invade their pudding but we were in for a surprise.
The ice-cream was amazing, the thyme meringues were amazing, the beetroot crumble was amazing and the beetroot lollipop! Was that amazing or what?! A couple of the guys at my table have already made business propositions as to the rights to sell them in the shops! Amazing.

And of course to wrap the evening together in a nice bow, cappuccinos... Roast Republic cappuccinos.

This whole dining experience was well worth it and I'm very glad I changed my mind and decided to be apart of it. The location was amazing, the décor was stunning, the food out of this world and the company well worth it. Werner and Seline have out done themselves with this launch and I have no doubt that the evening to come will not disappoint!

As I drove home, close to midnight, I knew my head would not thank me the next morning and a full day at work would be a challenge, however I knew that I will definitely be telling my children about the night I drank blind, ate with earplugs, sniffed dry ice and relived my childhood with candy floss, blindfolds and petri dishes. 


ForagerEatingDesign

My Journey to the Re:public

As with most South Africans, I was glued to the second season of MasterChef SA. Mainly because I would write down all the recipes and practice my plating - not that I recreated any of the recipes...yet!

Our second reason for watching was because one of sisters friends had a friend (Shannon) who made it through and we were intrigued to see how she did.

Not surprising though that eventually the Van der Wat sisters kept us glued to the screens twice a week. The many faces of Seline and Leandri's passion (or lack thereof) for cheese were just so entertaining.

It was awesome to find out that the ladies lived in my home town, pretty much down the road and frequented the same spots.

Markets and coffee where something we had in common and after meeting them at the Neighbourgoods market in Braamfontein and learning that both Seline and Leandri loved giving back time to those less fortunate I decided to take to twitter and invite Seline to a toy handout and party we were holding in Attridgeville along side Toys for Africa. She accepted and Khumo (MSCA) joined as well, along with boxes of cupcakes!

That Saturday was too much fun and the beginning of numerous run-ins and eventually an evening blessing the kids at a foster home they work with and then a great coffee and Friday afternoon chat spent with Leandri. The passion she has for children and helping those around her is something inspiring. Which is why, when I heard about her coffee roastery project, I just knew I had to become a citizen - how could you not want to be a part of something that assists with the education of underprivileged children?

I was honoured enough to win some tickets to the launch of Roast Re:public on Thursday night and to say I was excited is probably an understatement.
 
Hopping on the Gautrain to meet my friend, and crazy companion for the night, Carla at the Rosebank station we started our journey to The Whippet cafe. After a few (and when I say few, 10 or 20 may be correct) wrong turns we got there and the buzz from all
citizens was amazing!





Learning coffee art, catching up with
old friends and fellow coffee enthusiasts (Bruce thats you), sipping on Nederburg wines, stuffing chocolate covered Sally Williams noughat in our mouths, trying out the truly amazing zoku coffee ice lollies as well as Selines delicious mini gourmet burgers and learning the brewing method of the siphon coffee maker made this night one for the books.

Matt, Jaco and Lea have put their hearts and souls into this project and the favour they have (and are receiving) is evident that they are on the right track. Seriously some of the nicest people and the nicest coffee out there.

When my mom turned to me after we chatted with the girls at the Urban market and said 'you need to make more friends who are like those two, they are so positive about this country and life. Surround yourself with people like that', I took it as a joke and yet here we are.




I can proudly say I drink coffee with a conscience and love being a citizen of this amazing republic!

Lets raise a cup to a new year, new friends and bags of coffee!

 

 

A Weekend in the Eastern Cape

So... I was born in Port Elizabeth and lived there for the first 6 years of my life before my dad got transferred to Joburg and the family packed up and moved to Pretoria. 80% of my family still live there. However, I am no longer that small town girl and PE is just....well its just that, a small town.

That's why this time round, I opted for a weekend and not a 10 holiday and I was ready to discover the coffee culture of this... small town :-)

With two Coffee Mags in hand, I boarded my flight to PE and knew exactly where I was going to go... first stop, Mastertons!

 

Mastertons has been a part of the Eastern Cape Coffee route for 90years now and I remember my gran talking about it and having bags of their coffee in the kitchen. Having driven past it numerous times while holidaying, this time we finally stopped to take a peek inside.

The smell of coffee beans roasting hits you in the parking area and all you have to do is follow your nose to the magic!
My bag of Brown Gold is almost finished! That's saying a lot!


A drive down to the original Vovo Telo for more coffee and snacks was next on the agenda. What an awesome surprise when we found that the store was surrounded by the cutest little trinket shops and I walked away with fridge magnets and broaches :-)


 Our last stop for the day was Nouvo.

My hair needed treating and no better place to visit then this 'Hair, coffee, beauty' one-stop shop.

Did I mention that the place is run by my moms younger brother and his wife?

The shops menu is mouth watering and they run with different specials every day.
The chicken dish to the left was truly amazing.
Gorgeous, succulent chicken on a bed of salad - something to go back for again and again and again!

                                                                                                             The chef is extremely passionate about this job and he insists on checking in on each table to ensure the food is satisfactory.

My mom also opted for a salad - something with butternut? The pictures just don't do it any justice and you'll just have to go there and try it yourself :-)

The coffee... well thats what we were there for wasn't it?
Nouvo has its own blend that they now bag and sell (ground or beans) and if you can, get yourself a bag to take home.
The Americano's and the Cappuccinos are very tasty. The blend is quite strong so when making at home, add a little extra water at the end (just a hint)

I will say though that the barrista's are excellent and passionate about there job. The effort put into each brew is fantastic and these guys are looking to give the Urban Express across the road a run for their money :-p

After 3 cappuccino's and a coffee shake, I packed two 250g bags into my suitcase. Upon my return home I popped into have coffee with a new friend, Leandri, and we tested the Nouvo blend. Not bad... not bad at all.


Till the coffee journey continues....

xx