Shrewd Food – Page 3 – Smart takes on food, coffee & service

SHISA NYAMAS, KEEPING THE HOME FIRES BURNING

Fanning the flames of 21st century township eating

Here are the five finalists for this year’s Shisa Nyama Awards, a competition which aims to find the best in shisa nyama eating. Meet the judges and the finalists.

I love that DStv ad. The one where the soccer supporter sits in front of his TV patiently waiting for his friends to join him in watching a game. Instead Tiny and Bumba drag him off to a shisa nyama where they partake of huge quantities of champagne and endless platters of meat – and leave him to pay the humungous bill. Officially, shisa nyama eating has come of age. No longer confined to townships or township residents, the shisa nyama style of hospitality is now enjoyed by all communities. It’s all about the meat, the braaiing, the expensive booze, the live music, the vibe and the warm welcome.
To acknowledge the significant role shisa nyama venues are playing in the hospitality and tourist industries, Michelle Lewis, owner of Have Your Say, a marketing and public relations company, set up the Shisa Nyama Awards™ in 2016.
Her aim was to find Durban’s best shisa nyama venues and publicly acknowledge them. Another aim was to offer the public a list of such eating venues in Durban. In doing this she was sailing in unchartered waters. Up to this point there was no list of venues available and no previous awards for excellence.
The winner of last year‘s award was won by Café Skyzer, with One and Only coming in at second and Sbu’s Lounge coming third. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Max’s Lifestyle VIP Lounge and the People’s Choice Award was won by Eyadini.
The finalists for this years awards are:

Food News

FOOD JOURNEYS

Delish Sisters from Salt Rock

COOKED is a warm-hearted book about foodies and food. And all funds raised from its sales are for a good cause, writes Ingrid Shevlin

As its editor admits, COOKED in South Africa is not a traditional recipe book. Instead it documents the early food memories and food journeys of a range of foodies from the Cape, KZN and Gauteng, with recipes almost a secondary objective. And, while well-established chefs have been interviewed, the stories of artisanal bakers, food truckers, pastry chefs, caterers and market stall holders are also told.
I like that as often the most interesting stories come from those a little further down in the food chain. And I like the eclectic collection recipes too, as they represent the personal favourites of each contributor. Something close to their hearts – or stomachs!
I bought the book a few months back on impulse even though it was R500. Partly because I liked the KZN contributions and the stunning photography, and partly because it’s a fund-raising project initiated by Wish Upon A Star, a charity devoted to helping disadvantaged children living with disabilities. What better cause could there be?
Inevitably, KZN has the smallest section, but what a colourful bunch of foodies they are.

Restaurants

FINE DINING ON THE SOUTH COAST

Crusted venison, one of chef Dylan Smith’s works of art

Chocolate and orange duck breast

The Cellar
Honeywood, 32 Abelia Crescent, Sea Park
Call: 039 695 1036
Open: Tuesday to Saturday lunch and dinner

Dylan Smith is creating fabulous flavours at The Cellar. Frank Chemaly is impressed.

A good friend and I decided we needed to get away from it all. And so we went on a little road trip and spent a few days down the South Coast… exploring, relaxing and, yes obviously, eating. We were far away from truculent teens, demanding parents, creaking plumbing and rotting balustrades that seem to fill everyday life.
I had wanted to go back to The Cellar. I was impressed the last time I ate there and another friend fed me with recent good reports.
Chef Dylan Smith is certainly a talented man and his restaurant is one of the few fine dining experiences on the South Coast.

Restaurants

FLAVOURS OF SPAIN AT PINTXADA

Succulent chickens sizzling in the rotisserie

Delicious mussels

PINTXADA
16 Chartwell Drive, Granada Square, Umhlanga
Call: 082 688 1310
Open: Noon-10pm daily. Cocktail hour 4pm-6pm weekdays

Frank Chemaly and a friend reminiscence over tapas and more at Pintxada. This review first appeared in the Independent on Saturday

A foodie friend wanted to tell me about her holiday to Spain and all the delicious tapas options she’d had there. So we decided to meet at Umhlanga’s very own tapas bar for lunch. To get us in the mood.
Pintxada is a stylish restaurant with distinct dining areas. You enter past the rotisserie with the cooking birds making a tempting statement. The front tables spill out onto the piazza, very European in style, while the bar is a meeting place for many locals. Cocktail hour in the late afternoons is always a hit in the village. In the back, the dining is more formal and intimate, but you can still be part of the vibe and scene.

Food News

ARCHITECTUAL DESSERTS

Ukrainian architect Dinara Kasko uses her design skills to make edible art (pictured below). And it started with a 3-D printer. This is an edited version a story first published in The Independent, London on June 15. Find useful links at the bottom of the story.

There can be few artisans as original as Dinara Kasko. A Ukrainian architect who originally studied the geometry of buildings and furniture, Dinara embarked on an ambitious mid-career change when she decided to apply the things she’d learnt at university to baking cakes.
“I’ve only been baking for five years,” she says. “I just started out making ordinary cakes, but then I thought, why not try to do something new and special?