Well done Lynne & Thando with last week’s specials. “The three cheese Nachos” were a runaway success & the “Steak Wellington” which threw our kitchen into a bit of a frenzy went down a treat with our more discerning diners.
This week we’re doing Truck Stop Café’s, not the carbon copy “One Stops” that dot our National roads but the deliciously dysfunctional “Mom & Pop” diner café’s one finds when you’re lost. The kind made famous in movies like “Fried green Tomatoes, The postman always rings twice & Bagdad Café.
We’re keeping it real but using a little licence and a few extras to Luxe it up a touch. You don’t have to have a truck to make a stop, Chevy Sparks are most welcome, but hey, if you’ve got an 18 wheeler in the driveway that you’ve been dying to give a run. Roar on down Durban Rd, the parking’s free.
Being a little chilly our weekly soup specials are doing well. So, in the spirit of listening to our customers we’ll be doing a TRUCK STOP SOUP. Refuel with a bowl of thick & creamy pea & vegetable soup, truck stopped up with thick home baked slices of fresh buttered toast
With good friends bringing me some fresh Sumac from Istanbul last week I’ve been dying to give it a go so with baby steps I’ll be doing a snack basket of BRINJAL CRISPS with a Middle Eastern Fattoush style chopped salad where the star of the show will be the Sumac.
My Kids go mad for the New York style fresh baked pretzels I buy at Coimbra Bakery on Sunday mornings so taking a cue from this I thought I’d try PRETZEL COATED FRIED CALAMARI which we’ll be serving with Joe’s famous tartare sauce & french fries.
Next up, another Truck Stop Classic, ROAST CHICKEN DINNER. Juicy, tender, marinated roast chicken & gravy served on cheddar, chilli, corn risotto with honey glazed baby carrots
You couldn’t do truck stop without PORK & EGGS so we’ll be doing a grilled, smoked, thick cut Kassler chop topped with a fried egg & served with a chunky tomato relish & skinny fries.
With truck stop’s being synonymous with a good old fashioned grilled steak, This weeks “Pump it Up”dish will be the BLACK & BLUE. Cajun blackened grilled BBQ sirloin served on a crispy sweet potato hash brown & topped with caramelised onions & a blue cheese crumble.
For dessert, look no further than a fresh baked rustic pan baked APPLE PIE with creamy vanilla soft serve.
“KEEP ON TRUCKIN”
Tasked with preparing this weeks specials, “El Management” have come up with the following to grace our Specials board this week. From the House of Lynn with an E we’ve got a snacky starter of THREE CHEESE NACHOS. Blue, feta & jack cheeses on salsa swizzled natural corn tortilla chips topped w/ sweet chilli and finished under the grill, a guaranteed taste awakener methinks.
Thando “I wish I was Ainsley” Bavuma kicks off optimistically with a “Lentil Linguine soup” which he has cleverly crafted into a hearty TORTILLA SOUP with a difference. A chunky veg & lentil soup with a hint of smoked paprika & chilli with tortilla strips in place of the linguini. Perfect cold weather vegetarian fare… here’s hoping it pours all week, with rain ….and vegetarians.
Lynne’s main course PESCADO VERACRUZ is fresh grilled Kingklip with a tart & tasty “Salsa Verde” style sauce complemented with roast vine tomatoes. Set on red rice it sounds like the perfect guilt free, super healthy and very tasty dish to set before the judges.
Thando’s “Masterchef” offering is the very traditional English BEEF WELLINGTON. Ainsley (I mean Thando’s) version will be thick sliced roast sirloin spread with a rich mushroom ragu, encased in puff pastry & baked light & crispy.
Keeping it traditional he’ll be serving it on a parsley, pea, potato mash with glazed carrots & a beefy gravy.
My humble offering at the back of these culinary masterpieces will be a simple fish & chip offering of a TUNA TACO, grilled tuna chunks tossed with lemon, chilli & coriander on salad greens with guacomole & salsa in a soft warm tortilla served with skinny fries & a chipotle seafood sauce.
THE PAN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD
Fully recovered from a week that was middled with our 15th Birthday party celebration where glasses were raised, snacks were served, jokes were told, songs were sung and reputations were left in tatters…I’ve decided we’re going with “The Good and the Great” this week.
After the runaway success of the “Poco Padrino’s” we served at our birthday party on Wednesday I thought we’d try another variation, so this week it’s crispy, crumbed PEPPADEW & FETA POCO PADRINO’S served with guacomole.
Talking the good and the great, you just can’t beat perfectly grilled chicken. So dig in to our HOT WING HALF HICKEN, a half spatchcock chicken (Free range..mind you) marinated & oven grilled juicy with our secret hot wing sauce & served up with a green salad tossed with blue cheese dressing, skinny fries & crunchy ranch slaw.
Our Bold & Beautiful offering has to be the SLOPPY JOE GRANDE BURRITO. Spicy ground beef, black beans and chipotle chillies simmered with tomato, onions and packed into a 30cm wholewheat tortilla with red rice & cheese ….served with skinny fries, guacomole & salsa.
Not everyone’s favourite, but definitely one of my all-time veggie greats. The humble Brinjal goes Mexican in the BRINJALADA roasted with garlic, onions, chilli, coriander & beefed up with chickpeas and black olives all baked in a sundried tomato tortilla and finished with red Enchilada sauce and grilled Feta.
Lastly, a 300g sirloin steak in a citrusy BBQ tequila, garlic marinade with onions, served with chipotle mayo, skinny fries & ranch coleslaw, we’ll call it THE DIEGO
Looking forward to next week’s specials already as TEAM CACTUS , Lynne & Thando will be tantalizing your taste buds with their personal selection of favourite dishes.
REMEMBER, IF YOU CAN’T BE GOOD, BE CAREFUL!
As it’s our 15th Birthday on Wednesday & I’ve been working on all the last minute arrangements for a little bash we’re having. I thought it best to keep this week’s specials simply fresh, local & tasty.
After lunching out in Stellenbosch last Sunday I was reminded how spoilt we are as Capetonian’s to have such a huge selection of fantastic estate restaurants only a 30 minute drive away.
From the heady heights of Overture, the rustic picnics of Hartenberg, the charcuterie at Bread and Wine, the pork at Joostenberg deli, the unspeakable fresh picked beauty of Babel at Babylonstoren & the great family vibe at Bodega…We are truly spoilt for choice
With Winter being less busy, I’ve always preferred visiting these venues over this period where less tourists & less stress in the kitchen equals great service, great food & better value.
Inspired by the brigades of young chefs who turn out these innovative, fresh, seasonal dishes on a weekly basis I’ve gone wine farm.
Both the weather & Franschoek insist on starting with a French onion soup which we’ll be topping with a garnish of skinny, crispy cheese grilled tortilla sticks.
We’ll be pairing this with a 2011 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon.
Steering away from traditional chicken liver pate’ we’ll be doing sautéed free range chicken livers with a hint of chipotle and a splash of Old Brown served Tex-Mex style on salad greens on a crispy corn Tostado with a tumble of salsa.
The livers will be best enjoyed with a glass of Waterside White, a delicious Chardonnay from the house of Graham Beck.
Next up a spinach & local halloumi cheese stuffed chicken breast wrapped in bacon, finished on the grill & served on a black bean & sweet potato mash
Enhance this delicious dish with a light, lo-cal, blushing glass of Arra blanc de noir.
For something light and fresh, try the lemon pepper battered hake fillets with crispy French fries & aioli…Paired with one of my favourite whites, a crisp, not to fruity Dido Pinot Grigio from winemaking legend Graham Knox.
Meat lovers celebrate with a grilled “Carne Asada” marinated Entrecote (Sirloin) topped with a melting Café de Paris style Cape brandy butter and served with a bean & rice stuffed cheese grilled Poblano & crispy tumbleweed onions.
This king of dishes will be complemented by a glass of luscious Arabella merlot, our best-selling red at Joe Fish & understandably so.
CHEERS!
This week we’ve kicked the cowboy out of the kitchen and replaced him with a Tequila shooting, Corona quaffing, pot-bellied, moustachioed Mexican Mama called Colin who will be adding a twist of authenticity to this week’s specials.
Our Bar Boyz Basket will be filled with CHICHARRONES, crispy crackling pork bites, spice dusted & served piping hot with a cooling salsa fresca, these are best enjoyed with an ice cold Corona.
Next up, a simple peasant style BLACK BEAN SOUP, served spicy, potsticker thick with a swirl of crema…... I’ts Mexico in a bowl.
For something completely different and a Fat Cactus first, try our CHICKEN TAMALES, free range, pulled Mexican pot chicken packed into fresh masa dumplings, tightly wrapped in little corn husk parcels & steamed tender. We’ll be serving these delicious Tamales with little tastings of green chilli, pico de gallo & tomatillo salsa verde.
Rustic arrives in a bowl of SOPA DE ALBONDIGAS, spicy pork meatballs simmered in an umami roast tomato & vegetable broth with tortilla spaghetti finished with a salsa fresca & queso fresco garnish.
Our Burrito will be a classic PORK & BLACK BEAN BURRITO, crispy chunks of pork belly sautéed with chillies, onions, garlic & coriander, layered on red rice & topped with a black bean sauce & white cheddar in a wholewheat tortilla & served with salsa & guacomole.
This week’s showstopper is definitely going to be the CHIPOTLE LAMB BARBACOA, Butchers best lamb leg marinated with a sauce of Poblano’s, Chipotles & seven herbs & spices and then slow slow roasted till fall off the bone. We’ll be serving ours “Fajita Style with traditional sides & salsas.…who says the “greeks” do the best lamb?
“Grasa Cactus, siempre abierto, siempre cocinar”
This week’s showstopper is definitely going to be the CHIPOTLE LAMBBARBACOA, Butchers best lamb leg marinated with a sauce of Poblano’s,Chipotles & seven herbs & spices and then slow slow roasted tillfall off the bone. We’ll be serving ours “Fajita Style with traditionalsides & salsas.…who says the “greeks” do the best lamb?
“Grasa Cactus, siempre abierto, siempre cocinar”
This week we’re down the pub checking out some old classics. Personally, I enjoyed the original gastropub movement back in the early 90’s and was lucky enough to have eaten at a few of those “London originals”in that period, the focus was on unfussy & flavourful dishes using the best seasonal, local produce.
Sadly, I think the explosion of TV Chef’s and an indeterminate number of food channels has slowly bastardised the original concept. Fusion abounds and the very ethos of the gastropub has been watered down to the point of franchise pubs all offering so called “Gastropub fare”. Bullshit abounds, now it’s all about “sun dried Himalayan mountain onions”, “Norwegian pine bark puree”, “breast of Preston-on-plonk wild sparrow”…you get the point! Waving an apron of solidarity to the original concept I’m paying homage to a few Pub originals, keeping them as simple, seasonal and local as the supply chain affords….hope you enjoy.
ALLOTMENT SOUP - Taking advantage of Autumns bounty we’ll be starting with a chunky allotment veg tortilla soup with baby onions, carrots, celery, turnips, chard, parsnips, tomato, and garlic with sun dried tomato tortilla strips, garnished with a crumble of queso fresco and a drizzle olive oil.
HADDOCK CAKES - Pub style crispy crumbed smokey haddock, pea & potato cakes served with tartare sauce.
MUSSEL POT - A pot of fresh local mussels steamed open to order in a creamy herb, roast onion and garlic sauce, served with grilled Pannini for juice mopping.
TEA TIME SALAD - A little brazen head, but a tea time pub salad if ever there was one. Heaped salad greens garnished with chopped anchovy, topped with crispy bacon rashers, a poached egg and spotted toast soldiers.
BANGERS & MASH – We’ve hand made our very own Pork, sage & apple sausages so if they look a little artisanal, cut us some slack, and will be serving them on a seasonal potato. parsnip, turnip mash with roast onion gravy.
BEEF & ALE PIE - Slow cooked beef & bacon with baby onions, mushrooms and milk stout topped with a thick wedge of puff pastry.
FISH & CHIPS - Crumbed angelfish fillets finished with Salsa Verde drizzle served with mushy peas and skinny fries.
“Next rounds on me”
With the Easter weekend opening autumn’s door I thought the theme of this week’s specials should be warm and welcoming, but wasn’t sure what direction to take.
But after demolishing a delicious creamy lamb korma at BIHARI on Friday, enjoying a luxurious stay at the TAJ HOTEL last weekend and the fact that our waitress Lara left for a trip to India last week, I didn’t need to think about it too much, “yes, very nice, please, thank-you”, It’s Bolly-Mex!
Although both the Mexican Kitchen and Indian Kitchen use chillies generously throughout their cuisine they are used quite differently. In the Mexican kitchen, chefs use the crisp green bite of the Jalapeno, the fiery fruity hit of the habanero, the smokey earthy flirt of the Poblano to create dishes with fresh, vibrant flavours and intense rich tones and layers where the chilli flavour permeates throughout.
The Indian kitchen on the other hand weaves it’s mastery with a symphony of spices. The chilli adds heat and the subtle, expert use of spice blends create the magnificent curry flavours we love so much.
Our passage to India via Texas starts with fresh made light and crispy VEG CURRY SAMOOSAS served with mango chutney and our legendary PACO PADRINO’S, crumbed risotto balls flavoured with butternut curry and queso fresco and served with salsa fresca.
Our Bolly-Mex offering will be a BUTTER CHICKEN spice blackened chicken FAJITA served with all our Tex-Mex sides & salsa’s and real roti’s.
With a nod to the heady days of the Raj, we’ll be doing a CORONATION CHICKEN BURGER, grilled breast fillet topped with a curry mayo sauce, served Cactus style with french fries and ranch coleslaw.
And Hey, I couldn’t do Indian without doing a DURBAN STYLE LAMB CURRY, we’ll be serving ours on the bone with sambals of pilaf rojo, cucumber mint raita, salsa fresca, chutney and roti’s.
After chatting with my Bihari waiter, Sumil, who told me his favourite sweet back home was DEEP FRIED ICE CREAM which coincidentally is huge in Mexican restaurants stateside, everything fell into place. I’ll be infusing ours with a white chocolate essence and a crispy coat of chocolate tri-crunch.
We’ve also got our hands on some great Mexican craft beer MINERVA Imperial Tequila Ale aka I.T.A, aged in Tequila barrels, it comes in a handsome 660ml bottle and will be retailing at 60 bucks, stocks are limited so come early.
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Burger afficionados, try our BBQ RIB BURGER with our very own smokeyBBQ and BOURBON baste, served with skinny fries & ranch stylecoleslaw.
Keeping it Kentucky, we move to Lexington, home of the biggest Peanut butter factory in the world. Our decadent sweet treat is a PEANUT BUTTER CREAM PIE on an Oreo chocolate peanut crust, it doesn’t get better.
Just off route 66 down Happy Hollow road we find the JIM BEAM distillery. We’ll be serving the 8 year double aged JIM BEAM BLACK, great as a shooter, better over ice and our mixology offering will be the signature drink of the Kentucky derby “THE MINT JULEP”. A layered then stirred handsome cocktail of bruised mint with a muddle of sugar topped with crushed ice and finished with a double shot drizzle of Kentucky’s finest bourbon.
WE’LL BE SEEING Y’ALL THEN SOME!
In the late 80’s I was lucky enough to spend a few weeks living in the Istanbul suburb of Levent. My host was a magnificent Turk “Beysun Gokcin” a photographer by trade, but a food lover and an artist by heart. This situation saw me being blessed with nightly outings to the best cafes, bars and restaurants in Istanbul. Not the fine dine type, but the local’s best kept secrets.
We would sit at the most stunning back alley café’s, quaffing ice cold Efes Pilsener and smokey aniseed Raki while watching slickly suited waiters deliver meze’s of chopped salads, pickled vegetables & exotic pilafs and being gorgeously assaulted by the smell of lamb kebabs, kofte, spring chickens & quail fresh off the grill and redolent with the aroma’s of sumac & zaatar.
Needless to say, I fell in love with Istanbul, it’s history, it’s food and it’s people and have decided on a Turk-Mex theme for this week’s blackboard offering.
For the Boyz @the Bar, a basket of sticky grilled chicken wings,TAVUK KANADI, honey drizzled, sesame seed coated with just a hint of thyme.
For the more genteel, a spinach & feta “BOREK”. Phyllo cigars baked golden crisp with a hint of nutmeg, topped with sunflower seeds and served with Cacik, a delicious yoghurt, garlic and mint dip.
My Turkish enchilada will be braised cabbage leaf rolls “LAHANO DOLMAS” filled with an aromatically seasoned pork pilaf, baked tender and topped with a pecorino cheese sauce.
For a bit of fun, and definitely not Turkish (albeit with a littleturkey) I’ll also be doing a smoked turkey, caramelised onion, brie& chilli jam quesadilla, we’ll call it the TURKEY-DILLA.
To end, the ultimate sweet pastry, “BAKLAVA”. Walnuts & almonds layered between buttery sheets of Phyllo, baked crispy golden and finished with a lemon, honey, cinnamon syrup.
SEREFE