CATEGORIES

Sydney Side Up

There’s a lot more down under than Matt and George, but how to choose? Next time you’re visiting the ex-pats, try these highlights – from American superstar chef David Chang’s outpost and a hole-in-the-wall bakery in the  ’burbs, to surfside dining and inspired Asian fare. You won’t starve.

5 Minutes With Jan-hendrik Van Der Westhuizen

It was go, go, go for SA’s own Michelin man when he was recently in Cape Town for the Good Food & Wine Show. That’s why TASTE was stoked to tag along to the Olive Branch Deli where he stocked up on homegrown goodies for Restaurant JAN.

Bibim- Bopping

Ordering bibimbap at Korean restaurant Soju is a revelation. A piping-hot, custom-made stone bowl, filled to the brim, arrives at your table, just waiting for you to get to the best bit. Spoiler alert: it’s at the bottom.

Pumpkin Patch

A little sugar and a dash of cinnamon can keep a small boy busy in the kitchen,and turn pumpkin into one of his favourite foods.

7 Big Little Reasons To Visit Robertson

Beyond the buzz of its popular festivals and famous wine estates, there’s another story to the Robertson Wine Valley – a tale of big personalities who love celebrating the small things in life.

The Umami Hunter

Can you tell your porcinis from your pine rings? If not, stay out of the woods. Alternatively, enlist the help of passionate forager Justin Williams, who keeps local chefs supplied with wild mushrooms and took the TASTE team on “the silent hunt”

Desert Dining

Eat your heart out, Ottolenghi. On top of dramatic deserts and ancient sites, Jordan also boasts culinary traditions influenced by North Africa, the Middle East, Persia and the Med. So you can feast on everything from cheese-stuffed pastries to subterranean stews.

The Savoury Route

The world’s best bartenders are giving sugary, fruity cocktails a break and shaking up veggie juices, herbs, vinegars and broths instead. And garnishes are following suit. Bacon swizzle stick, anyone?

...Melons

Scooped out of the half-shell, straight from the fridge, they’re the summer breakfast of champions. And they’re not half bad blitzed into ice lollies, cosied up to crunchy tempura prawns or sliced with Serrano ham, either

Pass The Mustard

Its nose-clearing pepperiness is a great foil for rich meat (we’re looking at you, Christmas gammon!), it adds zing to dressings and its emulsifying powers create perfectly velvety mayonnaise every time. Let’s hear it for the big yellow!

Where To Eat In Durbs

Whether it’s a chilled Sunday breakfast at the trendy Station Drive Precinct or finger-licking streetfood on the Golden Mile, these are the six Durban Central hotspots you have to visit these holidays

Always Look On The Bright Side

Chef James Diack is so committed to seasonal eating that almost all the ingredients on the menus at his three Joburg restaurants come from his family’s organic farm in the Magaliesberg. Visit Brightside and you’ll find a little piece of heaven where a boar named after Barry Manilow runs the show…

The Noodles Of Life

South African scriptwriter Lebogang Mogashoa was an unbelievably fussy eater… until a life-changing encounter with a bowl of noodles in South Korea

Garth Almazan

The opening of Leeto restaurant in Paternoster on the Cape West Coast marks a pivotal moment in the career of this well-loved chef from the Constantia winelands

A Life Of Spice

Pepper from Kerala in India has been in demand since Roman times. Nikki Werner and Brandon de Kock travelled to the source and discovered a hilltop retreat and a lakeside sanctuary you’ll want all to yourself

..Coffee

So you like to exceed your daily recommended dose of caffeine? We also like to live dangerously, soaking coffee into a traditional tiramisu and pouring it over ice cream – or even beef fillet …

Ay Colombia!

Bogotá is booming and the Caribbean coast is calling, says Elsa Young, who spent a blissful holiday eating her way around Colombia. Reasons to go: the best coffee, the freshest seafood, the zingiest exotic fruit … Oh, and the beaches aren’t bad either

Yes, Chefs!

TASTE recently geeked out in a big way when we got to chat to MasterChef legends Marco Pierre White and John Torode – all in the same month. We managed to control our celebrity chef-induced  excitement long enough to find out what their combined 106 years in the food biz have taught them

Curry And Kindness

On a quest to find the perfect SA curry, Ishay Govender-Ypma spent a year collecting recipes and the stories behind them for her brand-new cookbook. She’ll never forget one woman’s story – or her delicious recipe for potjie beef curry

Our Big, Fat Greek Lunch

What happens when your company makes the winning bid at the annual Woolworths Charity Ball for the second time in a row? You make like Mauritian-based Ciel Group and gear up for what you know will be an unforgettable afternoon feast – prepared by none other than TASTE food ed Abigail Donnelly

Forces Of Nature

Few ingredients and more intense flavours are the hallmarks at Janse & Co., award winning chef Arno Janse van Rensburg’s latest venture. Step off Kloof Street and start a journey down a rabbit hole…

Copenhagen Street Food

If you’ve always hankered after a Scandi food experience but never thought you could possibly rustle up enough rands, the street food and markets of Copenhagen may be just what you’ve been looking for all along

Smashing Pumpkins

This winter, Sam Woulidge and her family will be feasting on pumpkin. In memory and in gratitude

Forbidden Formaggio

What do you do when an immovable force meets an irresistible object? Brandon de Kock found the answer on his first trip down the “goods to declare” lane at customs…

Grappa Expectations

This potent Italian digestif goes beautifully with milk, cherries, limoncello and chocolate. You only need a dash to create a cocktail with a kick

It's A Melt Down!

At this time of year, there’s no way to avoid surrendering to your chocolate cravings. So we didn’t. Abigail Donnelly conjured up eight new incarnations, from malted waffles and a macaroon-based butterscotch tart to jammy éclairs with your name on them.

Chef Nti

Nthabiseng Ramaboa has lived many lives – in business, fashion, and now, food. But she’s always stayed true to her roots. Now, she’s celebrating South African flavours with her event space in Maboneng in Joburg

How The Leopard Changed Its Spots

Time-starved Joburgers craving home-cooked food need The Leopard at 44 Stanley on speed dial. Swing past Andrea Burgener and Nick Gordon’s kitchen to pick up a chicken curry or killer mac ‘n’ cheese, or have it delivered straight to your front door. And that’s an order!

A Great Oke

While South African cities offer everything from tacos and noodles to sushi and Hawaiian poké, restaurants that celebrate local flavour are a rarity. Chef Bertus Basson makes a powerful case for why this should change at Eike, his newest restaurant

Pesce Azzurro Osteria Di Pesce

What do you do when your favourite neighbourhood restaurant is facing closure? You buy it, of course. That was the solution that seven Italian food lovers came up with to save Pesce Azzurro in Woodstock, Cape Town. And we are molto grato