Author name: Emma Ruiters and Owen Ishii

Hoseki Wonderland R2200 per person for the tasting menu After an hour’s drive from Cape Town into Stellenbosch, we finally arrive at the Delaire Graff Estate with its famous cheetah statues carved by artist Dylan Lewis. The initial beauty of the surrounding nature was punctuated by the well appointed decor of the entrance. We were welcomed into the restaurant, our eyes immediately arrested to the soaring origami chandelier, and then sat outside on the terrace to a peaceful and expansive view.  Our waiter Justine took us through the menu, explaining all the concepts, before we enjoyed some sparkling wine, spicy edamame and various tsukemono. We did not try the tasting menu at Hoseki but decided to go a la carte, ordering small plates individually to get an understanding of the food. From salmon rolls to shrimp tempura, the available cuisine was expansive, another beautiful combination of South African and Japanese cuisine. We were given housemade soy sauce, so light and savoury that we were drinking it out of our dishes. One dish ordered was the salmon rolls, which came with rice, salmon, roe, sesame, and green onions all laid upon a bed of nori seaweed that you wrapped yourself. The roll was fresh, the nori crunchy, with each ingredient complimenting each other.  Two scallop dishes were ordered, a skewered scallop assortment, and a grilled dish. The skewered dish came with more fish roe, in addition to a citrus butter. The grilled scallops came topped with small pieces of mandarin, with garnishes of chives and a peppery salsa. Each dish was unique in its own right, the butter enhancing the softness of the scallop; we made sure to leave every plate empty. Two highlights of the meal were a wagyu open sando (sandwich), and a dish of ostrich tartare. The open sandwich came with three strips of grilled bread, adorned with cape wagyu beef and fish roe. The crunchiness of the bread, the softness of the meat and pops of the roe all combined to be a magical explosion of flavour in a small bite. The other highlight was ostrich tartare, set upon a rolled Japanese omelette called ‘tamagoyaki’. But that wasn’t the whole dish – there were thin slices of crispy bread, in addition to a can of fish roe, this time more like caviar (our waitress emphasised that while the can contained what for all purposes was caviar, the eggs were not technically caviar). The combination of all these ingredients may have made this dish the best out of all three restaurants. It was crunchy, salty, and savoury; the egg and soy sauce adding unparalleled umami. It was a dish that we will remember for quite some time. A classic Japanese dish was another that we decided to give a try. Karaage, Japanese fried chicken, is a staple in Japanese restaurants, and in Japan in general. You’ll find it on street corners, or being sold at a stall during a festival. The crunchy, salty, citrus-y flavour is hard to find outside of Japan, save for Hōseki. Stacked high in a beautiful Japanese bowl, the chicken came with grated daikon and lime, with a dipping sauce on the side. As the meal came to an end, we gave a variety of desserts a try. First off was a ‘sata andagi’, a traditional Okinawan style donut. With yuzu miso ice cream and a delicious dipping sauce, this dessert was uniquely scrumptious. Next was a sweetiepie and raspberry sorbet. Topped with fresh fruit and a biscuit lattice, the plating may have been one of the prettiest of this entire meal. The sorbet was atop a light crumble, which added a complementary crunch to the ice cream, similar to the lattice on top of the cake. We also indulged in a green tea cheesecake with chocolate ice cream, a stunning combination of traditional Japanese matcha tea. The tea had a slight bitterness to it, which paired perfectly with the rich chocolate crust and sweet ice cream. With the meal winding down, we had a cup of green tea and coffee, and took in the views of Stellenbosch once more. With a satisfied grin, we expressed our thanks to the chef and staff, and left the restaurant. 

A Trip to Fyn R1375 per person for the tasting menu After wandering past the District Six Museum down the road, we were ushered upstairs in the lift, to a stunning glass-encased restaurant where the waiters were extremely friendly and helpful and urged us to hang up our jackets.    Our waiter Emile greeted us with a smile, detailing what would be awaiting us over the course of the next two hours. For those interested in wine pairings, it would be an additional R1050. We decided on just the lunch tasting menu, ordering two cocktails from the extensive drink menu. We began the experience with a plate of palate cleansers, consisting of cucumbers, pickled daikon, and carrots. The first bite of these palate cleansers, usually eaten between courses to ‘cleanse’ your mouth of the taste of the previous course, signalled that we were in for a culinary adventure, the simple flavour was done perfectly, and we had finished all of them well before the end of the meal. Following our palate cleansers came an assortment of sushi, from tamagoyaki with caviar that came in a skull shaped container, to a crab and seaweed salad, rolled in a crunchy and delicate exterior. Following the sushi came a Hokkaido milk bun, fluffy and warm, evocative of what you can find in a bakery in the northernmost main island of Japan. The warm bun was accompanied by a mushroom custard, served akin to a creme brulee. We could see chefs in the open kitchen using blowtorches on a dish, wondering what would come from it, only to flip over the dish the bun was served on to find the mushroom custard. Table service was at a premium during the lunch experience, many of the courses involved tableside service and detailed explanations.   A highlight of the menu was the tableside creation of a chirizu sauce, consisting of citrus, daikon, onion, chives, and chilli powder. Our waiter explained each ingredient as they mixed them together in a suribachi, then pouring it over our plate of gamefish. The mix of fish, citrus, spice and tempura spinach was wonderful. The tempura was light and crispy, reminiscent of a corner tempura restaurant that has been perfecting its craft for the past 50 years.  The main dish came with another helping of table service. We were presented with a stylish knife holder with 5 Japanese style damascus steel knives in it. Our waiter informed us that the knives were made by a local South African artisan, Anton Kock, and that we were free to choose whichever knife we preferred. After carefully inspecting each knife, we chose our desired piece and waited for the course to arrive. The course consisted of Kalahari beef that was accompanied by mushroom ragout, spinach, and garlic. The combination of the soft meat, creamy ragout, and crunchy garlic chips made this dish a standout. Nevertheless, there was still dessert to be had! The final dish consisted of a multitude of unique sweets to cap off an amazing lunch. First up was a fried Mozambican chocolate, alongside a soft pear and sakura sauce. We also had a matcha ice cream paired with a delightfully sour lime glaze, and a boeber pudding topped with various crushed nuts and granola. Our final two pieces, coming on additional plates brought over by our waiter, were a small piece of chocolate and a selection of mochi, created by local restaurant Mochi Mochi. From three available flavours, we had a blackberry and buchu infused mochi and a wonderful orange and citrus piece. It is clear that Mochi Mochi is having a big impact on the local food scene, as these tiny bites were big in taste, a splendid fusion of both South Africa and Japan. We left full and happy. 

Our Adventure to Momiji at Tjing Tjing R595 per person for the tasting menu Momiji – meaning autumn leaves in Japanese – at Tjing Tjing has a set menu which is only available at certain times of the year. We gleefully got one of those rare bookings and excitedly headed over. Large origami bunnies decorated the restaurant, including adorable ceiling patterns which created an eclectic and unique atmosphere. Accompanied by family members, we relaxed to enjoy the meal. Our waiters Aaron and Anna provided us with lemony smelling oshibori – hand towels used before a meal. We were also provided with Momiji’s menu which was set on small easels with helpful descriptive notes for each course. Then the meal began! We were delighted by an amuse bouche of savoury mochi with a cracker on top, both crunchy on the outside and soft in the centre with a liver-y flavour.  Next came an assortment of sashimi, composed of trout marinated with ponzu, and kob with soy and sesame. The trout was topped with small ponzu cubes that tasted of soy sauce, a quirky addition to the plate, which acted as the replacement for dipping in soy sauce. The sashimi came with three separate additions, namely daikon, wasabi, and ginger. The Lime Nigiri smelled wonderful. It was visually exquisite with a wonderful taste. The taste of silverfish with multiple instances of citrus accompaniments made it a memorable dish. Owen looked pensive as he took photo after photo, the click of the shutter punctuating each shot. The Mushroom Nigiri had meaty flavours, smoky rich with soft, moist rice. Using an oyster mushroom and miso butter, the course was a full, all-in-one bite. Following that was a Shiso Nigiri, a piece of trout wrapped in pickled shiso leaf, which boasted a more umami flavour. The trout seemed to substitute the salmon very well with a similar colour and fattiness, especially when dipped in the ponzu sauce. My little brother endeavoured with his chopsticks.  Yukke Nigiri was the next course, a colourful assortment of finely chopped meat, adorned with red onion and chives. The crispy rice base added a unique texture, completing this crunchy delicacy. Our stomachs began to get full, but there was much more left to enjoy. The Edamame accompanying our meal was an unusual mix of matcha and salt. Having never tried this assortment, there was a sense of excitement and trepidation as we had our first bites. The mixture was unique, a savoury matcha flavour that grew more delicious with every bite. The bowl emptied quickly, with a desire for more growing alongside it. Futomaki, or ‘fat roll’ in Japanese, was the next course. Two large pieces of rolled sushi, with carrots, daikon, cucumber, and the famous Japanese kewpie mayonnaise made this traditional dish a unique blend of flavours. The Aged Beef Nigiri that came next was unreal, spicy and buttery, peppery with a perfect dust and fat balance. It was mellow, which evoked a wintery atmosphere akin to Hokkaido or Kobe. In a butter sauce lay a dry aged rump, with Japanese togarashi spices and a crispy garlic on top of the delicate piece. We wished that we could have ordered multiple servings of this dish, but such is the substance of a tasting menu. By this time my mom was beginning to worry that we left the dogs at home for too long.  Our main dish came near the end of the menu, a chazuke, or traditional Japanese hot dish consisting of tea poured over rice. This dish was interactive as it came to us, we poured in the broth over the rice and fish ourselves, adding in additional seaweed and cucumber. In this instance, our chazuke consisted of fried yellowtail and a dashi broth. Our stomachs were nearly full at this time, but we happily ate the warming soup, a dish perfectly suited for a cool evening.  As dessert arrived, we were excited to see what sort of unique combination there would be to finish off the meal. To start, there was a wasabi ice cream sandwich topped with a small piece of nori seaweed. The combination of spicy wasabi and sweet ice cream was unique, for those who are not fans of wasabi, the flavour may still be slightly off putting. To finish off the dessert course, there was a surprise Momiji “kit kat”, with the restaurant name written in the bar, followed by a final mochi.  During our meal, we also tried out South African brewed umeshu by Tanuki and Pienaar & Son. With only 200 bottles of this plum wine made, it was a unique blend of the South African and Japanese culinary landscape, evocative of Momiji’s menu as a whole. We took the bottle home as a souvenir, a memory of a wonderful meal. We left feeling full and happy, and in the end the dogs were fine.