Inspirations on a plate
I love to dine out and be inspired by what’s on my plate. Simple and local ingredients tick more my box then overcomplication and expensive products. I think it is a much bigger art to create a delicious dish, for example, cauliflower than caviar. Absolutely chuffed by the way that cauliflower had become ‘a sexy’ dish to serve these days.
Let’s talk about some of the chefs who inspire me. This doesn’t mean these are the only ones though and not only chefs inspire me, anybody, who plates up a delicious plate of food! Two of my favourite chefs are reasonably close to home. The third one is from South Africa, a place I used to call home.
Simon Rogan at L’Enclume in Cartmel, UK
Any excuse to head over to the Lakes, mainly for Simon Rogan’s excellent cuisine. The complexity of his dishes blows me away every time I visit L’Enclume. The test kitchen Aulis is always included in a weekend in Cartmel. I love to see the chefs at work and learn how they prepare the food. Website
Yotam Ottolenghi London, UK
I remember the first time I picked up Yotam Ottolenghi’s first cookery book in a book shop. When I flicked through it, the turkey breast caught my eye. I am not a fan of turkey as it is often bland, but his recipe was full of flavour. This is where the journey started, and I cannot get enough of his food. Nopi, Spitasfield or Notting Hill. They are all fantastic, but Rovi is the winner for me. Website
Kobus van der Merwe at Wolfgat in Paternoster, South Africa
You probably think, who is Kobus van der Merwe and where is Paternoster? Let’s start with Paternoster. It is a quaint fishing village on the west coast of South Africa. It always has been one of my favourite places/areas. Popular with local tourists, but barely visited by international tourist as they all head off to Plettenburg Bay, also known as Plett.
Kobus is known as the South African foraging chef and uses a lot of succulents. The dining experience at Wolfgat is out of this world. His off the beaten track beach restaurants boasts a fantastic view, and the mood is laid back. You will see him serving the food, instead of running around the kitchen, which is actually the restaurant itself. The local and foraged products speak for themselves instead of elaborate preparations.
Wolfgat was voted the best restaurant at the first-ever World Restaurant Awards in Paris in 2018. You would expect the winner to be a fancy Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe, but instead, the winner was Kobus van der Merwe. Well deserved, in my opinion. Meet Kobus
Keep an eye out on this page as I will be adding more soon!