Satiation (by guest blogger Nina)
Ah, food. Capetown - the San Francisco of Africa in its range and quality of cuisine, seafood focus, and penchant for fusion restaurants. One of the gauges I use for getting a pulse of local food habits is frequenting the local mall's food court. Sure enough, there was Thai, Afghani, Seafood, Pizza, African, and combinations thereof. St. Elmo's Pizza itself was a microcosm of Capetonian cuisine, with flavors like the Indian-African "Masala Steak", Cuban "Peri Peri Chicken", and Hawaiian "Barbecue Pineapple Chicken". But on to the fine dining:
Willoughby's and The Mugg & Bean- While I am still sushi-naive, having had only two sushi meals I've really enjoyed (Main St. Sushi in Half Moon Bay, and Ebisu in SF), I was able to discern the difference in sashimi immediately. The cuts of fish simply tasted more pure - I was tasting the essence of the individual species. My two favorites were the hot and spicy roll, covered by a delicious green onion garnish, and the sandwich roll, topped with a caviar-mayo dollop. This last roll was a pleasantly odd experience, as I actually felt like I was eating a tiny sandwich - the roll had a mixture of tastes and textures, and tasted thick (as thick as a sushi roll can get), a property I attribute to the mayonaise. As an encore, we ordered the hot rock and roll sushi - again, delicious. Across the mall hallway, I had a "Coffee Toffee Decadence" shake - just the right amount of richness tempered with iciness. Props to both the cafe and menu writers - all four of us thought the drink we ordered was the best out of the three (Chocolate Chip Crunch for Becky & Tina, and Frozen Mocha for Lyen). We ended with our noses pressed up to the cake display salivating at the 9-inch tall carrot, chocolate, and kahlua cakes.
H---- House - An Ethiopian place off Long St. through a hole in the wall and up a flight of stairs. I knew it would be good when I walked in and saw two Ethiopians immediately dump their bowls of meat directly onto the injera and dig in with relish. Some might disagree, but I personally felt that the linoleum floors, Ricki Lake rerun blaring in the background, and woman in the hallway sitting on a low wooden stool in the corner chopping up pieces of raw beef, added to the ambiance. Lyen ordered the vegetarian medley, which was by far the best I've had - my complaint about Ethiopian vegetarian platters is usually that they are too bland; here, the lentils were pleasantly spicy, and all the dishes had body. I got the Tips, which was fried beef cooked in spices. The beef was decent for African standards (I have not been a big fan of the red meat I have had in East Africa or South Africa - I think the cows here get too much exercise), and the sauce, while a tad thin, was flavored just right for the injera. The injera itself wasn't as fluffy as I am used to - not sure if that means it is more or less authentic, and it was white rather than purple/brown; the great thing about this bread, is that it only seemed to expand a tad bit in my stomach after the meal was over, making this the first time I've stuffed myself with Ethiopian food and walked out sans bellyache.
Madame Zingara - I walked into this restaurant and was immediately reminded of Beauty Bar (SF Mission). Somehow, the eclectic music choise - Abba, a Grease medley, Volare - all made sense with each other and the gypsy-fortune-telling ambience. The food was fantasti, particularly, the Phyllo Fantasy appetizer - light pastries filled with spinach and cheese, served with a cream white mushroom saunce we mopped up with the dinner bread. I had a white fish on a bed of mashed potatoes; Becky's beef medallions in chocolate sauce was mole with a burnt twist. We ordered the cholate cigar for dessert, which tasted mediocre (too much candy store bubble gum flavor and chewiness), was pretty to look at and an attempt at originality. The only confusing thing about the night were which people were the wait staff versus the customers, as all of them dressed in lay clothing. However, the gogo dancer, clad in a bright pink bikini, olive fishnet stockings, and an alarmingly lifelike planet of the apes mask, was obviously a restaurant fixture.
posted by Lyen @ 11:04 PM
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