Appetite Fest 2019

The Appetite Fest is back this year. And Time Square has promised that it is going to be BIGGER & BETTER than last year! You can head through to Menlyn Maine from 13 - 15 September to get in on the action.

One of my favourite experiences from last year, was the "I'm Cooking With..." workshop that I attended! This year, the same thing is back again, with a line up of local celeb chefs - Siba, Sarah Graham & Bertus Basson. But let's add some international names to the mix too. MasterChef Australia's Shannon Bennet & Shashi Chelia (winner of MasterChef Austrailia 2018) will also be hosting their own "I'm Cooking With..." workshops!

Last year I sat in on a "I'm Cooking with Chef Bertus Basson" workshop. What a thrill. To experience such a local culinary wonder & sit there watching him prep our meals & show us a few tricks & how we can apply them in our own kitchens at home. It is most definitely worth it!

You get the chance to sit up close & personal with your favourite celeb chef in the Appetite Fest Theatre Kitchen. Learning their tricks of their trade 1st hand. You'll then get the chance to sit down & share the meal with the chef to complete the experience. 

Tickets available from Computicket for R950 & will give you a dynamic 75 min long cooking experience with the chef, an Appetite Fest apron & access to the exhibition space & outdoor activities. It's here that you'll be able to watch other local & international celeb chefs cooking it up in 2 food theatres, or meet some food stars at book signings, or attend an exclusive Masterclass which include a line up of culinary stars Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris & Matt Preston from MasterChef Austrailia. 

#TimeSquare Construction Site Chefs Table

The current state of the #TimeSquare building site does not seem like anything is really ready. But let me tell you what. On the inside. Things are happening. And things are looking (and tasting) really good. 

And how do I know this, you ask? Well, I got to do a technical tour of the new #TimeSquare Casino. (Unfortunately for you, the no photo policy inside a casino, was already effective, so I can't show you what the actual casino looks like on the inside. So you will have to go see it for yourself on 1 April, when they open their doors for the public.

It was so interesting to actually get to hear & see what planning goes into getting a casino running & the technicalities around machines & tables, even what the odds are that you may hit the jackpot. So the machines & tables are in and ready for use. (We even got to have a spin, mind the pun, on some of the new, 1st in Africa, slot machines.) If you drive past the front of the new building today, you can actually see some of the machines & lights in the windows. This is a new approach that the team at the #TimeSquare casino have taken & is a 1st of it's kind, where you can see in & out of the casino.

I was lucky enough to be one of the very 1st people to eat a meal that was prepared in new #TimeSquare state of the art kitchen by a few of the most talented Chefs from the Sun International group. 

Chef Ronald Ramsamy was there to welcome us to the kitchen & introduce the team that would be cooking for us today. And that this would be their very 1st time actually cooking together. 

A tour of the new kitchen was pretty impressive with machinery that is so technologically advanced & computerised that at the push of a button, your meal can be prepared according to a pre-programmed recipe. (Something that will become a standard in all Sun International hotels in the near future, meaning that the lamb curry that you have in Bloemfontein, will be exactly the same as the lamb curry served in #TimeSquare.)

Now for the part of the preview that I am allowed to show you. The incredible feast that we indulged in with management of #TimeSquare to celebrate the 1st meal ever prepared in the #TimeSquare main kitchen.

Each course was created & prepared by one of the chefs & they definitely created real 'Timeless Memories' with The Mastery of Time Chef's Table.

1st Course - Chef Ronald Ramsamy

Foie gras, Dark Chocolate, Cucumber & Hazelnut. Paired with Louis XIII Cognac.

What looks like a dessert, is actually a savoury starter. Cucumber sorbet; refreshing & light is something I see myself having lots more of in the future. The foie gras terrine with the savoury dark chocolate biscuit provide a beautiful balance of texture in your mouth with the smoothness of the terrine & the crunchiness of the biscuit.

This course was paired with THE cognac of all cognac. The Remy Martin - Louis XIII takes 4 generations of cellar masters over 100 year to perfect 1 decanter.  (Retails between R40k & R50k a bottle.) This was something special. You could even smell it was special as the Riedel glasses were charged with a double tot & the room was filled with lovely aromas of the Louis XIII legacy. 

2nd Course - Chef Ramon Gouws

Salmon, Dulse, Avocado, Cucumber, Sesame, Soy & Chilli. Paired with 2009 Louis Roederer Cristal.

Sushi. Literally a deconstructed sushi. The plating of this dish, is definitely what grabbed me 1st. It really is done to perfection. Every element has it's place on the plate. Oyster leaves. Yes, that is right. An actual leaf that tastes like an oyster. That already blew my mind. Chilli & Soy mayo drops mixed together with some of the salmon & cucumber was a perfect mixture of flavour & texture in my mouth. And then, if you know me well, you know I love some good bubbly. And at #TimeSquare, only the best would be served. The Louis Roederer Cristal is so fine & fresh, a perfect pairing with the salmon & oyster leaves. 

3rd Course - Chef Adrian Vaughan

Black Angus Beef, Young Vegetables, Madeira & Truffle. Paired with 2015 De Grendel Shiraz.

So Black Angus, originally, is a type of beef from Scotland, which is of the highest quality meat you get due to the rigorous standards that it must pass before earning the label. The finely marbled meat is so soft, juicy & full of flavour. With a Truffle oil complimenting each bite this was a winner for me. 

Pre-Dessert - Chef Chester Graham

White Wine Maas, Cranberry, Blood Orange & Chocolate. Paired with 2016 Cedarberg Sustainable Rosé.

What an incredible pairing of wine with a dessert. The grapefruit flavours on the wine work so well with the blood orange espuma. The cranberry gel drops on the white wine maas just add so much extra flavour to the palate, whilst the chocolate soil provides a change in texture. 

Dessert - Chef Sean Mann

Six Shades Darker. Paired with 2010 Ken Forrester Noble T.

Basically, Chocolate served Six ways. What a delicious treat. There are passion fruit droplets on the plate, which break that strong chocolate taste. Mann also added some popping candy on the plate to surprise the palate with every mouthful.

If what you have seen here, does not excite you, then I suggest that you go back & look again. With only a few days left before the opening of the #TimeSquare casino, you can be sure that the quality of food that will be available will only be of the highest standards.

Have a look & follow Time Square online to keep up to date with what's happening.

#TimeSquare

Twitter: @timesquareza

#TimeSquare

So have you been wondering about the new casino & hotel going up in Pretoria? Last night we attended a sneak preview and well, Sun International says that they are fully on track with Time Square & the casino is due to open on time in April. (Most of the gaming equipment is already being installed.) Followed by the opening of the 8000 seat arena in September & the hotel in March next year.

Time Square is set to be the 2nd largest casino in SA. Boasting 2000 slot machines & 60 tables, being the biggest development in the entire hospitality, gaming & leisure industry since the construction of the Grand West Casino in Cape Town in over 15 years. Comprising a casino, luxury hotel, conference facilities, restaurants & retail outlets it is set out to be Sun International's flagship property. 

With opening in April will come 18 brand new restaurants, lounges & bars. (Yeah! This is exciting. New foodie adventures await.) According to Brett Hoppé, GM of Time Square, it (Time Square) is a destination for a suite of cosmopolitan experiences & food is much part of this. They have partnered with some of the most innovative names in the food industry to deliver exciting concepts. Some have not even been seen in SA before.

From fine dining to fun & somewhat whack, they hope to present an eclectic mix to explore. A lil secret that they have been sitting on, is that part of the culinary personalities adding vigor to the showcase include Guy Fieri - Guy's Big Bite and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives; Fortunato Mazzone - charismatic SA chef & owner of the well known Ristorante Ritrovo in Pretoria and J'Something from the local SA band: Mi Casa.

The Current State of Building of Time Square

Artist Impression - What will be coming to Pretoria soon.

The Brew Monkey, a Sun International signature gastro-pub concept, has a rustic microbrewery feel & is already known for their snack boards & gourmet burgers, in my opinion is going to be a hit in the new Time Square. Probably what is going to be one of the coolest things - the all-glass sphere of the upmarket Globe Bar (which is visible from the outside of the complex) is where you can savour premium drinks in a rather sophisticated setting whilst enjoying a panoramic views of Menlyn's hustle in the day & lights at night. What is a new complex, without a tapas restaurant? Eatas will be using a dynamic & multi-dimensional approach to creating tapas dishes from around the world.

Bubbly on Arrival

When Sun International cooks for you on top of a building...

Something really cool that Brett told us last night was that the actual building will change colour at the touch of a button according to what event is being held, time of day or mood. I won't go into technicalities of that, but I think that is next level!

Even the newly announced Top 12 Miss SA finalists were part of the preview.

#MissSA2017 Finalist: Boipelo Mabe

Top 12 #MissSA2017 Finalists

#MissSA2017 Finalist: Demi-Leigh Nel Peters (I think she is going to win.)

#TickTock... it's almost time for #TimeSquare to open it's doors!