Abigail Mendoza for Mexican Cuisine

THE 'WORLD AUTHORITY' Abigail Mendoza, 'World Authority' on Mexican cuisine is here in SA.

Abigail Mendoza is recognised globally as an authority on traditional Mexican cuisine & is so highly regarded in her own country that she has been appointed as culinary ambassador by the Mexican Government in recognition of her role in promoting Mexican culinary culture throughout the world.
 
Abigail Mendoza – who will is visiting SA from November 16 to 23 – is an ethnic Zapotec from Oaxaca, one of the cradles of Mexican cuisine & she will be sharing her knowledge of a cuisine which is recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
 
She started her food journey at the age of 5, watching her mother grind nixtamal, a traditional preparation of corn that enhances its nutritional value & allows for its cooking as dough. Her mother Doña Clara taught her to grind the home-prepared nixtamal, pat the tortilla dough into perfect thin rounds and bake them on the wood-fired griddle.
 
Aside from travelling the world promoting her cuisine, Abigail Mendoza runs the restaurant Tlamanalli in Teotitlán del Valle, Oaxaca, with her sisters Rufina and Marcelina. In her restaurant, Abigail melds her family's ethnic heritage into artful Zapotecan fare. Abigail’s cooking is known by her amazing mastery of ingredients such as maize, squash, pumpkin seeds, black beans, chilies, tomatoes, chocolate, zapote, cacti, and mezcal, all of which are native to Mexico.
 
Oaxaca in southwestern Mexico is one of the culinary capitals of Mexico. This mountainous state is home to the largest indigenous populations in Mexico, which have created a rich and diverse cuisine. Oaxacan food has made its mark on the global food map and attracts culinary tourists from around the world.
 
Abigail Mendoza has also written the book Dishdaa'w (Zapotec meaning “the word woven into the infinite meal”) and says: “Food itself has a soul; the soul is transmitted in food's preparation and its enjoyment.  We are all part of the whole, and the whole is part of each of us.”

Abigail Mendoza is being brought to South Africa by the Mexican Embassy under the auspices of the Mexican flagship initiative “Ven a Comer”, which stands for “Savour Mexico: come and enjoy our cuisine”, as a gesture of friendship towards South Africa and an opportunity for a meaningful intercultural dialogue.
 
The Ambassador of Mexico, Mauricio Escanero, says, “Both Mexico and South Africa are nations rich in history cultural diversity. We are delighted that Abigail will to be able to share her knowledge of traditional Mexican cuisine and meet with South Africans who promote and cherish South African food heritage.”

Sunday Luncheon @ Nineteen

What a setting. Sunday Lunch at Nineteen at Steyn City. With Friends. What's better than that?

After quite the drive once you get through the gates of Steyn City and along the golf course and a few residential construction sites, you arrive at the club house. And in the club house is the restaurant - Nineteen. The design reflecting a Modern African inspired look, extensively using stone, wood, glass and steel and is breath-taking.

Not much beats a bottle of Graham Beck bubbly on arrival in my opinion.

Sharing starters is always such a nice way of breaking the ice at a table (not that we needed it, but I would recommend it any time.)

The Cobb Salad seems to be making a very huge come-back onto many menu's, And it is definitely about time. The perfect balance of blue cheese, egg and avocado.

Seared scallops with a citrus & fennel salsa with an apple & vanilla puree served with home-cured pancetta may seem underwhelming at 1st glace. However, the burst of flavours is something that one finds very hard to describe as the flavour moves around your mouth.

Buffalo Mozzarella with Green Olives, Parma Ham & a Sundried Tomato Dressing sure surprised me. What is usually something that I never order off of the menu is now something that I will always consider to try.

Potted Duck Liver Parfait with Crisp Bread & a Gooseberry Marmalade. This was my favourite. Probably only because it reminds me so much of my Gran and her own Liver Parfait that she used to make for the Festive Season. 

Sliced Smoked Trout with Cream Cheese & Red Onions, Capers, Avocado & Lemon. The perfect fresh and light meal to have if you are not in the mood for something heavy and would be great on a summer afternoon.

All that sharing of food was already so much, but then we decided to delve into the main meals to.

The Sumac Crusted Springbok Loin with sweet potato gnocchi, pickled kumquats &  crumberd baby carrots

Mediterranean Chicken Curry served with parsnips, peppers on a bed of Jasmine Rice with salsa & poppadum's. 

Seared Scottish Salmon with wilted spinach & broccoli with a potato salad. 

Homemade Prawn Tagliatelle pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil & garlic.

And in my opinion, the most 'photogenic' dish of the day. The Roast Pork Belly with Courgette & Potato Rosti, Red Asian cabbage, Apple & Vanilla Puree and Beets.

Just when you think that is the end of the day, then it was time for a dessert.

Apple Tartan - Puff Pastry, Apples, Caramel Sauce & Vanilla Ice Cream.

And my favourite: A Spiced Poached Pear with Pistachio Crumble & Chocolate Ice-Cream.

The verdict. Well, The pictures speak volumes. The flavours you will have to go test out yourself very soon. Just remember that you need to make your booking before you head on out.

Find Nineteen on Social Media:

Twitter - @19_Restaurant

Facebook - Nineteen at Steyn City

Dinner for the #MetroMan @ Metro

#DineJoziStyleMetro

We recently got the opportunity to visit Metro Restaurant & Lounge at their new location after relocating to Grosvenor Crossing in Bryanston, Johannesburg, as part of the #DineJoziStyle experience.

On arrival we had been shown to a private dining area by Kosta Kosmas (owner of Metro) in the restaurant, with candle light adding to the ambiance. Where my wine of choice for the evening was a 2014 Wildekrans - Cabernet Franc Merlot. A South African Bordeaux styled blend, which was perfectly paired with my main meal, the Honey & Orange basted Goat (as featured below). I would say this is a great wine to be enjoyed with venison or a tender cut of beef.

Starters: Greek Salad, Creamy Peri-Peri Chicken Liver, Grilled Haloumi, Chorizo, Sticky Chicken Wings & Fillet Kebab.

Main Meal: Goat with a Honey & Orange glaze, served with maize rice & roasted beetroot. At first I was unsure about what I would be having for my main meal, but then I opted for something that I would generally not make at home for myself. And that is when the Goat dish sort of was a given choice. The thing you need to know about Goat is that it is very much just like having lamb and has a very similar taste. However the Goat is considered to be 'Game' and is a bit more on the tough side, so don't expect a very soft & tender piece of meat. Don't get me wrong, it was wonderfully cooked and perfectly seasoned. I think that the chef was maybe a bit generous on the helping of sauce served on the meal, as there was a bit much for my liking. My personal preference is to have sauce served in a separate side dish, but that is just me. Tasting notes on the sauce: what a great combination of citrus & honey. It really goes very well with the goat.

Dessert: Lindt Bomb Bons, Baobab Cheesecake, Tiramisu, Malva Pudding, Chocolate Brownies with Vanilla Ice Cream.

For those of you, who know me, will know that I just love bubbly and no night out with friends around a dinner table would be complete without it.

Notes on the desserts: You simply must have one of the Lindt Bomb Bons. They are simply delicious. A Lindt chocolate ball that is wrapped in phyllo pastry and baked in the oven for about 35 seconds results in a molten chocolate delight wrapped in a crisp pastry.

Metro Restaurant & Lounge will most definitely be seeing me again.

Tomato? No Zomato...

Have you found yourself sitting at home and wanting to go out? However you find yourself unsure of what restaurant to go to or where to go get takeaways. Then you always end up sticking with your usual choice because you know it is "safe" and you know what to expect and what you will be getting for the money you paid.

Where is the adventure in eating out and looking to find new and exciting places to try and discover new dishes that could possibly blow your taste buds away? 

I discovered this app called Zomato. No, not Tomato! That is no spelling mistake. You read right. Zomato! 

Again, I like using pictures in my articles. So, here is what Zomato is all about and what they offer.

So what basically happens is that when you log in on the app or the website, you set your location or if you are fancy, it uses your gps and automatically locates where you are.

You then have various options to 'filter' restaurants in order to find some new and exciting restaurant that you have never heard of to try tonight for a family dinner, tomorrow for a business breakfast or on Saturday for a lunch with friends. It does not matter what type of place you are looking for you can filter according to the 'time of day' eating orders by using a quick search. With the click of a button a whole list of restaurants that are in your area will pop up and you then have a further option for filters: popularity, location, cuisine, establishment type, approximate costs for two, alcohol, outdoor seating, credit cards, WiFi and generators for those nights you are sitting in the dark suffering from loadshedding and need to feed the family. Your options are endless. 

Finally found a restaurant that you like and you want to find out more. Click on it. Its like a mini website for the restaurant that opens.
The contact numbers of the restaurant. A map with the exact location. Images of the actual menu's. Photographs of the restaurant and of their food.

And the best part. Reviews of the restaurant by actual people that have visited there and haven't been wined and dined by the owner or the manager just to write a good review. This gives you a true reflection of what some people think about the restaurant. No biased opinions. If a person wishes, they can rate their experience out of 5.
Therefore after reading a few of these reviews one quickly gets an idea of what to expect from that specific restaurant and then proceed to decide on whether or not to try it out or move on to the next listing.

In the side bar next to the restaurant details, Zomato provides you with a list of restaurants that have a similar vibe or similar menu to that one which you are having a look at, at present. So you basically have so much information about so many restaurants right at the tips of your fingers which can lead you to make an informed decision about where you are heading out to have your new culinary experience.

Have a great time? Or you find that your experience was not as pleasant as you had hoped, you can write your very own review on a restaurant and help out other people who are in need of making a decision on which restaurant to choose.
Like a review? You can favourite it and build up your own list of favourites and best restaurants. You can follow individuals that are foodies and that have provided you with useful reviews to keep up to date with their latest culinary experiences. 

So if you are someone like me who just loves eating out and keeping the kitchen clean, but tired of going to the same old restaurant over and over and in need of a new adventure into the amazing restaurants that are in your area. Go have a look at this website and download the app on your phone for when you are sitting at work and wondering what's for dinner tonight. It's the best restaurant directory in the palm of your hand.

Check them out on the Web: www.zomato.co.za
They are on Twitter: @ZomatoSA
Facebook: Zomato