Luxury hotel showcases finest Cape Malay cuisine

The idyllic five-star Cape Grace Hotel, perched at the V&A Waterfront, invites local and international guests to savour the best of Cape Town.

The classic rich flavour of Cape Malay cuisines paired with the seafood freshness is what is on offer for diners at the esteemed hotel.

Among its mouth-watering signature dishes is the abalone sashimi with charcoal toil, avocado emulsion, candied chilli and grapefruit caviar as a starter. For a more grounded SA classic, the hearty Karoo pap and vleis is elevated to fine-dining with a lamb rack, matured grass-fed beef boerewors, pap cakes finished with chakalaka, sweet and sour jus plus sweet corn.

“We want our local cuisine to shine and offer our international guests the best of what we have here in the Cape,” says 35-year-old executive chef Wesli Jacobs of the Heirloom restaurant located in the hotel.

“Our west coast lobster tail, which we've paired up with biryani rice – so a lot of saffron lentils, basmati – and we've finished it off with the saffron velouté. I would say it represents the best lobster in SA, putting a Cape Malay twist on it.

“The menu is highlighted with all things about Cape cuisine. It showcases the best of what we have here at our disposal in Cape Town.”

Since age 27, Jacobs has headed up executive chef positions in several famed hotel restaurants, including The Table Bay Hotel, Spier Wine Farm Hotel, The Palace of the Lost City in Pilanesberg and Four Seasons Westcliff Hotel in Johannesburg. “I think the only place I've yet to be an executive chef is in my home city of Durban,” he says.

Jacobs grew up in the quiet suburb of Greenwood Park and credits his ingenious savouring menu offering to his Durban food heritage. “Being surrounded by family and having conversations around food, listening to nostalgic memories of where our food heritage comes from [inspired me],” he says.

“My family is racially mixed and so our conversations were about our different cultures and their cuisines. At the Jacobs dinner table, you would find Indian curry and traditional pap, which excited me because now I no longer look at food one way, but from every aspect, from its flavour profile, its heritages and backgrounds. My late great-grandmother and mother were the main instigators behind my love for food and the chef I am today.”

Charmed by the charisma of renowned British chef Jamie Olivier at a young age, Jacobs was hooked by the idea that he could one day also be like his TV hero.

“My mom still reminds me of when we used to go grocery shopping when I was six years old. I would put food items in her basket that I wanted to try and it was always the most expensive thing. Putting it back, she would say 'no, no, unfortunately, not this time',” he says, amused.

Jacobs later participated in school cook-offs. He pursued his professional cookery qualification at the International Hotel School.

Classic Cape Malay chicken curry with smoked paprika oil

 Ingredients

For the curry sauce:

• 60g green chilli, fresh
• 480g brown onion, fresh
• 240g green pepper, fresh
• 10g cumin powder, dry
• 15g ginger, fresh
• 10g coriander ground, dry
• 5g cinnamon, dry
• 8g cardamon pods
• 10g turmeric
• 10g Graham masala
• 500g tomatoes, fresh
• 20g fresh coriander, fresh
• 20g curry leaves
• 15g Knorr chicken stock
• 420g coconut cream
• 5g Bay leaves

For the chicken farce:

• 240g free-range whole chicken
• 2 eggs
• 125g cream
• 2g curry leaves
• 10g green chilli, fresh
• 20g garlic, fresh
• 20g coriander ground
• 20g garam masala

For the smoked paprika oil:

• 250g cooking oil
• 60g smoked paprika oil
• 20g chilli flakes
• 5g fine salt

For the carrot salad:

• 30g baby carrots, fresh
• 20g cocktail onion
• 5ml lemon juice
• 5ml white wine vinegar
• 5ml olive oil
• 90g Paratha

Method

• To make the chicken farce, debone or remove the meat from the chicken’s leg and thigh and place the meat into a food processor. Bend into a smooth paste.
• Pass the meat through a sieve. Taste and season accordingly.
• Carefully cut away sections of the chicken meat and flatten.
• Pipe the chicken mousse into the flattened chicken breast meat and roll into a cylinder. Make sure no air is trapped inside.
• Place the tightly rolled up chicken breast meat into an airtight vacuum sealed bag and into a water bath at 63° for an hour.
• Take it out of the water bath, keeping it rolled.
• To prepare the smoked paprika oil, combine all the ingredients in a sauce pot & bring to a gentle simmer for 3 - 4 minutes. Allow the oil to cook before straining it off. Place into a squeeze bottle ready for use.
• To prepare the curry sauce, sauté onion, garlic, ginger, chilli & peppers for 2 minutes in a saucepan.
• Add cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves & cloves, sauté until golden brown.
• Add all powder spices with black mustard & bay leaves and simmer for a further 10 - 15 minutes.
• Next, add the tomatoes, chicken stock, water & bay leaves. Simmer the mix for 10 - 15 minutes.
• Blend until smooth, adjusting seasoning as and when needed.
• Add lemon to add to the flavour profile.
• To plate up, gently pour the curry sauce. Unwrap and carefully slice pieces of the chicken breast with the chicken farce. Place in the middle of the bowl with curry.
• Garnish with the smoked paprika oil and pesto on the chicken.