Kyoto Garden Sushi serves the best sushi in Cape Town. At least I think so. I do think Willoughby & Co is up there, and I’m fond of Caveau’s raw bar, but Kyoto is my number one. So I was curious as to how it compared with what is generally rated the best sushi restaurant in New York, Sushi Yasuda.
Sushi Yasuda is in midtown, an area swamped with slick-haired suits talking loudly about big deals. This is what Wall Street was 20 years ago, home to the big-swinging-dicks who make billions and try outspend each other drinking vintage Burgundy over lunch. Despite this, or in reality because of this, there are very good restaurants in the area. Sushi Yasuda is one. It’s a small restaurant: there’s a sushi bar, which is the preferred eating area, then a few tables spread around a bamboo-covered room. Classic Japanese minimalism, just like at Kyoto here in Cape Town.
I’ve eaten some excellent sushi at Kyoto. Things like Red Roman, Toro, octopus and delicious eel, and it’s all been good. The sushi at Yasuda is surprisingly no better. All very soft, fresh and tasty, but not any better than at Kyoto. The menu at Yasuda is however, way more extensive, and this is where it sets itself apart. I ate fluke, tuna, salmon, eel, striped bass and mackerel. The striped bass was probably the most interesting. That and the actual chef. Head chef Naomichi Yasuda has been cutting fish for over twenty years in Tokyo and New York, and to watch his hands at work is incredible. He can slice the fish, shape the rice and add little touches with lightening speed, his hands darting over the board in a blur. If you tried tried to imitate him at home with the same sharp knife and speed of movement, your freshly sliced fingers would be laying on the board in front of you.
What a lot of people don’t realise with sushi is that freshest isn’t always best. Some fish aren’t best served as sushi right away, but should be aged a few days or longer. So a good chef keeps good track of how many days old each fish is and when it’s tasting best. At Yasuda, the chef then marks these off on the menu each day so customers always know what to order. Simple, but a step above most other restaurants where they’re pumping out salmon and tuna platters.
So on quality, Kyoto and Yasuda are on par. The fact is we’ve got some pretty amazing quality fish here in Cape Town. But we always knew that. You don’t need to go to New York to get great sushi, but if you want incredible variety, you just might.
www.sushiyasuda.com
The name Fugu is not another acronym similar to FUBAR or related to a gangster clothing label. For those that don’t know, fugu is the highly poisonous blowfish that the Japanese like to make sushi from. One wrong cut from the sushi chef while preparing it, and the customer eating fugu falls off his stool and lands on the polished pine floor of the sushi bar, dead! Allegedly (those that have died eating it could not be reached for comment) it is a very, very poisonous fish and it also takes years of training to be able to cut correctly, hence the danger. What has become Japan’s most notorious and celebrated sushi serving, is actually banned in the US. Such spoilers sometimes, the Yanks…
Anyways, Fugu is also the name of a sushi restaurant in Wembley Square. I’m not a massive fan of the ‘pseudo-mall’ that is Wembley, always filled with a fast-walking advertising set, lycra gym-goers and mobile laptop-office workers. But I guess it’s as good as SoHo New York when compared to that devil-hole, Cape Quarter 2. Anyways, onto the food… Have you ever had sushi so good that you dreamt about eating it for weeks afterwards? Well this isn’t one of those places. Nope, the sushi is fresh, but not exceptional. Don’t expect super soft, full-flavoured salmon here that melts as soon as it’s in the mouth. Or interesting unagi concoctions. You’re just going to be disappointed. But if you’re after a quick lunch and crave some raw fish, this isn’t bad. And they do a half-price sushi deal (not on sashimi) at the moment, which only runs another week apparently. So another reason to go. I had a full 12-piece platter with an extra portion Salmon California Roll for lunch and it was R70. Not bad!
No, Fugu in Cape Town doesn’t serve any actual fugu, which is kind of FUBAR.
Fugu. Wembley Square. (021) 812 2706
There is much debate about the best sushi spots in Cape Town. Or South Africa for that matter. Kyoto Garden Sushi didn’t crack the recent WINE magazine list (see here) but probably should have. I went back there after reading that article to confirm what I already believed – their sushi is quite possibly as fresh as it gets in Cape Town.
Kyoto Garden Sushi achieves a Zen-like atmosphere in many ways: Japanese style beechwood interior with bonzai trees; soft-spoken Asian waitress/hostess; quiet background music. But probably the most unintentional yet effective way is by being empty most of the time. Yup, Cape Town’s best sushi spot is eerily quiet most nights. You can roll in at 8.30pm on a Thursday and realise there are more chefs than guests present. Normally this is something that would irk me – I hate near-empty restaurants since they’re usually so because of how bad the food is. But not at Kyoto. Here, somehow being quiet transforms it into a sushi temple with only a handful of worshipers present at a time.
So don’t be put off if it’s empty. You’ll quickly see why. Run by a slightly eccentric Californian, his obsessive-compulsive approach ensures the quality is always up there. The menu offers some interesting Japanese dishes – lobster salad and an excellent miso are always good starters – but the sushi is where it gets special. Go with a chef’s platter and you’ll get everything you need in the way of salmon and tuna, as well as several varieties of linefish. Octopus is also great. And the eel delicious. Don’t forget the Japanese radish, to neutralise the palate. Or the fresh wasabi, couriered in from Japan and so much tastier than the paste other restaurants serve. Whatever you order though, it will be fresh and full of flavour, rivaling the best Willoughby‘s or any other spot can do. And it is portioned correctly too, which is a key element if you ask me, though I know that Minato supporters will disagree.
The last time I dined there (with three others) we drank the Bouchard Finlayson Missionvale Chardonnay which was an absolute cracker of a wine. In fact, we drank so many bottles we ended up getting completely hammered, eating way too much and then proceeded to lug our bellies round the corner to Asoka where the barman took one look at us and checked with the manager if we should be served or asked to leave. True, this was during a time I thought ‘moderation’ was another fallacy, along with ‘lasers’ and ‘the internets.’ Things have changed. This time I opted for the Sterhuis Sauvignon Blanc, which has a solid minerality to it that pairs well with the raw seafood. Just one bottle for two of us, a succesful attempt at this moderation thing if you ask me.
Kyoto Garden Sushi. 021 422 2001. No website, argh.
Had lunch at Tank in De Waterkant earlier this week. They have a longstanding half-price special for their sushi at lunch (and their cocktails) that makes it very affordable. The most amusing part of lunch this visit, was the waiter. When we sat down he said, “Hello, my name is Ian*. It’s going to be really hot today, like 35′C outside, so I recommend you drink something. (Pause) Er, something with ice in it. Anyway, I won’t be your waiter… that guy (pointing)…over there, I forget his name, but he’s your waiter.”
Pause, before he continues in low murmur:
“Actually, bru, people always confuse us. I normally just write down the order and give it to… er, what’s his name, him. Just easier that way… Anyways, can I get you anything to drink?”
Seems like the drug scene is alive and well at lunchtime in Cape Town. I think this is why the rest of the country thinks we’re high all the time. People come visit and have waiters like this and next thing you know it’s called Slaapstad.
I don’t really favour the Cape Quarter very much. The original Cape Quarter is very Joburg-like. The new Cape Quarter 2 is very, very Joburg-like. By that I mean eating in a mall-like surrounding – even if it is open air – which is something us Capetonians try avoid, since we do have beautiful and natural outdoor settings to visit.
The sushi was tasty and very fresh, their Crunchy Eel Roll being the highlight to accompany the usual salmon and tuna variations. Which got me thinking – when was the last time you ate sushi without eating salmon or tuna? I think it’s worth trying, since the eel, octopus and other linefish options are usually far more exciting. Something to consider on your next raw fish excursion.
A refreshing glass of icy cold KC Sauvignon Blanc helped lunch down, and was perfect considering the temperature was over 35′C, as Ian* said.
www.the-tank.co.za
* name has been changed accidentally because I couldn’t be arsed to remember the real name
Damn you, Willoughby. Damn you, damn you, damn you. You see, I really hate malls. It’s not just an anti-establishment thing, but more of a pro-European, pro-artisinal thing. When I step into a mall, I feel like that one step closer to being a middle-class consumer with 2.5 kids and a mortgage. Not good. I know Willoughby’s makes good sushi – I’ve eaten here before several times, though not in the last year. In truth, you don’t need to eat here to know they make good sushi – everyone will tell you they do. Either way, I wanted to visit again which obviously meant going into a mall…
I happened to eat there on an enormous two-night beer-, red wine- and hooka pipe-induced hangover that made the ‘mall people’ even more entertaining this visit (when people walk in slow-motion, you can really pick up the details). Fuzzy as things were, the menu was simple and easy to use, and their cool wine-pairing tool is ingenius (wines are listed in numbered categories and next to each dish is a number). I was dining with a friend, and since we’d both eaten a fair amount that day already, the idea was to ‘just take it easy.’ Six oysters, some prawn dumplings, a tuna fashion sandwich and their gigantic signature Rock Spider Crazy Prawn Roll Thing* later, helped down with three carafes of Vondeling’s excellent Pinot Blanc, and we were taking it real easy.
Now I’m somewhat of a traditionalist, which for a long while made me assume the Japanese really only eat sashimi, drink only sake and frown upon anything else, especially these ‘new’ sushi rolls with mayonaise and sticky sauces. This was until I ate in an authentic Japanese restaurant in New York a while back and saw the Japanese wolfing down plates of fried udon noodles sprayed with mayonaise and BBQ sauce. From that moment on, salmon roses were okay by me. This Creamy Spider Rock Prawn Maki Thing was pushing it, but damn it was good. Possibly the best sushi roll I have had. The maki roll part is tasty, but the prawns are special – little ninjas of flavour that knock your tastebuds out. They’re sweet and really sticky, and by this I mean you could hurl one at the ceiling and it wouldn’t come down. Have you tried this? You’d be a fool to, since they’re so delicious you’d be standing on a bar stool in no time trying to get it down. The sushi roll went fine with the Petit Blanc, but would actually have been much better with a good beer. The CSG Raphael would have been a winner.
So, go to Willoughby & Co. Go directly to Willoughby & Co. Do not pass Paul Smith. Do not spend R2,000. Go directly to Willoughby’s and eat inside (unless you enjoy the Mugg & Bean style outside seating?) at the bar seating. And enjoy it.
www.willoughbyandco.co.za
*real name: Spicy Creamy Rock Shrimp Tempura on Spicy Maki Roll.
Minato is a sushi restaurant where the main character in that famous “Where Douglas Green?” advert from years ago makes oversized sushi rolls, served in a space that looks like it was decorated by a five-year old. At least the handwritten signage suggest this last point. Either way, it has generated a somewhat loyal following in Cape Town, maybe partly because it does have some of that hole-in-the-wall novelty and charm which we typically neighbourhood-loving anti-franchise Capetonians do enjoy.
Other than that there isn’t much to love here. The tuna and salmon sashimi are good but everything else is rather disappointing. Tempura that isn’t light. Awful sake. Sushi rolls with their own quirky names rolled so large it seems they’re expecting a giant like Tony Robbins for dinner. Seriously, if you took a standard California roll, then rolled then with another layer of seaweed and rice you will have the standard-size roll at Minato. These bastardly creations should be relegated to join thick-crust pizza and chicken sausage in the Bad Food Ideas scrapheap. Eating them is a bit like Sisyphus rolling his ball up the hill: lifting a piece with your chopsticks is a test of finger dexterity itself; half the thing crumbles off when dipping in the soy and by the time it reaches your mouth enough rice has crumbled off to start a food aid programme in Africa. You soon realise you’re only really eating half your roll and it’s going to take five minutes of expert chopstick work if you want to salvage the rest. What is the point?
There was also once the small incident of our waitress saying they’d accept my cheque card but wouldn’t accept my fellow diner’s debit card, claiming it doesn’t work on their machine. Which it obviously did when we asked her to try it and then she gave the usual ‘tying to save some money by not using credit facilities’ story. One would think in times like these you would take money any way you can get it…
Some people are passionate about this place. I’m a big fan of small, local restaurants that are a little ‘off the map.’ But I’ve eaten here more than once and can’t really say I’m interested in coming back again.For sushi there are far better options, namely Willoughby’s, Kyoto Garden Sushi or Nobu (if you’re feeling triggerhappy).
Minato. 021 423 4712.
My speedy lunch from the Engen/Woolworth on Orange yesterday got me thinking about some of the better lunches I’ve had in the last few days. So here they are…
Sushi at Caveau Deli… I think there are some people that have yet to realise Caveau has a separate Deli area. Entrance is on Shortmarket Street and seating in Heritage Square courtyard. Wake up, people! This place is packed for lunch even when sitting outside is barely manageable. They serve the full menu from Caveau restaurant (and you can actually order from HQ next door too), plus you can cruise the pasta station, sandwich/charcuterie area (always order a custom-made sandwich) or sushi bar and decide what you’d like made up. I had a platter of octopus nigiri and sashimi along with some salmon fashion sandwiches (they’re cut smaller than normal, which works better). Sushi is always fresh here. And they make their own soy sauce, less salty than normal. A smart move since most people seem to enjoy drowning their sushi in soy (in case it comes back to life?). The service can be distracted, but wine always helps when you’re waiting. And there’s a model agency office on the square, so you’re guaranteed some quality eye exercise.
Pies from Jardine Bakery… Yes, Jardine Bakery makes great Pain au Chocolat. And delicious sandwiches. And their coffee is always fantastic. But maybe these are all secondary to their stupendously indulgent pies. I’ve had a pork belly and apple pie here that was mind-blowing. I had the mushroom and emmental pie here this week which was also quite spectacular. Rich portobello mushrooms and tasty Swiss cheese in a moreish crust. Can pies be sexy? Who cares. Best part is they’re quite small, so you can still have a proper lunch after…
Pork prego from &UNION… Amazing beer. Check. Hippest interior design in Cape Town. Check. Famous entrepreneur owners on hand. Check. Artisan meats hanging from the ceiling. Check. Small but quality wine selections. Check. Cute urban foodie hipster girl in the corner. Check. Pork prego rolls so good you want to cry. Check. Longing desire to move to Portugal and raise pigs after eating here. Check.
Chicken pie at Joostenberg Deli… Yes, it’s a little further out than the rest, but I often drive the long way to Stellenbosch (they’re off the N1) just to pass this place. Why? Take a bite of that freshly baked chicken pie, mister, and you’ll stop asking stupid questions. This place has an entire butchery dedicated to pork. Wait, let me repeat that: this place has a butchery dedicated entirely to pork! Most of the cured hams and proscuitto-style meats you buy from your neighbourhood deli are actually made here. But even if you don’t stock up on cured meats, sausages and bacon, just pop in and get one of their chicken pies. You won’t be unhappy you did. Usually sold out by 2 p.m. though, be warned.
www.caveau.co.za
www.jardineonbree.co.za
www.andunion.com
www.joostenberg.co.za
Who is the Foodie? It doesn’t really matter. Bacon is god. Wine cures anything. If you believe those two facts, then we’re going to get on fine. This means you have discovered the power of food to make life better. This knowledge is imperative to the art of living well.
