Initially I was not interested in booking for the One Star House Party, which opened as a pop-up restaurant late last month, but when a chef invited me to join his group table, I read the information I had seen on Facebook a second time. While the decor and location of the pop-up was cheap and nasty, it was most impressive that the international chefs had created a seven-course menu which did our local produce and dishes proud, something we rarely see in our local restaurants! 

I asked my friend Llewellyn Lambert if he wanted to join me, and when he expressed interest to attend it too, I booked. Information on the One Star House Party is not very generous, other than to communicate that a group of chef friends, led by Chef James Sharman, had decided to set up a pop-up in 20 cities in 20 months, Cape Town being the fourth destination on their program. Previous pop-up cities were Beijing, Ho Chi Minh, and Bangkok. Pricing is in dollars ($85), although none of the chef team is American. Payment is efficiently done via credit card, and amounted to in excess of R1100.

I received an emailed conformation of the booking, which was for the following day, with the address, described as an Air B&B. The address in Woodstock was impossible for our Uber driver to find, and we were lucky that a restaurateur close by found a reliable person to walk us to the opposite end of the street block, to show us the unmarked entrance. Scarily a dubious character followed us. Our hearts sank as we walked up the staircase, with red pot plants outside the apartment door not inspiring confidence. Initially the large open-plan kitchen and dining area, normally operating as an AirBnB, seemed acceptable, but once we were shown to our ‘table’, the cheapness of the set-up became evident. The black plastic chairs could still pass, but the ‘tables’ were cheap plywood tops with rough edges, resting on wooden palettes, against which I bumped my knees a number of times. Only wine glasses and napkins were laid out at each setting, with one set of cutlery. 

The apartment had its own bar, not accessible to us, and a reading area, everything made out of palettes, giving it a cheap feel and look. In one corner was a stand with different hats. The apartment had an industrial feel. Behind the wall created with palettes was the bedroom, not seen by us. 

We were welcomed by Trisha McCrae, a chef in her own right and the wife of Chef Kevin McCrae, who ticked us off the list and confirmed my dietary requirements. I asked her for glasses for our sparkling wine, all drinks being on a BYO basis, and she promised to bring some, but never returned with them. I went to follow up, and she was embarrassed to have to tell me that they had none. It was a shame to drink our precious Le Lude out of a wine glass.

From here on things got better, especially when charcutereur Richard Bosman and his wife Justine Seymour came to sit with us. Richard had provided the visiting chefs with recommendations for sourcing meat, fish, vegetables, and other ingredients. I had only greeted Richard in the past, and throughout the evening I got to know him better, and was delighted to receive an invitation from him to visit his charcuterie production facility in Killarney Gardens. Richard said that their second restaurant outlet, Baconville in Willowbridge, is a franchised one, and is doing well, even though its clientele is locals as opposed to a larger percentage of tourists at their Bacon on Bree. Richard is an accomplished cook, and left his children with a gourmet meal to enjoy at home before Richard and Justine came to the pop-up dinner. He once owned The Deli in Hermanus (now called the Soul Café). He started producing the first charcuterie in his factory in 2009, at a time when the term was barely known, and Neil Jewel was the only other charcuterie producer. Bacon on Bree opened two years ago. 

I went to the open kitchen, and requested permission to photograph the dishes from the kitchen area. This was agreed to immediately. We were sitting nearest the speakers, and had to request that the music volume be turned down. I missed receiving information proactively about how the evening was to operate, but slowly little bits of information came out. I asked about the mouthful of a name of the pop-up, not doing justice to what the pop-up is all about. The ‘One Star’ referred to two chefs who have worked at Michelin-star Restaurants:  Chef James for six months at Noma in Copenhagen, once the World’s 50 Best highest ranked restaurant, and at Tom Aikens restaurant; and Chef Eilish Maloney, who worked at The Ledbury in the U.K., for two years.  The ‘house party’ part of the name was not explained, and did not communicate the restaurant nature of the pop-up. All in all, the four-word pop-up name appeared to be complicated, and detrimental to its marketing.  

But all of the above disappointment disappeared as soon as the food was served, impressively by the chefs from the team, Chefs James and Kevin in particular, there being no better persons to describe each dish, especially as no menu was presented. When Chef James brought us two gem squash halves in his hands, without a bowl or plate, containing pumpkin and a root vegetable soup topped with crunchy sunflower seeds, I was blown away. Chef James said the team was very impressed with our ingredient supply, and that gem squash is unknown in the U.K. 

Chef James told us that they sourced meat from Ryan Boon, and that he was very impressed with the quality of the meat. Vegetables came from Cool Bananas, fish from Fish for Africa, while Wild Peacock supplied the ‘exotic ingredients’. 

Waiting time for courses to be served was reasonably short, and soon the soup was followed by beef fillet covered with biltong spices, which had been hung and smoked for five hours, giving the meat a delicious and unusual taste.  It was served with smoked beetroot, plated as if splattered onto the plate, with roasted hazelnut. The beef dish was accompanied by focaccia-like bread, but made with rendered beef fat. This dish was the only which we shared between two diners. 

The third course was a Snoek dish, again a surprise, as most local restaurants serve local hake or kingklip or imported Mauritian sea bass. No fish is more South African than Snoek, and I can not recall when last I have seen it on a menu. Chef James explained that the Snoek was cooked over hot coals, and finished off with a blow torch. It was served with a roast barley sauce and roasted kelp oil. The Snoek tasted very salty, having been topped with salt crystals. 

Chef James was asked from where they had sourced the plates for the fish dish, with the unusual brown/black design on one side. He laughed and said that they been able to find the cheapest white plates at Makro, and had created the effect by burning a section of the plates over a barbecue!

The fourth course was served in a typical South African container, being an iron ‘potjie’, with a springbok consommé, containing grapes pickled in vinegar, and barley. The grapes gave the dish a sweet raisiny taste. 

The fifth course was the last savoury one, being bone marrow, which had been barbecued, and was another rare local delicacy. It was served with miso glazed kale leaves, miso juice, and sunflower seeds which had been toasted in burnt butter.

Course number six was caramelised pineapple with oil infused lemongrass, vanilla, homemade ricotta, and pineapple purée.  It was the least impressive dish of the seven we were served, lacking impact in its plating. Charming Chef Eilish Maloney, who worked at The Ledbury in London for two years, presented this dish to us. 

The final course and second dessert was indulgent, being a peat-smoked chocolate sauce in a tin cup, a hessian bag with mixed nuts and granola, and a delicious and indulgent Italian meringue. There was no coffee available. 

I have not come to a final answer if paying R1144 for a seven course (one course shared between two) pop-up dinner was worth it. Top Cape Town restaurants charge as follows: the least expensive menu at The Test Kitchen costs R1600, but the number of courses is not specified in its website; La Colombe charges R1200 for its Gourmand Dinner menu of nine courses;  and Greenhouse charges R900 for its African Gatherer menu of nine courses and R1100 for its nine course African Hunter Menu. The Dinner came without any frills as far as the location and interior decor was concerned, and the lack of bubbly glasses and coffee was a disadvantage. But the uniqueness of the menu, the attempt by the chef team to create a unique South African menu, that the dishes served by the chefs themselves, and the fact that the chefs were not arrogant, all deserve bonus points. Ingredients are obtained fresh every day. Chef James told us that he loved the Oranjezicht City Market. The music became better over the course of the evening, and is a playlist which is adapted per country, and keeps growing. 

One Star House Party. Tel +66 61 791 7746 www.onestarhouseparty.com Twitter @1starhouseparty  Instagram: @onestarhouseparty

The pop-up restaurant is operating in Cape Town until 12 May before heading to Monaco. 

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel 082 55 11 323 Twitter: @Ulmenstein Facebook: click here Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein