Secret restaurants have been operating in Cape Town for a year or so, SecretEats having attracted attention to underground restaurants, which pop up in interesting venues such as art galleries, furniture design exhibitions, warehouses in Observatory, and in private homes in Llandudno and Tamboerskloof.  Now [spasie] has opened in Cape Town, using the same formula of different chefs preparing the dinners, and guests sitting at one long table, with one difference – the restaurant space of [spasie] is fixed.

It is not clear why Greg Zeleny, the creator of SecretEats, has created a different brand, as he was not present at the [spasie] dinner to which I was invited.  JP du Toit was our host, and told us that he looks after the dinners every Thursday and Friday, and that his colleague Zak Averre handles weekday daytime food from the same space.  It was like a homecoming, the venue being across the road from the former Haas, in the building where the Haas ad agency had its offices, and where the Haas kitchen prepared the food for the Haas coffee shop.  We had hosted a Food & Wine Bloggers’ Club function in the same venue, when it still was an art gallery for Haas.  JP studied Biochemistry, and lived in Japan for two years.

The chef of the week was Chef Nick Charalambous, a Silwood Cookery School student (Cordon Bleu Grande Diploma), and former colleague of Chef Peter Tempelhoff at The Greenhouse and at Mondiall.  He has Cypriot roots. He has now gone freelance, and may get involved as the lunchtime chef at  [spasie]. We chatted prior to the start of the function, and he had a number of bottles of olive oil on his kitchen top, each of his five courses being inspired by a different olive oil, his dinner theme being ‘Nuances of olive oil’.  He used Andante Intenso, Forte, and Extra Virgin Oil, as well as Willow Creek Lemon-flavoured olive oil for his cooking.

After a welcome drink we were asked to move inside the dinner venue, lit up with candle collections placed on the floor, and some LED lights hanging over the long table, which can seat 50 guests.  Material serviettes are provided, with stainless steel cutlery. A bread board with breads from Woodstock Bakery, delicious olives, and dipping bowls of olive oils were brought to the table.  The fun of dining at [spasie] is not knowing who one will be seated next to.  My dinner neighbour on the left was from Bloemfontein, having been brought to the dinner by a friend, and in Cape Town to attend a wedding the following day.  Next to me on the right was Katherine Jacobs, the Online Editor of Eat Out, who was very diplomatic in the discussion about the universal complaints about the poor food at the Mercedes-Benz Eat Out Top 10 Restaurant Awards five days prior. Opposite her was a couple who enjoyed chatting about food, she having read our blog, and he having a hilarious interpretation of ‘WhaleTales‘! Directly opposite me was a tourist from Sydney, who had found information about [spasie] on the internet, and was a most informative and entertaining guest, making us laugh with her take on our driving habits in the main!  It was interesting hearing her share food and restaurant trends in Australia.  She had eaten at the newly re-opened Ryan’s Kitchen in Franschhoek earlier that day, and complimented it for being the best food she had eaten during her stay in the Cape.

JP introduced the concept of  [spasie] to us, being a ‘social underground dining experience’.  It is secret in that there is no branding visible outside, and if one doesn’t find the street number 97 Church Street, one would not find the venue.  He introduced Chef Nick too, who talked through the menu with us.   The Wildekrans wines were introduced, each course being paired with a different wine.

The starter was Tuna Tataki, which was served with burnt miso panna cotta, red quinoa, a vinaigrette made with lime and a delicate olive oil, spring onions, and crispy capers.  This was paired with Wildekrans Chenin Blanc Barrel Select 2013.  The second course was Ricotta Gnocchi, served with olive oil confit endive, charred leek, asparagus, pumpkin seed pesto, and onion velouté, which was paired with Wildekrans Estate Pinotage 2012.

The palate cleanser was a fresh watermelon, mint and lime sorbet, served with compressed watermelon, and a lemon-pressed olive oil by Willow Creek.

The main course of lamb rump was prepared sous vide, and was plated with chickpea and olive oil bread, artichoke purée, a medley of vegetables, fennel root, and lamb jus. This course was paired with Wildekrans Estate Shiraz 2011.  The dessert too contained olive oil, the ice cream having been made with the Andante Forte, and it was served with white chocolate crémeux, passion fruit gel, an almond tuile, and gooseberries.  This was paired with Wildekrans coffee aperitif Timmo Tinto 2011, named in honour of the late son Timmo of the owner of Wildekrans.

Petit fours of chocolate brownies and marshmallows were also served.  Before we knew it, it was 23h00, and time to go home.  We left knowing that what we had experienced was a once-off, and that the next  [spasie] dinner would be completely different, with a new chef, a new menu and wine pairings, and more interesting guests attending.

SecretEats is continuing hosting its dinners too, in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg.

[spasie],  97 Church Street, Cape Town. Cell 076 947 9231. www.spasieunderground.com Twitter: @spasieCT   Thursday and Friday evenings. R650.

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Tel (021) 433-2100, Twitter:@WhaleCottage Facebook:  click here