The Tsogo Sun group boasts some of the country’s most talented chefs in the kitchens of its restaurants across South Africa. Despite their pressurised schedules, eight of the group’s executive chefs spent an afternoon creating signature dishes from their respective restaurants’ menus in an eight-course tasting menu for a discerning table of foodie influencers.
The Tasting Table, hosted by Tsogo Sun at Southern Sun Hyde Park’s Lucé restaurant, showcased the diversity of the group’s restaurants through the culinary talents of:
• Kenneth Ngubane of Jenda at Montecasino
• Garth Shnier of San Restaurant & Deck at Sandton Sun
• Shaun Munro of Lingela at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
• Preshanthan Pillay of Back O’ The Moon Restaurant at Gold Reef City
• Jade Sullaphen of Punchinello’s at Southern Sun Montecasino
• Deena Naidoo of Montecasino’s Aarya restaurant
• Prenolan Naidoo of The Grill Jichana at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
• Greg Gautier of Lucé at Southern Sun Hyde Park and host of the Tasting Table
A selection of eight tasting portions of signature dishes was prepared and presented by the chefs, who were also on hand to interact with the media and offer insight into the inspiration for their culinary creations; which were perfectly paired with wines from the Lucé cellar.
Food and beverage is a core competency at Tsogo Sun and is positioned at the forefront of the group’s gaming and hotel hospitality delivery, with over 80 restaurants and food outlets across the group all with a strong focus on world-class quality and memorable culinary experiences.
But Tsogo Sun’s restaurants are not just intended to be enjoyed by guests of the hotels in which they are located, these restaurants are the ideal venue for business lunches and birthday parties or a romantic dinner with someone special.
“We’re extremely proud of how far Tsogo Sun has come over the last few years with the overall quality of its food and beverage offering,” says Priya Naidoo, General Manager: Group Communications of Tsogo Sun. “We have assumed custodianship of the food & beverage business within the group and we are ensuring that it is a critical delivery factor in the overall hospitality environment; after all, it employs a third of our workforce. Food and beverage is part and parcel of being hospitable, and our F&B offering is all about ensuring excellent, honest and memorable delivery of food and beverage.”
The signature dishes on the eight-course menu served by the chefs at the Tsogo Tasting Table are all available on the respective menus of the restaurants represented by the eight chefs. The menu consisted of:
Mollusco l squid ink scallop tortellini and red roe espuma l crab and sea bass sashimi l green tea sorbet
By Greg Gautier of Lucé at Southern Sun Hyde Park
Smoked chicken breast supreme
served with poached pears in saffron, micro greens gorgonzola cheese and walnut crumble and red peppadew dressing
By Jade Sullaphen of Punchinello’s at Southern Sun Montecasino
Chilli garlic prawns
By Deena Naidoo of Aarya at SunSquare Montecasino
Duck Calvados
Roasted Duck, served on a layer of our famous calvados Apple Glaze
By Preshanthan Pillay of Back O The Moon at Gold Reef City
Grilled salmon
with steamed seasonal vegetables, avo, cucumber and tomato salsa
By Kenneth Ngubane of Jenda at Montecasino
Durban-style lamb curry
By Shaun Munro of Lingela at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani
Spiced textured carrot cake |
Pistachio nut dacquoise | caramel spiced carrot| cardamom ice cream | warm white chocolate ganache
By Garth Shnier of San at Sandton Sun
Valrhona 5 Chocolate Bomb
By Prenolan Naidoo of The Grill Jichana at Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani