In a city and a country with an abundance of superb restaurants, creative chefs and the imaginative incorporation of fresh local ingredients, Linda and I enjoyed one of our best South African meals ever at FYN Restaurant, a place I have been wanting to experience since it opened in 2018.
Playful local interpretations of Japanese touches included chawanmushi, or savoury custard, made with ostrich egg; a chef’s knife roll of half a dozen locally forged steak knives from which we each chose our favourite; make-our-own hand-roll of locally caught chutoro and ikura; and even a little spekboom crafted in traditional bonsai style.
The flavour pairings of the ingredients in each dish were superb whether it was the deep smokey notes of burnt mushroom custard with a brittle brûlée crust matched with a warm hokkaido milk bun, the guinea fowl wonton in an intense tori paitan broth, or the explosion of tart sweetness from the cherry jelly accompanying springbok loin deftly cooked to a perfect medium rare.
From front-of-room greeting to knowledgeable explanation of each dish and of Linda’s wine pairings, the service was equally excellent.
There’s every good reason why Fyn has developed the reputation that has long had me wanting to eat here. This meal easily enters our top-10 all-time list.
