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.
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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.
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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.
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From front-of-room greeting to knowledgeable explanation of each dish and of Linda’s wine pairings, the service was equally excellent.
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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.