I’m not a lover of prawns. I don’t like rocket, I can’t stomach spicy food and I’m no tomato enthusiast.
I’m not a lover of prawns. I don’t like rocket, I can’t stomach spicy food and I’m no tomato enthusiast.
People call me fussy. I am.
When I read the menu set out by MyPond Hotel Executive Chef Dayallan Naidoo I cringed.
Spicy tikka prawns on a bed of rocket with grilled rosa tomatoes.
This was to be presented at a dinner during the annual Bathurst Country Affair last weekend.
My initial fears were shattered, quite pleasantly, when I was presented with the most delicious food I’ve had in years.
I ate the prawns. In fact, I wanted seconds, and thirds. I’ve never been so pleasantly surprised.
Surrounded by over 150 different artists’ work displayed around The Workshop Gallery, a small group of people gathered to sample Naidoo’s culinary offerings.
The meal was a fusion of Cape Malay and Durban flavours that smelled heavenly and brought people together.
“My team of Stenden students and I have been working since 9am this morning to deliver this three-course meal,” Naidoo said as he presented the prawns, Cape Malay chicken stuffed with spinach and feta and granadilla-and-pine cheesecake.
Everything from presentation to taste and skill was of five-star quality.
Greg Addenbrooke, a local blues and jazz guitarist, added to the atmosphere while a birthday party sipped Chardonnay nearby.
“The food is beautifully presented, ”said Margie Addenbrooke, owner of The Workshop Gallery.
“The spicy tikka prawn starter is cooked to perfection and the rocket works in good contrast with its peppery bite.”
Despite a torrential downpour hitting Bathurst last Saturday, those seeking excellent food and wine put on their wellies and sought refuge at a number of cook-offs and marquees around the village.
I had conversations with interesting people, ate food that blessed my taste buds and spent the day experiencing all the wonders Bathurst has to offer.
Will I attend 2014’s Bathurst Country Affair?
Without a doubt.
