Moveable Feast=20 Chris Louw=20
NEXT to the Apies River in Sunnyside, in a quaint little=20 art village known as Oeverzicht, actor Tjaart Potgieter=20 set up house last year. His homely restaurant, in a=20 restored dwelling dating back to the days of Paul=20 Kruger, has already won a reputation as one of the top=20 visiting-places in Pretoria for palates cultivated to=20 Mediterranean cuisine.=20
Situated in Gerard Moerdyk Street, an actor’s call from=20 the Breytenbach Theatre, Sirocco derives its name from=20 the wind that blows across the Mediterranean Sea, from=20 Morocco and Lebanon to Provence and Italy.=20
The food served at Sirocco strongly resembles peasant=20 dishes from this area — transformed, with the=20 assistance of organically grown vegetables and fresh=20 herbs, to please the highest standards of the Capital’s=20 up-market epicures. =20
“What we offer,” says the chubby and affable Potgieter,=20 a veritable connoisseur who has extensively travelled=20 the southern parts of Europe in search of food tastes=20 compatible with South African preferences, “is authentic=20 soul food of the Mediterranean — boerekos, in other=20
Having been raised in “a good Afrikaner home”, Potgieter=20 is adamant that no one should leave his restaurant=20 hungry. The food is prepared under his personal=20 supervision, and for practical reasons the menu tends to=20 be seasonal. =20
“We prefer to start from scratch with everything we=20 prepare,” explains Potgieter. The bread is freshly=20 baked, the ice-cream is home-made, even the pickles are=20 bottled on the premises.=20
We sat down on a busy Saturday evening and were=20 immediately presented with slices of peasant olive=20 bread, which the waitress helpfully explained are to be=20 dipped into balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil=20 contained in two old-fashioned glass bottles on the=20
Potgieter left the kitchen to explain the menu to us.=20 Although rather limited — one can choose from five main=20 dishes — the choice of main courses ranges from red=20 meat, sea food and chicken to vegetarian (the latter=20 being an open pumpkin ravioli with tomato sauce).=20
After we had ordered, another small appetiser was=20 served: two portions of toast garnished with goatsmilk=20 feta cheese and a slice of pickled green pepper. It was=20
For starters, my companion had salad mezze: finely- shredded cabbage, pickled peppers and a green salad,=20 flavoured with fresh herbs and pine-nuts. She described=20 the salad as “piquant”, with a slightly bitter, but=20 pleasing, aftertaste.=20
I had Spanish calamari stew — the calamari complemented=20 by tender peas and a delicately spiced tomato sauce –=20 with cumin flatbread. Wonderful and quite filling.=20
My partner ordered grilled rumpsteak with feta, olives=20 and sundried tomato as her main dish. She was served=20 four separate cuts of wonderfully tender steak, with a=20 topping of melted feta, which she said was delicious, on=20 a generous bed of couscous. =20
I had crevettes a l’ail with baby potatoes, the most=20 expensive dish on the menu. The eight prawns that I=20 received — at first I thought they were original “LM=20 prawns”, but Potgieter quickly corrected me: they were=20 from India — were large, pinkish and very plump. Served=20 in a garlic-flavoured butter sauce, they can only be=20 described as delicious.=20
The meal was accompanied by a robust dish of crisply=20 boiled green beans in a tomato-flavoured sauce.=20
Although my appetite was fairly satisfied, I couldn’t=20 resist a dessert: on the waitress’ recommendation I=20 ordered ataif, which turned out to be a Moroccan pancake=20 enveloping ricotta cheese and served in a very sweet=20 rose-water sauce. Exquisite!=20
The bill — including a bottle of Simonsig fume, four=20 cups of filter coffee and two small ratafia biscuits –=20 amounted to R170. Not cheap, but well worth the personal=20 touch, the individual yet unobtrusive attention and the=20 relaxed atmosphere.=20
Potgieter adjusts his menu every month. For April, he=20 says, guests can expect mussel or onion soup, a Moroccan=20 chicken dish in a coriander marinade, and a campari- based sorbet. A feast to look forward to!=20
Sirocco Mediterranean Cuisine: Gerard Moerdyk Street,=20 Sunnyside, Pretoria. Tel: (012) 341-3785=20