It’s a culinary masterclass by Executive Sous Chef Wesli Jacobs of The Table Bay Hotel, South Africa

Armed with two signature recipes from The Table Bay Hotel, you’re guaranteed a luxurious start to the year

Food at The Table Bay, a luxury five-star hotel at V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, is focused on fresh ingredients, locally sourced. 

“Think great grass-fed lamb, free-range chicken, sustainably fished seafood,” says 31-year-old Executive Sous Chef Wesli Jacobs. He prides himself in having close relationships with his suppliers, which in turn ensures the freshest of what is available. 

“This means our menus change daily, we keep it local wherever possible, and many of our vegetables, edible flowers and micro-herbs are grown within a five kilometre radius of the hotel,” The Table Bay chef adds. 

Born in Durban, Chef Wesli’s cooking journey began alongside his mother and grandmother from the age of seven. A diploma in cookery and kitchen management at the International Hotel School in Durban further cemented his credibility, and culminated in a prestigious post at the helm of Cape Town’s five-star Table Bay hotel.

Jacobs describes his style of cooking as “simplistic and contemporary,” but is also committed to reinventing classics. While his early forays in the kitchen included much Italian and Indian cuisine, his current favourite is all things Japanese. Like other chefs of his caliber, Chef Wesli’s favourite ingredients to cook with include lots of aromatics like garlic, ginger and chilli.

At The Table Bay Hotel, the culinary team understands the interlinking of food and wine. Chef Wesli alongside Sommelier Jonathan Wakefield have worked to realize the same, designing a pairing menu for lunch and dinner, available in the lounge and for in-room dining.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotel has quickly adapted to stringent new health and safety requirements introduced, changing the way food was presented. Demonstrating their commitment to sustainability, The Table Bay has invested in glass jars with wooden domes to serve individually packed breakfast items in, instead of single-use plastic.

The restaurant’s passion for their food and drink comes through with their recipes for Oscar’s Wild Legend Weiss Mojito, and the Sassi Squid Ink Pasta. Blending both simple and exotic ingredients, the chefs have guaranteed you a successful run in the kitchen that’s sure to impress family and friends. 

Oscar’s Wild Legend Weiss Mojito 

Ingredients 

• 10 g mint leaves 
• 35 ml rum 
• A squeeze of lime juice 
• 2 tbsp white sugar 

Method 

• Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Muddle.
• Shake it, and pour it into an iced cocktail glass.
• Top it off with Oscar’s wild legend weiss. 
• Garnish with lime and mint. 

Sassi Squid Ink Pasta 

Ingredients 

For the fish

• 60 g butter 
• 200 g portions of SASSI linefish 
• Salt and pepper 

For the pasta

• 5 g salt 
• 150 g squid ink spaghetti 
• 15 ml lemon oil 

• 150 g exotic mushrooms 
• 60 g butter 
• Salt and pepper, to taste 

For garnish 

• Shaved parmesan, to garnish 
• Microgreens 
• Black sesame seeds 

Method 

• Add the butter to a pan. Add the SASSI linefish and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sear for 4 minutes per side, and remove from the heat. 
• Roast in the oven for 6 minutes at 180 degrees celsius. 
• For the pasta, add salt to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta in boiling water and cook for 12 minutes. Drain, and add lemon oil.
• In a separate pan, add butter and mushrooms. Season and saute it. 
• For the final plating, add a portion of the spaghetti to a plate. Add the fish and the mushrooms. Garnish with parmesan, microgreens, and black sesame seeds.

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