Block four -part one
I had the privilege of working at the best restaurant in Africa, an accolade that the whole kitchen holds dear to its heart through the outstanding food that's produced in this kitchen. Located at the rooftop of Speakers Corner lies FYN restaurant distinguished by its ceiling installation with a Japanese influence.
It has been a month since I have been in the kitchen so I had a lot of adjusting to do. It's always the first day for me, the feeling never gets old and feels exaggerated every single time.
For my first two weeks, I was put in the vegetable section along with some of the most funniest and hardworking people (Joel and Ashay). Through my second year, this was my second time being placed in such a busy section. This time around though I wanted to really learn pots and be part of a well-orchestrated service. My prep looked the same every day and included:
- Butternut fondants
- Blending purees
- Mushroom Ragu
- Prepping artichokes (Jerusalem and normal ones)
- And frying garnishes
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| Artichoke chips |
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| Globe artichoke prep - 6kgs |
Doesn't seem like much but through the busy services throughout the week, it felt like a lot. I recall my first day of the section, Joel plated most of the dishes on the experience menu and I got to taste each and every element. I mean enjoying the food is nice but getting a sense of what a restaurant is like through their food was something else. I really got a sense of appreciation for the simple but punchy flavors that FYN used.
I set a goal for myself and I believe I was able to achieve it, I was sending the most garnishes for mains which I wouldn't think I would ever do, and beyond grateful that I got to!
Two weeks later I moved to Kaiseki which is also the same cold starters. At the time, the menu looked like: Tartare, Wonton chips, and tempura dune spinach.
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| Kaiseki tray -Winter menu |
The dish got an upgrade and basically a millie feullie but tartare at the same time. It was pretty cool to see how a dish could be plated in many different ways.
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| The old tartare |
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| The new tartare |
In this section I got to work with Siya, Liam, Jaffa, and Yonela.Vibrant and hardworking chefs. My prep list looked like this:
- Container prep (chives, spring onion, grapefruit,daikon)
- Pickling (carrots, baby cucumbers, daikons)
- Frying (wonton chips)
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| Foraged dune spinach |
All in all my four weeks at Fyn were nothing short of learning and laughs. I am beyond grateful to have worked under the most influential chefs. I’m beyond grateful to have had Lexi and Ellen guide me through everything. Thank you to the whole team for being a part of my journey.
See you....AP
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