Enjoy locally inspired seven-course tasting menu at The Chef’s Table
Chef Mathew Armbruster and team present a solid tasting menu experience
It’s a Wednesday night and I ascend the steps to The Chefs’ Table, just off Umhlanga’s bustling Chartwell Drive. It’s been a few years, a global pandemic and change in head chef since my last visit, so I’m naturally curious as to what lies ahead.
In this time between visits, chef Mathew Armbruster has taken the reins of the popular eatery — where he once worked as sous chef, before a stint as head chef at the Midland’s institution, Hartford House.
I’d followed his journey then and was constantly impressed by the growth from visit to visit, but cooking à la carte for 140 guests is a different beast relative to the task of a set tasting menu for a hotel restaurant.
These dishes are big, hearty portions, bistro-esque if you will, and all ordered off the à la carte menu. Which is all well enough, but I’m here to experience the chef’s tasting menu, and am hesitant as to how they’re going to get out a seven-course tasting menu while juggling this barrage of orders from the constantly churning docket printer.
And how are these generous platefuls going to make way for the smaller, delicate tasting menu dishes?
The first course is a yellowtail tartare, the delicately cubed raw fish plated atop a warm turmeric potato base and accompanied by lemon atchar, emulsified curry leaf and tiger’s milk, finished with a shard of tempura spinach it’s already a departure from the à la carte plates on offer. It’s an interesting dish, the chef merging international inspiration with local fare.
On flavour, it ticks all the boxes, there’s freshness from the fish, acidity, spice, saltiness and a touch of sweetness from the host of accoutrements. On texture, it is perhaps less successful; the potato, somewhere between hot and cold, is neither an exciting contrast nor a texturally thrilling vessel to transport the vibrant flavours of the sauce below it. No less, it’s a respectable start, and in any event the next courses more than makes up for it.
The miso glazed cauliflower with poached octopus is a clever little dish encompassing textures of sago, cashew butter, pineapple and yellow pepper, together with an umami-rich grana Padano rind custard and foam. Its delicately plated without being fussy, though a few elements still feel like they’re there for aesthetics more so than what they add to the dish, it’s still a stellar course.
A special mention must go to sommelier Amani Niyomukiza who delivered a fantastic, informative and interesting wine service through the tasting menu.
I finish the meal with a small petit four selection and a double espresso. I cannot help but marvel at what chef Mathew and team are pulling off in this often overlooked part of SA. Yes, there may be tweaks to be made and some adjustments here and there but all said and done, it’s been a wonderful evening.
Overall, the team have presented a solid tasting menu experience, while juggling the demands of a fast-paced and (by the look and sounds of things), a pretty top-notch à la carte service, too. Colour me impressed.
• The Chefs’ Table is located at Protea Mall, on 1 Chartwell Drive 23-24 on the first floor in Umhlanga. For bookings visit their website here.
• This article is adapted from one originally published on Wanted Online. Visit wantedonline.co.za for the latest in luxury lifestyle news.