With its prime location, opulent menu and ambience aimed at stimulating all senses, TANG V&A Waterfront offers a luxurious experience and a taste of Asia at the tip of Africa.
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Having opened in the Mother City only a few months ago, the second restaurant in the Miramar Collection by entrepreneur and dedicated foodie, Nicky van der Walt, offers only the finest cuisine by emphasising authenticity over fashionable fusion.
With the success of his first restaurant in Sandton’s Nelson Mandela Square, Van der Walt and Executive Chef Vixa Kalenga have developed a menu and setting that are sure to thrill and enchant Cape Town with every morish mouthful.
Kalenga is a graduate of the International Hotel School in Cape Town, where he studied under Chef Philip Cook.
‘He taught me a lot of technique and about French cuisine, improving my skills and developing my palate,’ Kalenga recalls. ‘This really helped me to do what I’m doing right now.’
‘However, my interest in Asian cooking started while working at Willoughby & Co where I was really inspired by head sushi chef, Sam Wong.’
‘At that time I was a sous chef there and he was really helping and guiding me a lot. I may have been trained in classic French cuisine but since then I’ve just fallen in love with Asian food.’
Kalenga’s passion for Asian cooking saw him team up with Van der Walt to develop a menu that offers authentic Chinese and Japanese offerings, steering clear of trendy fusion dishes while sourcing only the finest ingredients, including Alaskan black cod, Wagyu beef, caviar and truffles, from around the world.
‘We didn’t just want to copy the recipes from somewhere but rather wanted to make our food unique to TANG.’
‘With Nicky having travelled a lot, he bombarded me with crazy ideas which really helped to build this menu.’
‘It took us about two years to develop and I spent a great deal of time working on the recipes during lockdown, fine tuning the dishes and getting my girlfriend to sample them to make sure she was happy. It really took a while.’
The chef explained that TANG’s kitchen takes classic dishes and tries to incorporate its own flavours with an emphasis on authenticity.
‘If you travel to Beijing you are going to want to have Peking Duck,’ he explained. ‘We want it to taste exactly the same when you come to TANG.’
‘We want to keep our food very traditional by sourcing ingredients you can hardly find locally.’
This focus on the finest of ingredients and an attention to detail are palatable at TANG from start to finish.
The restaurant offers an extensive menu with sumptuous sushi, irresistible izakayas, wonderful woks and delicious desserts, which are just some of the offerings.
However, it is TANG’s signature dishes, including Peking duck and crispy orange chicken, that truly stand out.
‘The black cod miso is one of my favourites because of the intense process involved in preparing it,’ Kalenga added.
‘It spends about three days in a miso and citrus soy marinade before we actually cook it.’
While TANG in Sandton has already proven extremely popular in Gauteng, Kalenga believes the Cape Town restaurant, in its prime Waterfront location, is well positioned to make its mark on the international stage.
‘Nicky has always had a vision,’ he added. ‘The Waterfront is a major tourist attraction. Our menu doesn’t offer typical South African cuisine and is sure to thrill local guests and visitors from around the world.’
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Pictures: Chanelle Manuel / Habari Media