| Page i.d.: Food
Hed: Bring a sense of adventure to new South African restaurant
Byline: DANYAEL HALPRIN
CUTLINE: A journey to the exotic – Jabulani’s décor includes such South African touches as zebra-patterned tablecloths and ostrich-egg table ornaments
PHOTO CREDIT: Wil Andruschak
If a city’s cuisine is a reflection of its people, then Calgary is definitely multicultural. Vietnamese, Turkish, Laotian, Ethiopian and East Indian are just a few of the international foods that make up the mosaic that is our dining scene – and the latest to join the gastronomic mix is South African. Let the adventure begin!
Entering Jabulani (907 - 17th Ave. S.W., phone 228-4535), I at once felt as if I’d journeyed to the exotic. The giraffe-like owner led us deep into her burgundy lair adorned with zebra-patterned tablecloths, ostrich-egg table ornaments with lethally pointy porcupine quills, masks and mud cloths. And to the right of the tusked elephant at the watering hole was a big-screen TV showing the scenery and animals of South Africa. Oh look, a hippo’s bum!
Since I was unfamiliar with South Africa’s fare, I invited a friend from Cape Town to guide our party of four through this culinary experience. South African cuisine, referred to as Cape-Dutch Malay or Cape cuisine, is a blend of recipes from the many cultures – French, German, British, Dutch, Scottish, Italian, Greek, Portuguese, Chinese, Jewish and Indian, as well as such indigenous peoples as the Zulu and Bantu – that have co-existed in the country over the past 300 years.
And where better to open a South African restaurant than in a city that shares the South Africans’ love of jerky and unusual meat, from oxtail stew to chicken livers to ostrich carpaccio and tenderloin.
For appetizers, we shared a plate of biltong and droë wors – traditional South African dried meat and sausage accompanied by Parmesan cheese and deep-fried parsnips ($12). It’s similar to jerky, and spiced with salt, pepper and coriander. The many small slices of biltong were flavourful though highly salty, and we liked what we nibbled of the droë wors – and I say this because there were only three pieces. A big letdown, or dare I say ripoff, for two people to share, let alone four.
Next, we ordered the perfectly soft, pan-fried chicken livers in a mild tomato, onion and chili peri-peri sauce ($6.50), as well as the creamy curried butternut soup ($6.50) – heavenly.
Jabulani offers a great selection of entrées – hotpots, vegetarian, grilled meat and seafood. We each ordered a different dish and then tasted our way around the table. These included the Cape Malay curry ($15), which was sweet rather than spicy and featured pan-fried beef with apricots; the chicken flattie ($18), a quarter grilled chicken with peri-peri marinade; and oxtail stew ($16), simmered in red wine and served on a bed of rice.
We all agreed the best dish was boerewors ($16) – grilled traditional South African beef and pork sausage with polenta fritters and pickled tomato chutney. The sausages were juicy, flavourful and incredibly rich.
Imported South African beer and wine – Castle Lager and Zonnebloem Shiraz – complemented our meal. Jabulani also permits patrons to bring their own wine at a $20 corking fee per bottle. Dinner was most enjoyable, but no one checked up on us during the second course.
Although we were quite full, dessert was not to be skipped. The banana samosas ($10), consisting of caramelized bananas wrapped in phyllo pastry served on amarula mousse with chocolate sauce, had us pleading for more, and the rooibos tea ice cream ($7) was soft and creamy with a lovely, subtle chamomile flavour. (The rooibos plant grows only in the Cedar Valley in the Western Cape and the tea made from it is very popular.)
Owners Constance Van Rensburg and Yvette Snyman have truly captured the spirit of their homeland. At the back of the restaurant, their BOMA – a straw-thatched hut which appears to be aglow in the red setting sun under starry African skies – seats up to 25 people and can be reserved for private parties. And their televised rugby games always attract a good crowd of their fellow South Africans, an estimated 10,000 of whom live in Calgary. These events cost $18, including food, and reservations are recommended. Unfortunately, the South African team has been knocked out of the World Cup, so the restaurant will gauge demand before offering to screen the final. For updated information, check the website at www.jabulani.ca.
I don’t think I’ll find myself with a craving for South African food the way I do for Indian or Greek, but it’s a novelty and a wonderful culinary adventure. Translated from Zulu, Jabulani means "Rejoice." And so we shall! |
Copyright ©2003 FFWD. All rights reserved.