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Style
- May 2006
By Vicki Sleet
The foodie scene has been the tapas term bandied about with abandon
lately and though there are few (if any) authentic Spanish bars
complete with suitable slightly men sucking on cigars and enjoying
a post-work aperitif, there is a Cape Town restaurant that’s
happily serving a modern version of the global phenomenon. Fork
is Ed Saunders’ and JD Haasbroek’s baby, and together
with chef Cristian Testai, they’re wooing Capetonians with
fabulously accessible and seemingly always delicious fare.
The
setting is seductive-exposed brick walls lined with tables for
two downstairs and cosy booths upstairs are perfect for the ‘share-share’ dining
style that their food demands. Though traditional tapas is designed
to be eaten with toothpicks or popped into the mouth, theirs is
to be eaten in a few forkfuls.
The menu is a happy mix of modern
tapas interpretations, with a marked Italian influence, I opted
for the vitello tonnato, always a firm favourite of mine, and though
I dined alone and it was plenty for two as a pre-meal soupcon,
I demolished it with ease. Each perfectly pink slice of chilled
cooked veal topped with zingy tuna and caper dressing made sure
my hunger was momentarily put to rest. I followed this with a ‘cupcake’ of
fried tagliolini with Napolitana sauce and a dressing of basil
pesto, but I happily admit to serous menu envy when I saw the plates
of tuna loin with cannellini beans and pancetta-wrapped prawns
being whizzed to the table next to me. With over 20 imaginative
exercises in itty-bitty communal eating options at good prices,
and with a limited though great wine list, Fork deserves to keep
people coming back for more.
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