During an event that blended Eastern and Western Cape styles, South Africa's Chef of the Year in Restaurant Cuisine, Johannes Richter from The Living Room in Kuiseville, met with Chef Sebastian Schter from Beyond, located in Constantia, which is part of the renowned Fyn Group.
Both chefs share a deep commitment to using local ingredients and principles of sustainable development. Richter noted that they cook guided by the same instinct: 'starting with what grows around us.' He added that Schter's presence at The Living Room allows guests to taste two different regions of the country at one table.
The collaboration continued in the dining room, where Fyn Group's Director of Service and Beverages, Jennifer Hughes, joined Johannes Richter to discuss wine pairings. Both demonstrated their knowledge of the served wines, generously filling the glasses.
A guest invited by KZN tourism, along with a TikTok influencer and his girlfriend, quickly discovered a shared love for good food despite differences in their approaches: one was young and taking notes on his phone, while the other was older and preferred to make notes in the menu.
Their meal began with a summer mood. The first dish, a refreshing recipe from The Living Room, was marigold ice cream served with a light herbal vinaigrette, beautifully arranged among marigolds. This dish was vibrant, intense, incredibly aromatic, and accompanied by a cooling 'green' juice.
Next, The Living Room presented a carrot composition. As the author notes, if Richter offers a carrot dish, it cannot be refused. It was a carrot puree topped with very thin slices of barely cooked or lightly marinated carrots, mimicking a flower. The dish was sprinkled with root spices and crispy curry leaves and served alongside a rich carrot and coconut soup.
The author ordered a jackfruit and narcissus mocktail with this dish, which turned out to be moderately sweet. The next course was a bread assortment based on maize—or, as the TikToker says, the key ingredient in isiZulu beer—sorghum. Small sorghum buns were presented, which paired well with a delicious, deeply smoky leek oil, as well as a stunning sorghum cracker, perfectly harmonizing with a macadamia sauce or pesto. This course was accompanied by Domaine des Dieux Rose of Sharon 2016 sparkling wine.
Then Beyond offered its version of Caprese salad. It included garden succulent leaves over heirloom tomatoes with fresh cheese made from sour kefir. The dish was aesthetically arranged in another floral pattern and accompanied by another refreshing vinaigrette. It was served with Abysse Hananomai sake, which had recently arrived in the country and possessed an interesting, almost kombucha-like flavor, despite its characteristic 'kick.'
At this moment, a waiter brought a huge piece of raw Wagyu beef laid on straw for guests to admire—this was the main course everyone was waiting for. Although The Living Room often features local trout on its menu, here they served trout tartare with local cheese, wrapped in trout sashimi and served in amasi (or sour milk).
The waiter then garnished the amasi with drops of herbal oil using a pipette right at the table. This was another beautiful and intense dish, accompanied by a small piece of trout wrapped in herb leaves, similar to dolma, and Savage White 2025 wine.
Next, Beyond presented one of the most unusual dishes of the evening. Presented simply as Salvia Africana, cauliflower, chicken, and Karoo truffle, it was a savory baked egg dish topped with chicken broth, beach sage, and lightly blanched cauliflower. More beach sage surrounded it, which reminded the TikToker of imphepho. It paired surprisingly well with the rich Thelema Chardonnay 2016.
Then came the Wagyu. Beyond's recipe celebrated a range of ingredients from the Cape Town floral kingdom, including Cape gooseberry, Tulbaghia, and Tetragonia. It was a magnificent piece of meat, perfectly cooked in a rich wine sauce, enhanced by all the various floral accents. The TikToker and the author could easily ask for seconds. It was served with a slightly restrained Kanonkop Pinotage 2014 wine.
Finally, not one but two desserts were presented. From The Living Room came a citrus, pelargonium, and Jersey cream dessert, consisting of three parts: citrus sorbet with Jersey cream ice cream and pelargonium granita; citrus jelly in Jersey cream custard and a tiny dried citrus 'jelly-dot'. For the citrus lover—and yes, I admit, jelly and custard—it was the perfect dessert. It was accompanied by a not overly sweet Jordon Mellifera 2021 wine.
Beyond concluded the meal with a creation of confetti bos and sour fig, which included flavored popcorn. The author finished with a cup of coffee.