Fork
Published: 04 Jan 06
Category: Mediterranean
Tapas is derived from the Spanish word for "to cover" and refers to a centuries-old habit of covering a glass of wine with a piece of smoked ham or cheese. This h
ad a practical purpose - preventing nasty
noo-noos from falling into the wine - and also seemed to pay obeisance to a 13th
century edict by King Alfonso the Wise that no tavern in the land should serve
alcohol without food.
Most Spanish writers acknowledge the legend, but suggest the tapa evolved from the labourer's need to eat small snacks through the day to sustain him until the main meal at night. This was accompanied by wine in winter, because of its ability to mellow the mood and warm the body against the bitterly cold conditions, and by gazpacho in summer. Now, wherever you go in Spain, your glass of wine is served with a plate of boquerones, or escabeches, or torreznos.
The focus is on the social aspect of the eating and drinking - the décor and surroundings matter little. "Tapeo" is primarily the art of eating standing up while carrying on a conversation at a thousand words and two thousand gestures a minute. Apparently, traditional tapas servings are so small that the word "picar" meaning to peck like a bird, rather than the more conventional "comer", meaning to eat, is used.
Of course, we do tapas differently in South African than they do in the Spanish birthplace of the tradition. Here we tend to do it seated, and with slightly larger portions, and the physical environment is given more attention. But the basic philosophy remains the same - lots of different bite-sized portions feeding both the inner man and the ongoing, lively conversation. And a new entrant to the market, Fork, delivers very well on that philosophy.
It's an up-and-down building in Long Street, with the smokers down and the non up. Basic but elegant décor, with comfortable couches and tables downstairs, tables and booths upstairs, and a balcony area very popular on balmy Cape Town evenings.
The menu is eclectic, with Italian, Levantine and Pacific Rim being the prime areas of influence. Full marks to all the dishes we scarfed up over three hours - tomato, mozzarella and rocket tower with oreganum oil; diced tuna loin with cannelloni bean salad; mixed seafood sosatie with ginger and lemongrass dressing; grilled tiger prawns wrapped with pancetta; kudu mini fillets with orange potato puree and chilli spinach; Moroccan meatballs (with an olive at the centre); two exquisitely tender and tasty grilled lamb cutlets with cumin and coriander sauce; tiramisu; and a very satisfying ginger mousse with raspberries. At the end of it all, we were full without being satiated, our tastebuds had been most pleasantly titillated, and we were (almost) all talked out. Mission accomplished!
The winelist is unusual in that it's organised by place of origin, rather than by the more normal grape variety, so it takes a little more time to make a choice. But there's a good spread of intelligently chosen wines, including some big names and some more out-of-the-ordinary wineries, at reasonable mark-ups. La Couronne Sauvignon Blanc is R55, Nitida Semillon is R93 and the most expensive white wine is a Chardonnay from Joubert-Tradauw at R120. Red choices include Vrede & Lust red blend for R55, Jagger's Peak Shiraz for R100 and Herold Pinot Noir for R175. Six wines are available by the glass, and they don't allow bring-your-own. The red wine was served too cold - a change from the more normal and less pleasant too warm, but still a very minor blemish on an otherwise extremely enjoyable evening.
Dishes cost between R20 and R50, and there is no minimum charge.
Address: Fork. 84 Long Street, Cape Town. 021 424 6334. Open noon to 11, Monday to Saturday. No BYO.
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
Tapas is derived from the Spanish word for "to cover" and refers to a centuries-old habit of covering a glass of wine with a piece of smoked ham or cheese. This h
Most Spanish writers acknowledge the legend, but suggest the tapa evolved from the labourer's need to eat small snacks through the day to sustain him until the main meal at night. This was accompanied by wine in winter, because of its ability to mellow the mood and warm the body against the bitterly cold conditions, and by gazpacho in summer. Now, wherever you go in Spain, your glass of wine is served with a plate of boquerones, or escabeches, or torreznos.
The focus is on the social aspect of the eating and drinking - the décor and surroundings matter little. "Tapeo" is primarily the art of eating standing up while carrying on a conversation at a thousand words and two thousand gestures a minute. Apparently, traditional tapas servings are so small that the word "picar" meaning to peck like a bird, rather than the more conventional "comer", meaning to eat, is used.
Of course, we do tapas differently in South African than they do in the Spanish birthplace of the tradition. Here we tend to do it seated, and with slightly larger portions, and the physical environment is given more attention. But the basic philosophy remains the same - lots of different bite-sized portions feeding both the inner man and the ongoing, lively conversation. And a new entrant to the market, Fork, delivers very well on that philosophy.
It's an up-and-down building in Long Street, with the smokers down and the non up. Basic but elegant décor, with comfortable couches and tables downstairs, tables and booths upstairs, and a balcony area very popular on balmy Cape Town evenings.
The menu is eclectic, with Italian, Levantine and Pacific Rim being the prime areas of influence. Full marks to all the dishes we scarfed up over three hours - tomato, mozzarella and rocket tower with oreganum oil; diced tuna loin with cannelloni bean salad; mixed seafood sosatie with ginger and lemongrass dressing; grilled tiger prawns wrapped with pancetta; kudu mini fillets with orange potato puree and chilli spinach; Moroccan meatballs (with an olive at the centre); two exquisitely tender and tasty grilled lamb cutlets with cumin and coriander sauce; tiramisu; and a very satisfying ginger mousse with raspberries. At the end of it all, we were full without being satiated, our tastebuds had been most pleasantly titillated, and we were (almost) all talked out. Mission accomplished!
The winelist is unusual in that it's organised by place of origin, rather than by the more normal grape variety, so it takes a little more time to make a choice. But there's a good spread of intelligently chosen wines, including some big names and some more out-of-the-ordinary wineries, at reasonable mark-ups. La Couronne Sauvignon Blanc is R55, Nitida Semillon is R93 and the most expensive white wine is a Chardonnay from Joubert-Tradauw at R120. Red choices include Vrede & Lust red blend for R55, Jagger's Peak Shiraz for R100 and Herold Pinot Noir for R175. Six wines are available by the glass, and they don't allow bring-your-own. The red wine was served too cold - a change from the more normal and less pleasant too warm, but still a very minor blemish on an otherwise extremely enjoyable evening.
Dishes cost between R20 and R50, and there is no minimum charge.
By John Maytham
Address: Fork. 84 Long Street, Cape Town. 021 424 6334. Open noon to 11, Monday to Saturday. No BYO.
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
