Well, everyone knows I’m a music lover, but not everyone knows how much I love good food. I don’t claim to be a foodie of the callibre of my dear friend and singing partner Tanya Nicolson who is the other half of Blackbird, but Tanya is known to tell our audiences that we have to take a break because she has to “feed this giant!” I love a good feed.
Which is why I was so delighted when local charcutier JP Vorster invited my wife Tarrin and I to his Midlands Elemental Taste of Fire event at La Rose des Vents on the 2nd of July. JP is known to have a hand in everything from the delicious produce of The Gourmet Greek, to his own par-cooked frozen pizza (you can hear that bubbling cheese!) and chilly sauce to, of course, mouth-watering and well-preserved viands savoured by may a local in the KZN Midlands.
Mmm… music, munching and mense – lekker ones
With the groovy strains of EVO Music playing in the background, JP treated us to a (fire) starter of thick, creamy and smooth fire-roasted pumpkin, carrot & garlic soup. A gentle helping because there was a veritable cornucopia to follow – it was important to leave space! Next came fire-roasted, shredded, chicken mayo sliders (lightly smoked mushroom sliders for the vegetarians) which only served to get my glands going for the pièce de résistance.
Wait for it, people, because the main course was “Carne JP’s Wagyu Beef Brisket sloooowly cooked to tender BBQ perfection”. There was vegetarian rich and creamy Halloumi from The Gourmet Greek, grilled to golden perfection over the coals – but the fantastic fromage fiesta was mostly saved for post-Wagyu snacks, as one might imagine. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted meat like that. It didn’t fall off the bone so much as it melted on my tongue. And of course, the taste of fire was added by JP’s artisinal chilly sauce – which every participant got to take home with them. Flavourful and not gratuitously hot.
Oh. Em. Gee.
The flavour was perfect and the portion wasn’t overwhelming. Brisket can be rich under normal circumstances. Wagyu takes that up several notches. It only enhanced by the company of my wife and Fiona and Barbara, some friends from Hilton Village. The cheese selection was crowned a large round of fire-warmed, baked Black Brie (Chie) & caramelized onion, followed by a vanilla Greek yoghurt and cream panna cotta that was as subtle and smooth as one might hope. JP (to my left) pulled off a fantastic day and an unbelievable meal. Can’t wait to taste his food again!
