Set against the water’s edge with the beautiful backdrop of Table Mountain and the serene scene of sailing boats gently gliding by, GINJA Restaurant offers the ultimate – quintessentially Cape Town – V&A Waterfront experience.
Known for its highly popular prawn special, GINJA has launched something new and exciting for Winter!
Ashraf Arendse, known as “Chef Ash”, is the executive chef of NEWMARK’s V&A Waterfront properties – including the fine-dining venue, Dash at The Queen Victoria Hotel – and brings his modern French flair to GINJA in the form of a new steak special launching this April.
“With the change of season, I wanted to introduce something hearty and wholesome. Something to warm the belly. For me, GINJA is a place of generosity – of abundance – and I wanted to create something that reflected that, in an easy, sharing style.
This is no ordinary steak special.
Ash has put together a dreamy cocktail of dishes that he believes not only works together but offers something for everyone. The meal is designed to share. “I wanted to make it a whole experience – something that would make you think of a big family lunch.” The special for two includes: a 1kg Florentine T-bone steak slowly sous vide in garlic, olive oil and rosemary before being finished on the grill. It comes with a dreamy, creamy Parmesan truffle risotto with salt-cured, semi-dried, garlic-and-thyme-infused tomatoes, a generous portion of salty pommes frites and an earthy vegetable salad, popping with jewel-tones of beetroot and honey-roasted carrot. “It all creates such a beautiful balance of flavour,” says Ash.
To tie it all together, Ash wanted to offer a unique wine pairing with the steak special – something guests might not have experienced before. “I met with Rainier Bruyns of Niel Joubert Wines and I was immediately attached to the story of the grenache grape. It’s a bold, but easy-drinking wine and I wanted to do something just as bold with the pairing,” explains Ash. “It’s also important for me to support our local wine farms where we can, to create collaborations.” The wine chosen is the Niel Joubert Grenache Blanc 2017 – a new release from the estate and not widely available to the public. The wooded white wine spent 24 months in new French Oak barrels and is “buttery and tropical, but still has enough acidity to cut through fattiness in dishes,” explains Rainier. “It’s a wine with a powerful personality and best served slightly warmer at about 16 degrees, making it perfect for the change of season,” he explains.
Steak Special at the V&A Waterfront with Ginja.
The steak special – including a bottle of Niel Joubert Grenache Blanc – is priced at R550 and is available now and through this winter.
And for the fans of GINJA’s famous prawn special, Ash says “Don’t worry – we’ll still be offering it. Why not get some friends together and share both!”
