A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to the ever popular Fraiche Ayres restaurants in Rosebank, Cape Town, for the launch of Fraiche Food – a cook book written by Pam & Kyle Miller. The restaurant is part of the Starke Ayres Garden Centre and I hadn’t been before, so I was very excited.
At the event, the restaurant was described to us as an insider tip for people living in the southern suburbs: A restaurant you don’t tell your friends about so you can enjoy it all to yourself. After tasting some of their food, I realised that this was certainly the case.
During the course of the evening, we were treated to five delicious dishes whose recipes can be found in the Fraiche Food cook book:
- Asian Prawn and Avocado Salad
- Rare Roast Beef
- Spicy Thai Sweet Potato Soup with Coconut Milk
- Home-made Thai Fish Cakes
- Pam’s Malva Pudding
The Spicy Thai Sweet Potato Soup was the star of the evening. The soup was so rich that it almost felt like a guilty pleasure, but I was quickly reminded that the core ingredient is one of the most nutritious vegetables around: the sweet potato. I loved it so much that I tried out the recipe the following weekend at home. The ingredients can be found at any local supermarket, the directions are easy to follow and the soup is very quick to make. It was an ideal starter for the evening but since it is such a hearty dish, it can also be served as the main meal.
Fraiche Food starts with an introduction following Pam’s journey of self-belief, growth and the over-coming of challenges, which gives the book a nice personal touch that I really enjoyed. As you read it, you get to know Pam more and more, which make the recipes in the book just a tiny bit more special than they already are.
The book is made up of 60 delicious recipes, which are divided into four categories: breakfasts, soups, salads & sandwiches, lunch & dinner and desserts. The cooking instructions are short and to the point and each recipe is accompanied by a mouth-watering photo, which simply invites you to start cooking! At the back of the book there are extra recipes for Fraiche dressings and extras.
The only negative aspect is the lack of serving portions for many of the recipes, but you can simply look at the ingredients to figure this out by yourself.
Fraiche Food would be a worthy addition to any cookbook collection and can be bought at the restaurant for R195. With Mother’s Day fast approaching, this is an ideal present, with the advantage of having delicious meals to enjoy when you are over for lunch or dinner.
Competition
We are giving away 5 signed copies of the Fraiche Food Cook Book. Tweet your favourite Fraiche Food recipe to @FoodBlogCT, @Fraicheayres as well as this link to stand a chance to win. If you aren’t on Twitter or for additional entries, please email yours answer to marvin(at)food-blog.co.za or use the form below.
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The winner will be announced on Saturday, 1 June 2013 and chosen at random. All e-mail entries will be added to our newsletter.
Directions to Fraiche Ayres Restaurant
Starke Ayres Garden Centre
Liesbeek Parkway
Rosebank
Cape Town
Phone: (021) 686 6004
Email: info@fraicheayres.co.za
P.S.: The next recipe I will try is the Asian Prawn and Avocado Salad with a Mango and Sweet Chilli Dressing – it was amazing!
P.P.S: You can also follow the Fraiche Ayres Restaurant on Facebook.
P.P.P.S: If you live outside of Cape Town, you can also order the book online or at any of these bookstores: Kalk Bay bookshop, The Book lounge, Belvedere Bookshop and the Bay Bookshop