Flavours of the underground

Secret Eats is South Africa’s most exclusive underground dining experience – an elite society of fine diners, in search of haute cuisine and exquisite venues.

The diners’ club teams up with SA’s most prolific chefs to provide an evening of fine drinks and dining, all in an undisclosed location, revealed only hours before the event.

On the balmy evening of September 19^th, 2015, OPEN Food hosted A Secret Eats evening with Tippie Enslin at their exclusive venue, 03 Desmond, in Kramerville, Johannesburg. The spring evening offered a light breeze and stunning sunset, seen from the sprawling deck of the venue.

Built for design

03 Desmond is an urban function venue, built and designed with form and function in mind – with an unrivalled view of the Sandton skyline. The décor for Secret Eats, masterminded by OPEN Food’s event management team, was kept minimal and monochrome – crisp white tablecloths, red candles and silver candlesticks, with classically stylish silver cutlery.

Guests arrived at the venue and enjoyed bespoke cocktails on the deck of 03 Desmond, before heading inside for an indulgent evening of food and wine pairing.

Epicurean elite

The brains behind the modern menu was cook extraordinaire and gourmet guru, Tipppie Enslin, owner of quaint eatery The Shack. Enslin’s food philosophy is based on sourcing the best and freshest ingredients. With this in mind, he served up a five-course meal, expertly pairing each course with an Ernst & Gouws wine.

Inspiration bites

The entrée masterminded by Enslin was mushroom risotto balls in a rich tomato sauce, coriander aioli and baby greens. This Mediterranean-inspired dish was followed by the punchy flavours of salmon patties with pineapple salsa, rocket and black pepper vinaigrette. Guests enjoyed a palate cleanser of fresh lemon sorbet between courses.

A bold main course of flame-grilled flank steak with balsamic roasted cherry tomatoes, basil gremolata and cheesy polenta was paired with a rich, deep Ernst & Gouws Merlot.

The evening concluded with a decadent vanilla panna cotta, sweet and sour strawberries and ginger zabaglione – a sweet conclusion to a night of stylish fare.