Engaging about fusion food
ROSEBANK - FUSION cuisine combines characteristics from different culinary traditions.
At a recent Zomato Foodie meet-up on 29 April at Hashi in Rosebank, food bloggers and restaurant reviewers were treated to a unique combination of Japanese and South American flavors.
Attendees were offered some of the establishment’s flagship items on the menu, from the salmon wrapped avo and cream cheese tempura to a combination of fish, strawberries and cream cheese in sushi with dollops of sauce, and desserts that included deep fried banana tempura and chocolate spring rolls.
To South African palates, these taste combinations in fusion sushi are relatively new and potentially perplexing, despite the prevalence of commercialised Japanese cuisine.
Restaurant owner Denise Cardenas, originally from Venezuela said, “This kind of fusion food is what you [usually] find in Latin America.”
Cardenas wanted to bring this type of Japanese fusion cuisine to South Africa and enlisted a chef from Venezuela to train her staff in Rosebank.
“It is something that is totally different, [in Latin America] we like to put different things inside the sushi roll. [Usually] there is fresh fruit and sauce, this combination is special,” she said.
Foodies at the meet-up spoke favourably about the concept of fusion cuisine, food blogger Kate Els said that she would like to see more fusion with African and Asian cuisines. “I feel like African [cuisine] hasn’t reached its peak yet,” said Els.
Details: www.hashi.co.za
