It’s passion on a plate at this award-winning Cape Town restaurant

Japan and Africa unite at FYN, a restaurant that is at once cutting-edge in cuisine and yet captures age-old culinary traditions, ingredients and cooking techniques in its exquisite multi-course menus

Japanese-South African fare might not sound like the obvious choice for a culinary concept. But boy does it work at FYN, a Cape Town-based restaurant that describes itself as ‘a journey to somewhere’. That’s quite the understatement – it takes you on a whirlwind adventure of the flavour kind. And leaves you wanting to explore some more. Small wonder FYN stars on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list as an outstanding purveyor of sustainability, and also holds the distinction of being a Relais & Châteaux member.

The eatery is the brainchild of chef Peter Templehoff, a bit of a legend in South Africa’s dining scene. FYN is his first independent project, with Peter having studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York, worked his way through a series of Michelin-starred establishments in London – where he was mentored by the likes of Marco Pierre White, Aaron Pattern and Giogio Locatelli – and then return to South Africa to head up Grande Provence Heritage Wine Estate in Franschhoek. Along the way Peter’s passion for provenance grew, and at FYN he’s on a mission to spotlight sustainably sourced, ancient endemic ingredients. With a Japanese twist.

Japan ease

Following a trip to the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ in 2008, Peter became mildly obsessed with how the Japanese use raw ingredients, apply heat in specific ways or use salt and acid to coax intense flavours from their produce. These techniques star on the FYN menu today in dishes like sweet tamagoyaki (rolled omelette) with Kasnodar caviar, perhaps. Or raw nylon shrimp in Cape curry with cucumber crystal shoyu. There’s as much precision on the plate as there is drama: take the abalone dish, which Peter slices and cooks inside a kelp stem with garlic and wine, then the algae is cut open at the table in front of the diner in theatrical fashion, revealing the tender piece of seafood inside. Everything is served in the tradition of kaiseki, with each course more visually appealing than the last. 

“I have a lot of room for Japan in my heart,” says Peter. “Not just the food but the culture, the people, everything. I am also very pleased with the way diners have taken to the food, as South African-Japanese has not really been done before and it was a big risk that has paid off so far.” 

A fine romance

Glance at Peter’s menu and you’ll also notice his love affair with South Africa’s coastal plants like rooibos, buchu and fynbos – in fact, Peter named his restaurant after the latter Afrikaans word, which also means ‘fine’ in English. “The origin of ingredients has always fascinated me,” says the chef. “I only really get inspired if I know where the food that I’m preparing comes from. As I’ve been gathering plants and living creatures from the shore and sea, I have been fascinated to find out what our ancestors used to eat.”

Aside from its cuisine, FYN stands out for its jaw-dropping design, conceptualised by award-winning Cape Town interior architect Tristan du Plessis. A highlight is the eye-catching ceiling feature, reminiscent of both African beads and a Japanese abacus. An equally dramatic mural covers one wall, depicting a hybrid African princess warrior and Japanese maiden surrounded by fynbos, clutching a Blue Crane with the Japanese crane on her head. Peter called in tattoo artist Warren Petersen (known as Baked Ink) to complete this project. Then, continuing his sustainable ethos, looked to other local artists to produce things such as the crockery, furniture and other works of art. If you can tear your eyes away from it all, you’ll notice that the restaurant also offers staggering views of Lion’s Head and Table Mountain from its rooftop position.  

This dedication to design has not gone unnoticed: In July 2019 the restaurant was shortlisted for the prestigious Restaurant Bar & Design Awards in London, a globally recognised competition dedicated to the design of food and beverage spaces.

“At the end of the day, my passion comes from my love of flavours and that every plate is making someone happy,” says the chef. Smiles all around, Peter.

fynrestaurant.com