Warm and delicious Entering the world of Milo - a beloved malted drink that’s an essential backdrop to so many childhoods around the world. For My Recipes, September 2018 Children in Malaysia and Singapore know that dinosaurs still roam the streets. So does Godzilla. From within kopitiams (coffee houses), mobile vendors and vans [...]
The Table Ishay Govender (@ishaygovender) Until The Day– Thanksgiving Series, for Popula, November 2018 We felt like conspiratorial knights by ordering a round dining room table, its handsome surface echoing the inlaid grain and gleam of a Louis XV replica, painstakingly crafted but modernized sans the Rococo flamboyance. A good table to lay [...]
Piedmont – A Food Lover’s Italian Odyssey From Turin to Bra, Alba and the neighbouring wine valleys, Ishay Govender enjoys a taste of Slow Food’s home and the birthplace of so many iconic foods from bread sticks to Nutella. For Food & Home, March 2019. City of Mystery, Divinity & Confection During my [...]
Delicious and refreshing Port and Tonic – on late blooming and even later discoveries. For true magic, exit left at the Douro Valley. For Popula, Oct 2018 I had my first port tonic about six years ago while travelling through the Douro Valley in the north of Portugal. Ice cubes clinked around in [...]
Delicious Durban Curry Durban, on South Africa’s east coast, is known for its laid-back vibe, warm waters and liberal use of spice. While gourmands will say this isn’t the capital of fine dining, you can expect to find great value and quality ingredients in abundance. It’s the perfect place to indulge in the [...]
Georgian Supra – An Endless Feast (@ishaygovender) A version of this article appeared on Food & Home, October 2018 Bakery Ballet Nana Chivadze, a baker with flushed cheeks and a toothless grin, tips over, head first into a hot toné – the Georgian circular terracotta oven similar to the Indian tandoor. Deftly, she slaps the [...]
For South African Airways, Sawubona Magazine, May 2018, by Alex Matthews What, in your view, defines a curry — and what are the hallmarks of a good one? One thing I learned from the various cooks around South Africa, is that the definition of a curry is very elastic - it differs widely between regions, communities, and even families. [...]
The indigenous South African Khoi and San drank it as tea, now the world slathers it on their faces. But who will credit the primary knowledge-holders? (@IshayGovender), For Extra Crispy My Recipes, July 2018 An ode to Rooibos. Image: Shutterstock An elderly Khoi woman follows a trail of ants, watching them roll miniscule rooibos [...]
Pursuit of Perfection with chef Gaggan Anand, written by Ishay Govender for Singapore Airlines Priority Magazine, 22 April 2018. In response to his intention to close Gaggan for good in 2020, Anand insists it’s best to “finish at your peak.” Passionate about the technique and produce of Japan, Anand, and his friend and frequent collaborator, [...]
A road trip through Portugal’s dazzling south, for Woolworth's TASTE Magazine, April 2018. From atop of the ragged schist cliffs of Praia do Castelejo near Vila do Bispo in the western Algarve, a paraglider launches, with long strides and a short run-up. He lifts off and floats over the golden sands below, a circle of surfers [...]
Featured in Taste Magazine Ben Shewry, head chef and owner of Melbourne’s Attica is known for his thoughtful dishes incorporating Australian Aboriginal ingredients and his generosity to staff and colleagues. We caught up with him during the World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards in the city, where Attica ranked at number 32. I decided [...]
Featured in Marie Claire Magazine Before you head to Jamaica’s Caribbean beaches, immerse yourself in Kingston – the home of Bob Marley’s reggae, rhythm and blues. Written by Ishay Govender for Marie Claire SA magazine, August 2017. Thirty-six. Both Robert Nesta Marley’s age at death and the number of years that have passed [...]
Gilbert's Lamb Curry Traveling across South Africa, Ishay Govender goes in search of a curry that defines the nation. Written for Fine Dining Lovers. Is there one definitive dish that South Africans love and prepare? It’s common knowledge that the country comprises a variety of cultural, ethnic and religious groups, with as [...]
Kylie Kwong, seasoned chef and TV celebrity is loved for her Australian-Chinese food and her Australia-on-a-plate approach. We caught up with her recently. Written by Ishay Govender for Fine Dining Lovers, 15 June 2017. image: Penny Lane Sydney-based chef and restaurateur, Kylie Kwong, opened her famed Billy Kwong restaurant in 2000. Since [...]
Taste Magazine Jamaican Jerk – succulent barbequed meat - rubbed in a savoury, spicy paste and turned over fragrant hardwood coals is central to the food culture in Jamaica. Ishay Govender takes a big bite….Written for taste magazine, October 2017. “I DON’T EAT IT, but I’ll jerk it for the people,” Nikuma Carl [...]
Based in U.S since 1988, Dominique Crenn, the only woman in the country with a two-star Michelin restaurant: Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, talks to Ishay Govender about her home town of Brittany, France, DNA testing and calls out the BS amongst chefs. Written for Woolworths Taste Magazine, September 2017 issue. I go for it [...]
Elegant and trendy – Helsinki wears both well, as this harbourside capital of Finland caters to a smorgasbord of interests. Helsinki Food Guide written for Fine Dining Lovers. The culturally-curious, design and architecture nerds, snow-bunnies who seek cross-country skiing and ice–swimming, and gourmands, are amply provided for. REINDEER, SALMON & BERRIES Liisa Eskelinen, who founded Day With [...]
This cultured dairy just might be Iceland’s most adored export.Written for Culture Cheese Magazine, for the Wheys Less Traveled column, July 2017. (This article is written in American English) skyr breakfast bowl With its coal-black volcanic rock beaches, bright blue glaciers, steaming hot springs, and thundering waterfalls, Iceland is stunning. Most of its 325,000 [...]
A selection of popular and lesser-known cultured dairy for Fine Dining Lovers, 21 March 2016. Icelandic Skyr There’s renewed enthusiasm about the cultured dairy products of our forefathers. Food historian Anne Mendelson (Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages) thinks the interest in ancient milkways may stem from the “growing “know [...]
Wattleseeds Aboriginal cooks and chefs weigh in on the native ingredients made popular by famous restaurants in Australia. Written for Fine Dining Lovers, 1 June 2017. Rayleen Brown A Café Up North At Kungas Can Cook, a café in Alice Springs serving food like burgers, salads, ice teas, pies and brownies, [...]
