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 [...]
Gregory Mutambe Cape Town sommelier Gregory Mutambe speaks about progress and inclusion for South Africa’s black wine professionals. (@IshayGovender), for Wine Enthusiast, September 2018 Gregory Mutambe, head sommelier at Cape Town’s luxurious 12 Apostles Hotel & Spa left his homeland Zimbabwe in 2006, during one of its most tumultuous periods. Moved by a growing [...]
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 [...]
Beautiful city views. Image: Tbilisi The juxtaposition of old and new makes Georgia’s capital city, Tbilisi , a popular long weekend-break crammed with cultural and culinary attractions. Travellers from the UAE can take advantage of the frequent flights and short flight times (just three-and-a-half hours) to enjoy the city sprawled beneath a 17th Century fortress, [...]
Image by Claire Gunn Sommeliers Pearl Oliver, Joseph Dhafana and Tinashe Nyamudoka are working closely with BLACC – the Black Cellar Club, a South African association of wine professionals, to boost the profile of Blacks in an industry once fraught with inequality and are changing the game in South Africa (@IshayGovender), For [...]
Creamy Mealie Meal Pap Mealie meal pap or porridge is a breakfast dish of milled white maize enjoyed across demographics in South Africa. By Ishay Govender (@IshayGovender). For Woolworths TASTE, September 2018, story: Things we Found in the Fire Mealie meal pap eaten simply with sugar and milk or with golden syrup and [...]
Wolfgat, a 20-seat restaurant outside Cape Town, is leading the way in a time of drought (@IshayGovender), For Saveur Magazine, Oceans Issue, 2018 In a dry place. The salty tang of fresh kelp lifts on a crisp breeze, across the cream-colored sands of Die Krans in Paternoster, once the lookout for fishermen monitoring [...]
Lamb chops in chutney, curried tinned pilchards, leftover chicken curry shredded and served on toast. We look at the South African Indian breakfasts that shaped Ishay Govender’s childhood as she makes a case for curry for breakfast. (@IshayGovender), For Extra Crispy My Recipes, August 2018 As they say, curry is always better the next day. [...]
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 [...]
More tourists are flocking to Lisbon each year As Portugal’s economy strengthens, more visitors are supporting restaurants old and new. (@IshayGovender), For Business Day, May 2018 Strewn across the Seven Hills, Lisbon’s azulejo (ceramic tile)-covered buildings stack together forming countless arches through which the famous yellow eléctricos, or trams pass, rickety over the cobblestones [...]
One writer traces the evolution of Durban Indian cuisine, and the role her indentured ancestors played in shaping the city’s culinary and cultural landscape (@IshayGovender), for MIC, October 2018 Fish curry, tripe curry, mutton curry, you name it, Durban's got it and it's all mouth-watering. On South Africa’s palm tree-lined east coast, within [...]
Matsoni, the miracle soup. This Georgian soup is said to boost longevity and battle hangovers (@IshayGovender) for, Culture Cheese Mag, April 2018 Want to live to be over 100? In the Caucasus Mountains of Georgia, a region with no shortage of centenarians, one rumored key to longevity is a thin, mildly tart fermented [...]
Live band at La Negrita The cultural capital of the Yucatán peninsular, Mérida is a compact city rich in colonial history with cosmopolitan flair and has the region’s broadest span of dining options, from market stalls and mobile kiosks to glamourous dining in lavish haciendas. Mérida Food Guide, written for Fine Dining Lovers. [...]
South Africa’s food capital offers wheels, wedges, and wine aplenty. Written by Ishay Govender for Culture Cheese Magazine , July 2017. A Cheese Excursion Through Cape Town. [Note this article is written in American English] Feature in Culture Cheese Magazine For visitors and armchair travellers alike, Cape Town conjures visions of majestic Table [...]
