I
f thecorevalueofa
neighbourhoodlocalis
toreflectitslocation,then
OldPalmLiquoris local
toitscore.Onpaper,thenew
businessfromthefolksbehind
NeighbourhoodWinecouldhave
beenassembledbyaBrunswick
Eastfocusgroupkeenonmining
theinner-northneighbourhood’s
hipsterallure.There’stheemphasis
onminimal-interventionwineand
craftbeer,thefoodcookedover
fire,thevinyl-drivensoundtrack
anddécorthat’smadfora retro,
second-handflourish.
Butstepthroughthefront
doorandcynicismevaporates.
There’snoself-conscious
posturinghere.OldPalmis a
truelocalat heartandit knows
howtogetthejobdone.
Co-ownerandchefAlmay
Jordaanis SouthAfricanandwhile
hermenusat Neighbourhood
WineinnearbyFitzroyNorthlean
Europeanbistro,at OldPalm
Liquorshe’sbringingmoreofher
heritagetothetabletogreateffect.
Atthecentreoftheopen
kitchenis a braai-stylewood
barbecue,thesourceofmany
ofthemenu’sgreatesthits.
Asparagusspearsaregrilled
overwoodbeforebeingteamed
witha tarator-stylesaucemadewith
roasted almonds and topped withIt landswitha dark,sweet,smoky
crustandis toppedwithfresh
peasandmint.Seriously,orderit.
Thenthere’stheSpanish
mackerel,flavouredwitha
turmeric-heavyspiceblendcalled
CapeMalaythatoriginatesfrom
CapeTown.Thefishis grilled
andarrivesunadornedsavefora
limecheek,thewarm,lingering,
curry-likespicemixallowedto
domostofthetalking.
Theglowfromthekitchen
barbecueworkswellwiththe
general1970swood-panelled
rumpus-roomvibeat OldPalm.
There’sa lotoftimberinthefront
room – bare tables, blackwood bar,Fromtop:
co-owner
SimonDenman
(fromleft),
co-ownerand
chefAlmay
Jordaan,
andco-owner
MarcBanyitis;
barbecued
cornwith
sugarsnap peas.BrunswickEast’sOldPalm
Liquorisverymucha
productofitsplace,writes
MICHAEL HARDEN.
Hearth
and soul
gorgeouslytexturedsalsamade
withpickledgreenalmonds.
Thenthere’sthecornthat’s
barbecuedbeforebeingblitzed
asa foundationforcrunchy
piecesofsugarsnappeasthat
aresprinkledwithfinelygrated
mimoletteandsmokedchilli.
It’sa trulyinspiredcombination:
salty,sweet,crunchy,smoky,
creamyelementsworkingtogether.
Carnivoresmustnotmissthe
cider-brinedporkchop.Thechop
sitsina brinethatalsoincludes
ginger,lemonjuiceandbrown
sugarforabout 14 hoursbefore
beingtossedonthebraai and
basted with maple glaze as it grills.30 GOURMET TRAVELLER
PHOTOGRAPHYWILLEM-DIRKDUTOIT(OLDPALMLIQUOR)& SAMANTHA SCHULTZ (MOON DOG WORLD).