NANDA CARDOSO, HEAD CHEF,
CHEFS WAREHOUSE & CANTEEN
“We are getting the best fish and
giving back at the same time,” says
head chef, Nanda Cardoso, of Chefs
Warehouse & Canteen in Cape Town’s
Bree Street (Liam Tomlin’s flagship
restaurant). Nanda has been ordering
fish from Abalobi Marketplace almost
since its inception. “Sometimes we
have as many as three species on the
menu,” she says. The most popular
is yellowtail: a favourite is tandoori-
marinated and charred fillet, thinly
carved and served on home-made
paratha, with a tomato-and-red-onion
salsa and curry emulsion. Cape bream
and carpenter also appear often on
the menu.
“I like how Abalobi has pushed
me to play around with underutilised
species and different preparations,”
Nanda muses. “Because the fish is so
fresh, you can keep it simple and it’s
a shame not to use it raw for sashimi
or ceviche.” Like a house ceviche
prepared with Cape bream, apple and
dill with a jalapeño dressing. Lately,
Nanda has been working with harders,
often caught by the Langebaan
fishers. “We score them, give them a
cure and braai them with extra-virgin
olive oil, yakitori [Japanese barbecue]
style, and top the dish with a salsa
of roasted red peppers, fresh and
sun-dried tomatoes, and serve it with
crème fraîche and garlic bruschetta.”
Nanda loves filleting the fish, giving
scullers and students in the kitchen
the opportunity to learn another skill
(pre-Abalobi, most fish was delivered
already filleted). “I pay more attention
to seasonality now and am realising
my responsibility... that I can make
a difference.”
92 BREE STREET, CAPE TOWN
CITY CENTRE, 8000; 021-422-0128;
CHEFSWAREHOUSE.CO.ZA
PAN-FRIED CAPE
BREAM WITH
CRUSHED BABY
POTATOES, LEMON
SEGMENTS, CAPERS,
OLIVES, SEMI-
DRIED TOMATOES,
WARM OLIVE OIL
AND SHERRY
VINAIGRETTEBUSINESS WATCH