Inspiration from Barcelona, London and Thailand in the serene setting of Bistro Sixteen82 on the Steenberg Estate.
The evening tapas menu at Bistro Sixteen82 is a journey of flavours. The eclectic collection of dishes represents the culinary influences of chef Kerry Kilpin’s travels, with tastes reminiscent of a favourite destination, Thailand, in the tom yum and pot stickers. But her new summer menu owes its inspiration to a recent trip to Barcelona and London.
Bistro Sixteen82 - an innovative food and wine destination.
“I loved exploring the home of tapas, seeing where it comes from, getting a feel and understanding of why and how they eat tapas,” says Kerry. “People live in small apartments and eat out several times a week, even with their kids on school nights. It’s all about families and sharing. Tapas there is very simple, generally three ingredients – a protein, olive oil and garlic, and if it’s not garlic, its parsley. The seafood was incredible and for them it’s all about being true to the ingredients.”
Chef Kerry Kilpin.
Kerry brought the flavours back home with her and reinterpreted them in her own inimitable style. She loves using sauces, which makes her dishes more complex than the simplicity she found in Barcelona, but you can taste the Mediterranean influence in the garlic-redolent aioli with the calamari, the tapenade sauce with the pulled beef, and more subtly in the white anchovy with peppers, artichoke and quail egg.
Another new flavour that she couldn’t resist is truffled honey, which she first tasted in a Barcelona tapas bar served with smoked salmon and yoghurt, and again in London at Borough Market. Kerry’s home-made version appears drizzled around a luscious and velvety salmon terrine. “It reminds me so much of Spain, the smell of Serrano hams in the market – those scents and smoky flavours!” A London influence is her delectable new take on pork belly with an apple cider jus. This is available as a main dish at lunchtime, and when it’s scaled down for evening tapas it is indulgently satisfying. No one ever needs to go away hungry after tapas at Bistro Sixteen82!
Bistro Sixteen82's classic pork belly dish.
But do leave room for dessert. They are an extravaganza of flavour and texture. We had a beautifully embellished yoghurt panna cotta with rose vanilla ice cream and a sinfully dark chocolate marquise with raspberry ice cream, which enticed us into finishing every last crumb, however full we thought we were!
Experience for yourself:
Bistro Sixteen82 | 021 713 2211 | steenbergfarm.com/bistro1682
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
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