Out of the kitchen to the parking lot

In their ongoing chef’s challenge, hotel group Tsogo Sun is hoiking their chefs out of their restaurants and forcing them to go where no self-respecting food maker has gone before.

Such as a parking lot.

And so it was last Friday when Chef Kenny Ngubane of Aarya Restaurant had to serve a meal to a posse of foodie types in a little grassy area between the Montecasino parking lot and the porte-cochère of the SunSquare hotel.

Okay, he didn’t have to make magic on the tarmac – he had a smartly decorated tent in which to serve tasting portions of selected dishes from Aarya’s menu.

(You’ll know Aarya as the restaurant Deena Naidoo, the first MasterChef SA winner, opened after he won his prize.)

The menu started with canapés of smoked salmon, crème cheese with blinis and caviar; grilled Mediterranean vegetables, basil pesto and Parmesan shavings; and Parma ham with marinated vodka melon balls.

And those came before the starters.

The main course curry trio – butter chicken, bean and prawn – is what is expected of Aarya.

Ngubane at least got to prepare all this in his kitchen.

“To be in an environment that I am not accustomed to is very liberating and a breath of fresh air,” he said.

Well if it was that much fun, bhut’Kenny, please do it again.