A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of eating at Peter Tempelhoff’s new inner city fine dining establishment, FYN.
The restaurant, which is located on the 5th floor of Speaker’s Corner, occupies a double-volume space with an absolutely gorgeous ceiling feature created with wooden pebbles as well as an open plan kitchen so you can keep an eye on all of the behind-the-scenes action.
As you can see it’s a really luxurious setting, but it still managed to feel very warm & welcoming.
We were there for dinner, so opted for the regular FYN dinner menu which consists of 5 Japanese-styled courses (but still with strong African roots) plus a bread course and a palate cleanser for R975 per person. You can also add a wine flight for R595 which we also decided to opt for.
Now normally wine pairings end up feeling quite unnecessary, but I have to say, in this instance it really did add to the experience. A lot of careful consideration has gone into ensuring that each course is served with the perfect wine, a couple of which are unusual choices that you wouldn’t see on just any menu.
Now before deciding to try out FYN, I had heard a couple of complaints about the portions being small. But I think you have to keep in mind that this is a fine dining restaurant & you’ll be sampling more courses than you’d normally be having at a restaurant. Was I still hungry at the end of it all? No. Is there a chance you’ll still be hungry if you’re a big eater? Maybe. If your body is yearning for a hearty plate of comfort food, then this experience won’t satisfy you. But, if like me, you’re keen to try something a little different and go on a bit of a foodie journey, then this definitely will. So just keep that in mind.
Here’s a look at what those courses looked like:
Daikon “maki” – spinach, chili, sancho, Bo Kaap spiced guineafowl yakitori &
Prawn crudo, dashi mayo on a kelp spoon.
Fyn ferments, Ishikawa rice, Purdon Farm wagyu, potato cream, tomatillo, kombu biltong
Tuna, ume, duck liver, craft miso & Scallop with candied ginger, corn, basil.
Madagascan chocolate, salted Japanese plum, fennel ice cream
Raspberries, yuzu, coconut.
Apart from the Daikon “maki” in course one & the Fyn ferments in course two, I really loved every other bite with standouts being the guineafowl yakitori, the bone marrow dip with the bread, the scallops, the ramen, and the springbok.
I loved the Japanese style of the dishes, but also that they’ve taken that as an inspiration but still used some fantastic proudly South African ingredients.
On the service side it was attentive, friendly & very professional. You were never waiting for anything really as the dishes are timed perfectly. The atmosphere was also really lovely.
The only sticking point is going to be the price, especially if you add in the wine pairing. It’s definitely not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.
That said, I really had an amazing time & that is why I am going to give FYN the following top score on my Miss K Kiss-o-Meter scale:
You’ll find FYN here: 5th Floor, Speakers Corner, 37 Parliament St, Cape Town City Centre.
And for reservations, you can contact them on 021 286 2733 or make use of their online booking system over here. (NB note – They require a R400 pp deposit for dinner & R200 pp deposit for lunch)
FYN is open:
- Monday (for dinner only)
- Tuesday to Friday (for lunch & dinner)
- Saturday (for dinner only)
For a completely different dining experience, I recommend that you put some money aside to go and #TreatYoSelf. 😉
xxx
** This meal was not sponsored by the restaurant **