On Wednesday 3 April, Nuovo Restaurant showcased their new menu at a media event held at Hotel Verde Cape Town Airport, Africa’s Greenest Hotel.
Seven courses of beautiful food were created and served by Chef Adrian Schreuder and his green team. Care and attention were
The media guests got to savour a seven-course tasting menu during the restaurant’s weekly Earth Hour. The courses served included an amuse-bouche of white bean and truffle velouté followed by gin and tonic cured trout; a fresh and colourful superfood salad; succulent lamb with aubergine, beetroot and peas; tender chicken with samp and sour cream, game with a juniper and cacao nib crust; and finally rounded off with two sublime desserts of pear and ginger as well as a delightful milk and cinnamon sago pudding. The menu also offers plenty of delectable vegetarian options.
Local is “Lekker”
“Our aim is to source ingredients within a 160km radius of the hotel, as this is most sustainable,” says Chef Adrian. “We are able to reduce our carbon footprint by cooking with what is on our doorstep and available at the time – in doing so, we are also able to support local and small businesses. Care is also taken to procure fish only from the SASSI green list.”
Behind the “green” scene
There is a considered focus on consumption of resources, continues Chef Adrian: “For example, we use less water by using low-flow fittings, and blast chillers over ice baths to cool food.”
The media were also informed that the kitchen keeps the use of extraction fans to a minimum to lessen its electricity usage, employs induction cooking methods and their sustainable conscience staff switch off gas burners when not in use. The food and beverage department also filter, bottle and carbonates water on site, using reusable glass bottles. Green cleaning is essential and the kitchen uses only non-toxic, eco-friendly products to sanitise and keep the kitchen clean.
Waste not want not
Food waste represents a significant cost to the restaurant sector and thought needs to be given on how to use produce effectively, and getting creative with what you might normally throw away. “We pretty much recycle everything,” says Chef Adrian.
The hotel has systems in place to minimise the consumption of natural resources, avoid and lower the generation of waste, reduce, re-use, recycle and recover waste where possible, and, as a last resort, treat and safely dispose of waste. To date, the hotel has achieved 97,06% of its waste-to-landfill target for 2018.
Hotel Verde Cape Town’s Nuovo Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner at the following times:
- Breakfast : 04h30 – 10h00
- Lunch : 12h00 – 15h00
- Dinner : 18h30 – 10h30
To book a table call 021 380 5500 or visit verdehotels.com
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