Taste for Reinvention

With the recent launch of The Course at SLOW in the City, Johannesburg’s newest dining destination, comes a signature menu that embodies the restaurant’s belief that “taste changes everything.” Shaped by the joint vision of resident Executive Chef, Eli Williams, and head recipe developer, Ero Asteriou, the offering has been designed to not only reflect the unique character of the restaurant’s city setting, but to respond to its evolving nuances.

With dishes such as char-grilled rib eye – presented on the bone and accompanied by pearl onion tarte tatin and masala mushroom sauce – or the improvised repertoire of tapas plates, Williams and Asteriou’s menu seeks to celebrate a sense of both time and place by paying homage to the city and its seasons. This approach is demonstrated through a biannual adaptation of the menu, an inventive textural palette, surprising taste combinations and considered cocktail pairings. By blending the best of international cuisine trends with locally sourced ingredients and home-grown influences, Williams and Asteriou have created a fitting epicurean ode to a city of contrasts.

Williams’ ability to capture the city’s elusive character can perhaps be traced to her relatively recent migration to Johannesburg just over a decade ago, having begun her career cooking for Western Cape gourmands at some of the region’s finest five-star establishments, including The Table Bay Hotel, The Twelve Apostles Hotel and The Cellars-hohenort. Williams’ subsequent relocation has seen her serve as both Executive Sous Chef and Head of Pastry at Morrells Boutique Estate, as well as Executive Sous Chef at the Discovery Vitality Healthy Food Studio. With her appointment in 2017 as Executive Chef at SLOW in the City, Williams now brings her acclaimed blend of precision and passion to the precinct’s best-known business and event space – and most recently, to the The Course at SLOW in the City, situated adjacent to it.

Native to Johannesburg, Asteriou’s local intuition and insight serves as the perfect complement to Williams’ more wide-ranging frame of reference. Having graduated with a Grande Diploma in culinary arts from the Prue Leith Chef’s Academy, Asteriou was soon appointed as Research and Development Chef at Food Directions, the airline catering division of Comair, where she was responsible for formulating onboard menus for domestic British Airways flights and recently, the food offering served across SLOW’S national suite of lounges. Undertaking research and recipe development for The Course at SLOW in the City represents a natural continuation of her interest in both the practical and creative underpinnings of her art.

In combining their experience and expertise, chefs Williams and Asteriou are set to change Johannesburg’s tastes for good. “People want food that is simple, but they also want a story, an adventure” says Williams of what the pair have created. “We can’t wait for them to sit down and sample it,” Asteriou concludes.

The Course at SLOW in the City is open to the public and SLOW in the City members from 07h00 to 21h00 on weekdays, from 08h30 to 21h00 on Saturdays and is available for private events on Sundays. For reservations, contact +27 87 057 7482 or visit www.slow.co.za. The Course at SLOW in the City is located on the corner of Rivonia Road and West Street in Sandton, Johannesburg.