Slick way to eat ‘out’

DARK KITCHEN: GET THE BEST RESTAURANT CUISINE IN YOUR OWN HOME

Enjoy a meal from Balducci, Gibson’s Gourmet Burgers and Ribs, Wings and Things, Pizzaway or Whattaburger.

Anew concept of restaurant called the dark kitchen has been introduced, also known as “virtual kitchens”, “ghost kitchens” or “cloud kitchens”.

Dark kitchens are essentially restaurants without a front of house, independent operations creating food for a variety of brands and cuisines, with all food prepared in one central kitchen, with obvious cost benefits.

Food is ordered online for delivery to the customer.

No alcohol can be offered as part of a food delivery package, as most dark kitchens have no liquor licence.

The Slick Restaurant Group has opened Cape Town’s newest dark kitchen, essentially a food delivery service, from their city-based central kitchen for their popular Waterfront restaurants.

Currently the Slick Restaurant Group’s deliveries are being done by Uber Eats and Mr D, but they will be signing up with other delivery companies.

Deliveries are currently available in the City Bowl, city centre, Walmer Estate, Zonnebloem and Atlantic suburbs.

Online ordering will soon be available on the Group website.

Restaurant staff will also be doing deliveries direct, which will open up new delivery areas, and food collection will follow.

The focus is on quality, variety and competitive pricing, using aesthetically pleasing sustainable packaging with food safety and hygiene a top priority.

Slick Restaurant Group managing director Ian Halfon decided to follow this trend long before the emergence of the coronavirus.

Unfortunately, construction on his company’s dark kitchen in the former Relish restaurant building in New Church Street stopped when lockdown began.

They’ve have introduced gold-standard food safety and hygiene measures for food preparation and delivery.

The kitchen is fogged regularly with Covid-19-compliant sanitiser, only strictly monitored staff are allowed access to the kitchen, stringent hand sanitation protocol are deemed imperative, all ingredients entering the kitchen are sanitised, and hygiene and routine sterilising of surfaces is mandatory.

Carrier bags and pizza boxes will be sanitised and sealed and staff and drivers must wear masks.

The Slick Restaurant Group’s current delivery brands are:

Balducci: The flagship, with an impressive track record of excellence for more than two decades, offers pizzas (banting, gluten-free and vegan options also on offer), pasta and gnocchi dishes, winglets, Asian noodles, poke bowls and sushi, a selection of vegan dishes, salads, gourmet shakes and desserts. New dishes are being added to the menu.

Gibson’s Gourmet Burgers and Ribs:

This recipient of several awards offers a selection of 11 award-winning burgers, including beef, chicken, vegetarian and vegan, their famous fries, as well as beef and pork ribs and a selection of decadent hand-spun gourmet shakes and desserts.

Wings and Things: Offers southern fried and BBQ flamegrilled chicken wings, winglets and drumsticks, as well as riblets, burgers, nachos, fries, gourmet shakes and desserts

Pizzaway: Has a selection of 10 competitively priced wood-fired Neapolitan-style artisan pizzas using biga (a type of pre-fermentation used in Italian baking). This process produces the ultimate crispy pizza crust. Also offers gourmet shakes and desserts.

Wha aburger: Has a selection of 11 value-for-money 130g burgers (including beef, chicken, vegetarian and vegan), from the creators of the famous Gibson’s Burger. Fries can be ordered as a side, sprinkled with Gibson’s popular seasoning.

Other brands to be introduced in stages are:

Ranoushe Lebanese Mezze;

Balducci Chilled and Frozen Foods;

Red Radish Vegan.