THE RESTAURANT
While eating a tasteful tilapia, Joanne Gibson discovers there’s more to Moyo than face paint and tourist talk
I hadn’t been to a Moyo restaurant for years, imagining each new opening to be more touristy than the last, instead of truly “embodying the modern, vibrant soul of Africa through evocative cuisine and inspired entertainment” as the website claims.
So it was with mixed feelings that I accepted an invitation “to adventure with us, and be utterly enchanted” at potentially the most touristy of all: the new Moyo V&A Waterfront with its “souk” or market, located next to the Clock Tower to attract day-trippers spilling off the ferry from Robben Island.
Happily it was an adventure, learning how to make the house flatbread and
samaki kavu, the Tanzanian fish curry that is one of Moyo’s signature dishes, and I did leave pretty enchanted — completely forgetting that my face had been painted when I popped into the shops en route home . . .
Who knew that “showcasing the best of Africa” wasn’t Afro-Disney tourist-
OTHER RESTAURANTS CLAIM TO SERVE FRESH LETTUCE. OURS IS SO FRESH IT’S STILL ALIVE
speak, but actually boiled down to sustainability and quality? Or, as Moyo brand extension manager and organic activist Jason Snell puts it: “Choosing partners who build Africa, benefit the environment and put the best possible ingredients on your plate.”
Moyo’s focus is very much on “the future of food” and “feeding Africa”, from organic fruit and vegetables (as far as possible) to fresh hake and Eastern Cape calamari (no tenderising, bleaching or preservatives); from freerange meat, chicken and eggs to stoneground organic Karoo pap.
“The best of Africa has to be green if we are to move forward together,” says Snell, whose interest in finding green solutions includes installing a 22kW photovoltaic system at the V&A Moyo which enables him to grow lettuce and herbs aquaponically. “Other restaurants may claim to serve fresh lettuce. Our lettuce is so fresh it’s still alive!”
Aquaponics combines hydroponics (growing plants in water to which liquid fertiliser is added) with aquaculture (raising fish and other aquatic animals in tanks). As Snell explains: “The fish are kept in large tanks and their waste is transported to a biofilter filled with bacteria. Here the good bugs break down the ammonia and convert the nitrites into nitrates — plant food. The plants take this up from the water, in turn cleaning the water for the fish.”
Although almost any fish can be kept in this system, Moyo raises warm-water tilapia in summer and trout in winter.
“So we get the bonus of delicious fish to eat as well,” says Snell, who used a net to catch the tilapia that was on my plate half an hour later. It is a lean and very mild-tasting fish which was delicious seasoned with Moyo’s African steamtreated spices and Kalahari desert salt.
Developed in conjunction with the University of Stellenbosch, there’s also an aquaponic system in place at Moyo Kirstenbosch and one coming onstream shortly at Moyo Blouberg, using small plants grown out from seedlings at an aquaponic farming tunnel in Wellington. “Apart from one day during peak season, we haven’t needed to buy in any extra lettuce at all,” says Snell.
He has also developed a single-unit aquaponic system for customers to take home with them. “We will roll this out nationally, bringing living, home-grown produce to all our stores.”
There are now nine Moyo restaurants around South Africa, each with a retail component and all (it seems) doing more than delivering on founder Jason Lurie’s dream to serve “exceptional African cuisine amidst soulful vibes”.