Sophisticated food

SÉJOUR: CHEF FREDDIE DIAS WEAVES SOME REAL CULINARY MAGIC The stunning Houghton-based eatery is certainly well worth a visit.

Johannesburg cuisine, if there is such a thing, is still at a stage of defining itself. Young chefs like Freddie Dias are helping build this culture and cuisine.

Located in Houghton Estate, at the Houghton Hotel, is intimate high-end restaurant Séjour.

Dias, who is at the helm, has vast experience in kitchens around the world, including award-winning Cape Town eatery The Pot Luck Club at The Old Biscuit Mill.

Gaining this knowledge from his globe trotting and love for food, he has created a food fusion menu for Séjour.

Séjour is French for sojourn – defined as a temporary stay or visit. The ambience is intimate, with the interior having a modern, contemporary feel complemented by the natural tones.

The smooth, jazzy complematry music in the background creates an even more special dinning experience.

The menu began with West Coast oysters and rice dressing, which added great texture (be careful of the salt at the bottom, we mistakenly thought it was a foam).

Dias joked that some patrons have done that too, but said it is there to make the dish a little prettier.

Next on the menu was crispy calamari, with an asparagus chawanmushri.

Dias said the asparagus dish was inspired by his travels in Asia. Chawanmushi is a Japanese custard that looks like a yoghurt in that it is velvety smooth, but bursts with flavour. I could wake up to that every day ... it was divine.

The accompanying veggies were cooked well, and the black truffle crumb brought texture to this fabulous dish.

We got stuck into calamari next, also Asian-inspired with flavour from the lemongrass, coconut and tomato and traditional curry ingredients such as ginger and turmeric.

It was delicious, perfectly soaked up with the crispy flate. the With patrons having been taking to Asia and Mexico with the lamb tacos, next up was Europe. The chicken and egg, the poached egg and smoked grape and walnut was a great dish.

Dessert was well worth it. The strawberry and olive is a must-try. The strawberry granita is refreshing and Dias said the dish was inspired by the time he was in France.

Consisting of a candied olive, which is sweet, a biscuit crumb, goat’s cheese cremeux and strawberry granite cutting the sweetness, it is a perfectly balanced dessert to round

things off.