It’s been a year since Foxcroft restaurant in Constantia opened its doors, headed up by La Colombe’s ex-pastry chef Glen Williams. In that time they’ve adjusted their offering and developed a new menu style, moving away from the sharing style plates they first focused on.
“The shared, tapas style menu and dishes was well received, however we noticed that most of our customers preferred not to share the tapas. Accordingly, FOXCROFT has evolved to be more of a Neo-Bistro than a tapas restaurant, where we have the freedom in the kitchen to serve accessible and creative dishes, using the best produce available,” says Williams.
Each dish focuses on one hero ingredient, with 3 to 4 accompanying ingredients, highlighting seasonal flavours and minimal amount of manipulation. “Our chicken Liver Parfait for example, includes rhubarb, treated as a pickle and a gastrique and mushrooms prepared 4 different ways. The simple pleasure of a liver parfait is not ignored, with a slice of toasted brioche served alongside to indulge properly,” comments Glen.
In the kitchen, staff are rotated between the various sections on a 3-month basis so that they can broaden their skills, gain new expertise and gain more of an appreciation for the produce which is delivered daily. Each ingredient is utilised fully, often through forgotten skills like fermentation, whole animal butchery and creating charcuterie. The floor staff form a critical part of the team, and are given frequent menu tests and tastings so that they’re familiar with the preparation and basic cooking process. The front of house team also go on regular day trips to wine estates and distilleries in the Cape in order to broaden their knowledge on the beverage side.
“Our overall experience is positioned to be relaxed, enjoyable and exciting and my wish is to have each guest leave satisfied, but wishing they had just had one more bite!” comments Williams.