Five Flies Launches New Summer Menu

10 reasons to indulge in this historic eatery’s latest seasonal offering

Iconic city centre restaurant Five Flies may lay claim to a whole lot of history, but the handsome wood-panelled eatery, which is housed in a national monument on Keerom Street, is equally intent on moving forward with the times. Hence, to welcome in the whispers of warmer weather, the CBD fine dining establishment’s talented kitchen team – led by Executive Chef Dylan Jacobs – has refreshed the spot’s culinary offering and launched a sterling new menu for the 2013/2014 summer season.

“It’s home-grown food made fabulously for the common man,” says the head cook, who’s been 17 years in the trade, of the type of cuisine diners can expect from the fresh selection.

In other words, the many mouth-watering items that dot the new menu are sure to go down a treat. But just in case you’re unconvinced, here’s a sneak peek at 10 reasons why you simply have to swing by Five Flies and sample its latest seasonal offer.

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FIVE FLIES RESTAURANT’S 2013/2014 SUMMER MENU

1. It’s three times more extensive than the previous menu, which means that the current offering boasts an impressive variety of dishes sure to please people of all shapes and sizes and appeal to all tastes and preferences.

2. It promises great value for money. With substantial portions at reasonable prices, Five Flies’s latest culinary gem doesn’t only cater to the well-heeled, but to the average Joe on the street too. For instance, according to the chef, the iconic restaurant is now the only eatery in all of Cape Town to offer a 500-g T-bone steak with all the trimmings – starch, vegetables and a sauce – for under R200.

3. It holds tight to the premise ‘local is lekker’. The Five Flies kitchen team has gone to great lengths to source mainly Mzansi ingredients for many of the items on the menu. To give but a few examples, there’s the buffalo mozzarella from the Caprese Salad that’s lovingly crafted by a devoted Stellenbosch lady, the free-range Baby Chicken that’s reared on Cape Winelands soil, the fresh black mussels from the creamy Mussel Chowder that are picked from nearby shores and the 5 Flies Cheese Board that’s laden with local farm fromage. Needless to say, guests can rest assured that they’re tasting some of the finest and freshest produce our pretty region has to offer.

4. It claims plenty for vegetarians and the health-conscious. Chef Dylan, who knows a thing or two about dietetics, put a lot of careful consideration into the crafting of the new offering, which features an entire page devoted to non-meat eaters. Vegetarians can pick from an array of light salads and tuck into substantial options like Open Butternut Ravioli, Potato Gnocchi and Garden Pea and Gremolata Risotto.

5. The dishes look like summer on a plate. Indulging in the eatery’s latest offering is a great way to celebrate the start of the warmer spell, as many of the items burst with the colours and textures of the new season – think sun-yellow saffron sauce, flaming orange carrots, plump red tomatoes and minted jus as green as freshly cut grass.

6. It reflects Executive Chef Dylan Jacobs’s commitment to winning combinations. With the summer menu, Dylan was intent on going back to the basics and letting simple but divine flavour pairings do the talking. Diners can expect both classic and unconventional marriages, like French-trimmed Rack of Lamb with minted pea purée, Dukkah-rubbed Ostrich with grated dark chocolate and Panko-crumbed Soft-shell Crabs with sweet melon. Not to mention, the summery sorbets on the dessert menu also boast mouth-watering blends – think rose petals and Champagne or lime and chilli (a combination Dylan terms “fire and ice”).

7. It offers diners the chance to sample the most popular dish from Five Flies’s former chef’s table series. The latest menu features the uber fresh Summer Salad, which was the most talked about item from a special six-course food and wine pairing experience that the restaurant ran from July to August 2013. So, those who missed this exciting event still have the opportunity to taste the delicious dish that was born from it.

8. It features the passionate chef’s signature dish. Dylan’s self-professed speciality is an earthy Pepper-crusted Beef Fillet, which is one of the main items under the meat and poultry section. Hence, the summer menu affords visitors the opportunity to tuck into a dish that’s been perfected over 17 solid years by a man who pours his heart and soul into every plate. The aged steak is available in three portion sizes and is served atop a rosemary potato rosti and dished up with exotic mushrooms, chilli-crusted fleur de maquis cheese and red wine jus.

9. It includes a few rare delicacies, like Seared Scallops (served with watercress, pea purée, crispy pancetta, caper salsa and a lemon butter sauce) and Panko-crumbed Soft-shell Crabs, which can be enjoyed whole, shell and all.

10. It’s a perfect complement to the restaurant’s new wine list. Five Flies is set to soon (early November) revamp its already broad assortment of vino, and guests are guaranteed to find a bottle that beautifully matches each and every dish on the new menu. What’s more, knowledgeable waiters are on hand to recommend heavenly pairings to those who aren’t too sure what to couple their meal with.

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Read more about the iconic restaurant behind this sterling summer menu: Five Flies in Cape Town.

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