If novel ideas, food freshness and expertise are seriously part of your DNA and an unexpected, sometimes controversial and defiantly different approach to food is close to your heart, then the epicurean evening recently held at roots restaurant, will delight you.

The result is a concept in food that sets a new benchmark in South Africa cuisine. The roots Epicurean evening was headed up by the roots team which includes Richard Carstens who created most of the dishes from his inspiration of Ferran Adria. For those who don’t know Ferran Adria is the chef and owner of el Bulli in Spain, the food alchemist, as he is better known. A booking at el Bullie could set one back on a waiting list of up to two years! But you needn’t have to travel that far to experience a similar concept – roots restaurants’ Epicurean evening promises to deconstruct and delight your palate.

Adria’s one philosophy on cooking is that it is a language through which all the following properties may be expressed: harmony, creativity, happiness, beauty, poetry, complexity, humour and culture.

Taste is not the only sense that can be stimulated: touch can also be played with (contrasts of temperatures and textures), as well as smell, sight (colours, shapes etc), whereby the five senses become one of the main points of reference in the creative cooking process.

Some of the dishes experienced at our Epicurean evening were created to tempt the brain into seeing an illusion, for example our Carpaccio dish, served with, pine nut pudding, hazelnuts, balsamic, parmesan, olive Oil custard and powdered with smoked paprika, micro and sprouts was a food illusion. Our brain tells us it is Carpaccio (thinly sliced raw beef) and our taste buds expected Carpaccio, but to our delightful surprise, the Carpaccio was finely slivered watermelon slices - nothing at all as we expected.

Another fantastic creation was the liquid filled Gnocchi. Still the traditional Gnocchi but presented in a liquid form with a slightly textured casing.

The warm garden pea soup was served with a wholegrain mustard ice-cream – a complimentary marriage of note!

Richard sourced his inspiration for his sublime dessert - a banana ice-cream, almond streusel, wasabi and garden pea emulsion served with white chocolate and yoghurt - from Albert Adria, who was voted the best pastry chef in the world for numerous years before retiring.

The evening was relaxed, fun and tested our adventurous side of life. Be sure to book for the next Epicurean dinner and allow us to create our food illusions which will enchant as well as entertain your mind.

Friday: 30 April, 14 & 28 May 2010
Time: 19:00
Dinner R475pp
(6 course feast with 6 exclusive wine teasers)

For bookings please call roots restaurant on tel: (011) 668-7000 or visit www.forumhomini.co.za.

Forum Homini has put together a delectable and decadent 6 course feast of desserts only.
Ladies and gents come and savour an evening as we celebrate flavours such as sweet, savoury, hot, and cold all combined into our dessert dishes. All perfectly matched with dessert wines.

Date: Thursday 3 June
Time: 19:00
Cost: R395pp
(six course desserts and six wines)

Dear Forum Homini Patron and soccer fans,

We are thrilled to showcase some of our fabulous talent in roots which is depicted in our new Epicurean evening, if you do have the time, please join us, you will not be disappointed.

Also, our  new Final Touch evening which is an evening of desserts is another spectacular event not to be missed.  Don’t be put off by thinking it’s purely sweet desserts –  the very innovative roots team has designed a evening of sweet, savoury, piquancy flavours to cater for everyone’s taste!

Hominid regards,
Juanita Marais

tel: +27 (11) 668 7000
email: reservations@forumhomini.co.za
web: www.forumhomini.co.za