Terri Dunbar-Curran
ANYONE who’s tried to adopt the low carb/ high fat (LCHF) or Banting way of eating at home will know it’s not just as simple as ditching the potatoes and pasta. You’ve got to get creative with your meals. No more using rice to bulk up a dish, or drowning noodles in sugary sauce. It’s all about cutting the carbs as much as possible, avoiding sugars and introducing a little more fat.
With a dollop of extra effort your home-cooked meals will soon suit your new eating regime – but dining out is still a challenge. While some restaurants are starting to offer Banting-friendly options, and even chains like Kauai and St Elmo’s are jumping on board with carb-free wraps, cauli-rice and cauliflower-base pizzas, there’s still not an abundance of eateries out there where you can dine without scrutinising every last item on the menu or giving the chef the third degree.
But at The Banting Kitchen in Green Point, diners can happily tuck into every morsel, knowing that a lot of care has been taken to ensure that not only are the dishes Banting-approved, but they’re also delicious. And you can round it all off with the most delectable chocolate desert or cheesecake without feeling guilty.
A friend and I visited recently and were so impressed with the selection and quality of food we were astounded that it was all “legal”. From the spiced chicken roulade with tomato chutney to the succulent pork belly and more-ish lasagna, the meal was a revelation and an encouragement to test our own culinary abilities further at home. Because even cauli-mash gets a little dull after the 500th time.
Chef Ryan Brand was brought on board when the restaurant was still 1800, specifically to develop the new menu for The Banting Kitchen. Together with the owners of the hotel and restaurant he tried to work out what it was that diners would most enjoy. “We took the protein and worked backwards. And we’ve got a nice spread on the menu,” he says, adding that they even managed to incorporate some vegetarian options, which can be tricky in the LCHF context.
“For the first menu we went with a wintery feel – oxtail, lasagna and caulisotto,” he says. The most popular dish among the mains is Grannies Banting Lasagna. He’s not sure, but he suspects it may be because the dish traditionally has white sauce and pasta as main ingredients, and guests are curious as to how he has adapted it to reduce the carbs. “It’s a very hearty meal – nice and filling, and we use reduced cream instead of white sauce.”
But as the seasons change so will the menu. He has already started plotting how to give the very popular calamari starter a summery overhaul and hints that guests can expect a burst of Asian flavour. In addition to new salads and a seared steak tartar, he’s also started developing a tomato consommé that will be served in an iced jug with herb and black pepper encrusted cream cheese. “It’s not a salad, but it’s light and refreshing,” he says.
Based on his background in fine dining, he’s keen to make his menus a little more experimental. “Banting goes back to basic food in a sense, but I want to put in a bit more,” he says. “Yes, it will still be ‘normal’ food, but a little more thought will have gone into it.”
One of the criticisms of LCHF cooking is that it comes with a higher price-tag. A common misconception, Chef Brand explains: “It mainly becomes expensive when you’re substituting and using things like psyllium husk and xylitol. But not when you’re making a basic meal for the table. A rack of lamb is going to be a rack of lamb whether you’re Banting or not.” And despite the elevated cost of cauliflower thanks to increased demand, he says that your veggies won’t cost terribly much more, unless you’re drowning them in butter. “You’re not eating a block of butter a day,” he laughs. “And you’re not drinking any more juice, so you’re cutting down on that expense.”
For the most part he tries to stick to the LCHF way of eating as far as possible, but he does “cheat occasionally”. “It’s not that it’s difficult, it’s just that I’m surrounded by people that don’t Bant, and as a chef, if something needs to be tasted I can’t say no. I need to be assured of the quality of the food.”
The kitchen also handles the room service orders for the hotel upstairs, and even diners at The Banting Kitchen do have the option of ordering starches with their meals. So while it’s not the norm, it isn’t unusual for the kitchen to receive and order for burgers, with chips. But do yourself a favour, before ordering a starch, at least try some of what the menu has to offer – you may be surprised.
Chef Brand spends as much time in the kitchen at work as he can, while being sure not to neglect his young family. “I enjoy being at work and working with the staff in the kitchen. There’s nothing better than having the staff saying ‘Chef can you taste what I made’. I try to get everyone involved, and I keep them on their toes that way as well.”
And while he has a budget to keep in mind, the owners have given him the freedom to experiment and dream up new and exciting dishes to keep guests coming back for more. And once you’ve tasted the cheesecake, you most certainly will be back.
l 021 430 0506, www.thebant ingkitchen.co.za