From North Africa, to the Middle East, to the Indian sub-continent, to Cape Malay, Upper Union’s winter menu warms you from the taste buds to the tummy, writes Lorraine Kearney.
Upper Union, in the Cape Town suburb of Gardens, has been open for about 16 months now and the restaurant has really got into its groove, changing the menu with the seasons and never dropping the taste ball.
As with all Chef Amori Burger’s offerings, eating this winter is an event. ‘Don’t just eat because you have to,’ she said. And she likes to share: ‘Food for me, is this concept of sitting around the table and sharing and eating together.’
It’s a philosophy carried through to her winter 2024 menu, which comes in three variations. The Seasonal Chef’s Menu has two options, each for two people sharing:
Both come with the house bread course, a choice of starters, a main with a host of sides for sharing around the table, and a choice of desserts and both end with a friandise. The Garden Menu (R650 per person) is the vegetarian option; the Pasture Menu (R750 per person) adds oysters.
Garden menu starter
King Oyster
The house bread course comprises individual kubaneh, one per person, and three choices of butter (mebos and Klein River Gruberg, Mont du Toit EVOO, and Cream of the Crop makhani). They’re all good, but our favourite was the Mont du Toit. Kubaneh, our Google search tells us, is a traditional Yemeni bread. Our palates tell us it’s decidedly moreish.
Or you can curate your own meal from the list of small plates, of which there are 17 – your meal also starts with the bread course. The menu advises you choose four to five and share between two of you. We didn’t stop there, because it really is impossible to choose just a few. The choices range in price from R95 for the aloo tikki with date piccalilli, 96-hour sourdough slangetjies and marigold (be warned – this dish could be habit-forming), to R290 for the shuwa lamb shoulder, which comes with parsnip, pimento zhug (a spicy hot sauce from Yemen), Brussels sprouts and kapokbos chermoula.
Pasture menu
Kapokbos is an aromatic shrub. In English it’s known as wild rosemary, so you can imagine just how aromatic. Livestock love it, and in the Karoo it’s one of the shrubs that give the distinctive, sought-after taste to the meat. You’ve heard of Karoo lamb? That’s what we’re talking about.
First, though, a cocktail – a Cape to Casablanca for me and a Corpse Reviver No2 for my companion. It’s a splendid, though small, cocktail menu, just as it is a splendid, though small, wine list. ‘I didn’t want a boring wine list,’ Amori said. ‘I wanted something you don’t see every day, more bespoke, but not too expensive.’ We had a glass of Le Chant Rouge, a signature blend of Merlot, traditional Bordeaux varietals, Shiraz and Sangiovese, from the Polkadraai Hills region in Stellenbosch.
Cape to Casablanca
Dishes, hands-down our favourites were the aloo tikki and the paneer lovable with poppadum, coriander and apple slaw, and tamarind chutney, the slaw balancing the heat of the tamarind. They’re followed closely by the king oyster mushroom with whipped tofu (it’s whipped with butter beans and is wonderful), chilli crack, Union HP sauce and almond.
Upper Union’s winter menu is blow-out in terms of taste and enjoyment, as well as value for money – you leave very full and satisfied, despite the ‘small plates’ claim. But it’s certainly not blow-out in terms of prices. All in all, a fine night out.
Location: 3 Upper Union Street, Gardens, Cape Town
Hours: Monday – Sunday: noon-4pm and 6pm-10pm
Public holidays: Contact Upper Union
Contact: 021 891 0360
Website: upperunion.co.za
Instagram: @upperunion_restaurant
Facebook: UpperUnionRestaurant
