Ryan Cole’s restaurant, Salsify at the Roundhouse, resides in one of Cape Town’s oldest restaurant premises, known to generations of Capetonians as The Roundhouse. It is located, as he says, “within a national park, and inside a national monument”, and this infuses his ethos.

“We believe in staying true to our sense of place,” he says, “and this is what gives us a sustainable edge. We’re hyper local, we only use what’s in season, what’s around us and what we can get.”

Fish always features prominently at Salsify, says this chef with the sea flowing in his veins. “Appropriate, not only given the restaurant’s ocean-facing setting but also my background – my father was a career fisherman, and my brother is one too; it’s in my DNA. All the fish served in the restaurant is either caught by myself or my brother, ensuring not only its freshness but also peace of mind that it has been ethically sourced, underlining my dedication to sustainability.”

Ryan described his cooking style as “driven by the seasons and inspired by nature”. 

“While rooted in the rigour and technique of classic cooking, it is unbridled by tradition. At Salsify, I focus on local, seasonal ingredients which form the basis around which all the dishes are built. Very often it’s a seemingly secondary ingredient which will be the star of a show. To impress with meat or seafood is easy, but to do so with cauliflower, rice or kapokbos for instance, is much more of a challenge. I think it’s a philosophy which has really become more refined as we’ve grown as a restaurant, it’s always been the focus though.”

The restaurant being where it is, inside the Table Mountain National Park, on the slopes of Lion’s Head, with an aspect towards the Atlantic Ocean beyond Camps Bay, nature provides plenty of inspiration.

“My creative process begins with an ingredient or a concept, either something I’ve foraged,” Cole says, “something I’ve just fished for or a vegetable that has just come into season. From there the dishes are built around the ingredient in order to showcase it at its finest.”

Of the dish he chose to share with us, he says: “This is one of my favourite dishes because it’s deceptively complex. It seems like just fish and rice, but it’s everything other than that. It’s got freshness, acidity, crunch and fat. It’s interesting, different and unexpected.

“It’s rice in five different forms and the whole fish. From the bottom up – it’s a toasted rice milk puree with a beautiful basil and charred spring onion salsa. Next, we’ve got rice that’s been baked in fish stock made using the carcass of the fish – so the rice will taste different depending on the type of fish you use. The fish is pan fried and topped with puffed rice, toasted rice powder and yuzu, under a veil of rice paper. And it’s finished with a basmati and lemongrass spiced cream.”

Ryan Cole’s pan-fried kingklip, asparagus and spring onion salsa, and baked black rice

Fish and rice: Ryan Cole’s pan fried kingklip, asparagus and spring onion salsa, and baked black rice, at Salsify at the Roundhouse restaurant. (Photo: Supplied)

For the kingklip:

1 loin of kingklip (roughly 1kg)

100ml canola oil

Maldon salt to season

wedge of lemon

20g butter

Method

Portion your kingklip loin into 4 portions of 200g each.

Heat your pan to hot.

Add 70ml oil to the pan.

Season your kingklip.

Pan-roast the kinglip over a medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until golden brown and flip over.

Add 20g butter and fry until the butter begins to foam.

Season with lemon juice.

For the asparagus and spring onion salsa:

2 bunches spring onions

1 bunch asparagus blanched for 30 seconds, refreshed in ice water, then sliced into rounds as thin as you can

1 lime, zest and juice

30g basil, chopped

15g palm sugar, grated

10g coriander, chopped

Maldon salt to season

Method

Cut the spring onions in half, season with olive oil, salt and lime juice.

Roast over a hot fire for 2 to 3 minutes.

Allow them to cool and then chop.

Mix ingredients together.

For the red onion dressing:

1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped

60ml peanut oil

20g palm sugar

Pinch of salt

2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

20g ginger, peeled and chopped

50ml sake

2 Thai curry leaves, chopped

Method

Heat a medium-sized pan.

Add the oil to the pan.

Toast the ginger and garlic until golden brown and then add the onion.

Sweat until translucent and then add the sugar, sake and curry leaves.

Cook until dry.

For the baked black rice:

200g black rice (soak for 30 minutes prior to using)

1 litre vegetable stock

Method

Cover the rice and stock in a Dutch oven with lid on, and bake for 1 hour at 170℃.

Mix the red onion dressing through the baked rice once it’s cooled.

For the lemongrass velouté:

1 tin coconut cream

1 can coconut milk

2 pieces of lemongrass, microplaned

1 onion, sliced

1 clove garlic

30g ginger

100ml sake

100ml mirin

10g palm sugar

60ml coconut oil

10g coriander leaves

10g basil leaves

Method

Heat the oil, sweat the onion, garlic and ginger until golden and then add the sugar and alcohols.

Reduce by half and add the coconut milk and cream, bring to the boil

Infuse the herbs for 5 minutes and then hand blend with the lemongrass and pass through a strainer.

To assemble:

Use a shallow bowl or plate.

Place the rice at the bottom of the dish.

Scatter salsa around the rice.

Place the fish on top of the rice.

Pour 50ml velouté around the fish.

Serve. DM