Ryan Cole fishes out a ‘deceptively complex’ favourite dish

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)