Frank Chemaly|Published
The Living Room
Where: Summerhill Guest House, 9 Belvedale Rd, Cowies Hill
Open: Tuesday to Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and dinner
Call: 063 529 1966
In an East Coast meets West Coast event last weekend, SA’s Eat Out chef of the year Johannes Richter of the Living Room in Cowies Hill, teamed up with chef Sebastian Stehr from Beyond in Constantia, part of the acclaimed Fyn Group.
Both chefs share a passion for indigenous ingredients. And both a passion for sustainability. “Sebastian and I cook from the same instinct, which is to start with what grows around us,” says Richter. “Having him at the Living Room lets our guests taste two distinct parts of the country at the same table.”
The collaboration continued in the dining room, with the Fyn Group’s service and beverage director Jennifer Hugé joining Johanna Richter on the wine pairings. Both were not only singing the praises of the wines they served but were filling up glasses generously.
I was a guest of KZN tourism and joined at the table by the Tiktok Influencer and his girlfriend. We soon cottoned on to our shared love of good food, despite our very different delivery mechanisms. Him young and with it and articulating notes into his phone, me ancient and old school, scribbling notes on the menu.
And straight off we were invited with a hit of summer. First was a palate cleanser from the Living Room titled spring flowers. This was a marigold sorbet served with a light herb vinaigrette, beautifully presented on a plate amid a sea of marigolds. This was a hit of hot sunny passion, intense, incredibly floral, and offered some shade by the cooling “green” juice.
We had been woken up.
Next the Living Room did an ensemble on carrots. From past experience, if ever Richter offers you a carrot dish, never say no. This was a carrot puree, topped with super thin slices of barely cooked or lightly pickled carrot to look like a flower. It was dusted with root spices and crispy curry leaves and served aside a rich carrot and coconut soup. Delicious. I paired it with the jackfruit and nartjie mocktail, which was all the better for not being too sweet.
The bread course was next - and from the Living Room it was based around mabele - or as the Tiktokker tells me the key ingredient of isiZulu beer - sorghum. There’s a little sorghum bun that went well with a lovely and deeply smokey burnt leek butter, and then a stunning sorghum cracker that paired beautifully with a loose macadamia nut salsa or pesto. A good 2016 Domaine des Dieux Rose of Sharon added the bubbles.
Beyond now treated us to their take on a Caprese salad. This featured garden succulent leaves atop heirloom tomatoes with a milk kefir curd. It was prettily arranged in another flower design and featured another cooling vinaigrette. Lovely flavours. This was served with an Abysse Sparkling Hananomai Sake, something that has only just arrived in the country, which had an interesting almost kombucha type feel about it, even though you know it’s got a kick no “tea” will ever have.
At this point our waiter brings round a massive hunk of raw wagyu beef on a bed of straw for us to admire - this was the main course we were all so looking forward to.
Local trout often features on Living Room menus. This was a trout tartare with a local cheese wrapped in trout sashimi and sitting in an amasi (or sour milk if you prefer). Our waiter then delivered drops of herb oil artfully on the amasi with an eyedropper at the table. Another beautiful and intense dish. It was paired with a little piece of trout wrapped in herb leaves similar to dolmades, and a lovely 2025 Savage White, for me, the wine of the evening.
Beyond next presented one of the most unusual dishes of the evening. Presented simply as Salvia Africana, cauliflower, chicken and Karoo truffle, it was a savoury egg custard topped with chicken stock, beach sage and lightly blanched cauliflower. And surrounded by more beach sage which reminded the Tiktokker of impepho. It paired surprisingly well with a big bold 2016 Thelema Chardonnay.
Then the wagyu arrived. Beyond’s recipe celebrated a number of ingredients from the Cape floral kingdom including kapokbos, tulbaghia and tetragonia. It was a beautiful piece of meat. Beautifully cooked in a rich wine jus highlighted by all the different floral touches. The Tiktokker and I could easily have raided the kitchen for seconds. It was served with a slightly shy 2014 Kanonkop pinotage. Perhaps a Bordeaux blend might have been better.
Then came not one but two desserts. From the Living Room came citrus, pelargonium and jersey cream, a three part dessert that included a citrus sorbet with jersey cream ice-cream and pelargonium granita; a citrus jelly in jersey cream custard, and a tiny little dried citrus “jelly tot”. For someone who loves citrus - and yes confession jelly and custard - it was the perfect dessert. It was paired with a not-too-sweet 2021 Jordon Mellifera that worked well.
Then Beyond presented a confettibos and sour fig creation that included a flavoured popcorn. I finished with a lovely coffee.
Food: 4 ½
Service: 4 ½
Ambience: 4 ½