Gwyn and Erica Platter.
Erica Platter moved from the Western Cape to Kwa Zulu Natal some time ago and has undergone a road to Damascus transformation regarding that areas food and cuisine.
The rich heritage of different traditions of food from Chinese, to Indian to Zulu to Mauritian impressed her so much that she declared, with hindsight, that Western Cape food (where she used to live) was “pale, pallid, insipid”.
It also spurred her to write a cookery book representing the region’s cuisine, and she roped in a team of relatives, friends, celebrities and local professional chefs to showcase the best that KZN has to offer.
Clinton Friedman did the photography, and a pretty good job he did too, as the book has this appetite appeal that makes you want to dive right in.
Her daughter-in-law, Gwyn Platter, helped out as editor, and a range of well known local chefs pitched in. Shaun Monro of the Beverly Hills Hotel is featured. That’s where Pete Goffe Wood trained in case you didn’t know.
Kevin Joseph of The Oyster Box is there too. John Smit of Springboks fame shares his secret for a fish burger with us
Would you eat a fish burger made by this man? I would.
and cricket ace Shaun Pollock delights with a recipe for Banana Ice Cream.
I meet a lot of people from KZN in Cape Town and they all reminisce about KZN food that they can’t get here. Not so long ago David Cope, aka The Foodie, kept us all amused with his accounts of trying to eat Bunny Chow while not staining his shirt. He’s an original Durbanite.
I’ve eaten Vanie Padayachee’s food a few times and she has never failed to impress with her use of fresh seasonal ingredients and full on flavours.
So I am surprised that this claims to be the first ever cook book celebrating KZN cuisine. Was “Sprigs Entertain” by the Ras sisters not KZN enough? See my review here on it. http://ow.ly/37r5F.
East Coast Tables.
East Coast Tables
is written by Erica Platter and Gwynn Platter, with photography by Clinton Friedman. The publishers are east Coast Radio, and it’s available in Exclusive Books and Pick n’Pay for R289.
Posted in 
