In today's very competitive restaurant business, taking a reckless, potentially genius idea from concept to reality is extremely risky - especially when that concept involves attempting to merge two completely separate culinary traditions into a single balanced menu.
And, as diners can attest, sometimes fusion joints end up terrible, but sometimes, just sometimes, they are flat-out amazing.
While on the topic of fusion-style cuisine, a new restaurant in the Mother City has launched and is bringing fusion-style, gourmet Asian grills to a much-loved spot in the heart of Cape Town.
What Is fusion cuisine?
Fusion cuisine blends the culinary traditions of two or more nations to create innovative and sometimes quite interesting dishes.
This technique of joining culinary forces offers truly novel flavour combinations and unique menu offerings that customers can’t find elsewhere.
Fusion food has a complex history whose origins can’t be easily pinpointed. It has likely been around for centuries, as long as humans have been exchanging facets of their culture.
Situated just above street level and overlooking the site of Church Street’s quaint open-air day market, Awara is an invigorated extension of the famed Bukhara restaurant, which occupied the very same space for over 25 years.
Think of it as Bukhara’s young and trendy offspring, now ready to cater to contemporary tastes.
With a desire to modernise its gourmet Indian dining experience, the team behind the new restaurant has curated a new menu that includes a variety of Asian grilled tapas alongside the finely prepared classic curries the Mother City adores.
According to Johan Venter, the operations manager of the Bukhara Group, the restaurant was named after the Bollywood movie ‘Awara’, which translates to ‘The Vagabond’, which was directed by the owner Dr Sabi Sabharwal’s father.
The new menu covers Indian, Korean, Thai, Japanese, and Chinese flavours that are grilled on open-flame charcoal grills and in traditional Indian clay tandoori ovens, allowing guests to choose between modern creations like slow-cooked teriyaki octopus and fish tikka, comfort classics like butter chicken and lal maas, or a combination of both.
Awara is located at 33 Church Street, Cape Town City Centre, and is open from Monday to Sunday, between 11am and 11pm.
Here are other new Cape Town restaurants that you can check out.
Read the latest IOL Food DigiMag here.