Chef Grant van der Riet’s new menu at the fine dining and elegant Luce restaurant at Southern Sun Hyde Park Hotel takes Italian cuisine back to basics with uncomplicated but delicious flavours in traditional dishes that allow the different ingredients to come alive.

Chef. Grant van der Riet. Photo supplied.

Chef Grant’s love of Italian cuisine was sparked at the Prue Leith Chefs Academy under an Italian chef, and expanded as he worked in kitchens under chefs who inspired him to cook Italian dishes as the Italians do. Says Grant: “It’s the originality of Italian cuisine that is so appealing. The country-style cooking and the breads – their flavour and texture.”

The Luce bread selection, which includes various focaccias and a knotted basil-pesto bread, will continue to evolve. There are a host of newcomers on the menu, with starters like the gamberi alla busara – grilled garlic-butter prawns with a hint of chilli; signatures dishes like lobster tortellini and coffee-cured duck leg; pastas like three-cheese and herb ravioli and slow-braised oxtail with home-made pappardelle; and fish options like Norwegian salmon in tomato consommé and pan-fried barramundi with fondant potato. Finish off with the likes of chocolate soufflé, tiramisu, cannoli and pistachio panna cotta.

Chef Grant’s dark chocolate torte. Photo supplied.

“I will continue to focus on fresh flavours and good service,” says chef Grant proudly, “always building on Southern Sun Hyde Park Hotel’s excellent reputation.”

A lobster dish at Luce Restaurant. Photo supplied.

Tsogo Sun has a portfolio of over 100 hotels and 13 casino and entertainment destinations throughout South Africa, Africa and the Seychelles. For more details, visit their website, follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook.