With the launch of The Course at SLOW in the City comes a signature menu that embodies the restaurant’s belief that taste changes everything. Shaped by the joint vision of resident executive chef Eli Williams and head recipe developer Ero Asteriou, the offering has been designed to not only reflect the unique character of the restaurant’s city setting, but also to respond to its evolving nuances.

An eye-grabbing cheesecake at The Course at SLOW in the City. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

With dishes such as char-grilled rib-eye steak – presented on the bone and accompanied by pearl onion tarte tatin and marsala mushroom sauce – or the improvised repertoire of tapas plates, Eli and Ero’s menu seeks to celebrate a sense of time and place by paying homage to the city and its seasons. This approach is demonstrated through a bi-annual adaptation of the menu, an inventive textural palette, surprising taste combinations and considered cocktail pairings. By blending the best of international cuisine trends with locally sourced ingredients and home-grown influences, Eli and Ero have created a fitting epicurean ode to a city of contrasts.

Chefs Eli and Ero. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

Eli’s ability to capture the city’s elusive character can perhaps be traced to her relatively recent migration to Johannesburg just over a decade ago, having begun her career cooking for Western Cape gourmands at some of the region’s finest five-star establishments, including The Table Bay Hotel, The Twelve Apostles Hotel and The Cellars-Hohenort. Eli’s subsequent relocation has seen her serve as both Executive Sous Chef and Head of Pastry at Morrells Boutique Estate, as well as executive sous chef at the Discovery Vitality Healthy Food Studio. Eli now brings her acclaimed blend of precision and passion to The Course at SLOW in the City.

Native to Johannesburg, Ero’s local intuition and insight serves as the perfect complement to Eli’s more wide-ranging frame of reference. Having graduated with a Grande Diploma in culinary arts from the Prue Leith Chef’s Academy, Ero was soon appointed as research and development chef at Food Directions, the airline catering division of Pure Foods, where she was responsible for formulating onboard menus for domestic British Airways flights and, later, the food offering served across SLOW’s national suite of lounges. Undertaking research and recipe development for The Course at SLOW in the City represents a natural continuation of her interest in both the practical and creative underpinnings of her art.

A steak and sides at The Course at SLOW in the City. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

In combining their experience and expertise, chefs Eli and Ero are set to change Johannesburg’s tastes for good. “People want food that is simple, but they also want a story, an adventure,” says Eli of what the pair have created. “We can’t wait for them to sit down and sample it,” Ero concludes.

There are also vegetarian options on the menu. Photo courtesy of the restaurant.

The Course at SLOW in the City is open to the public and SLOW in the City members from 7am to 9pm on weekays, from 8.30am to 9pm on Saturdays and is available for private events on Sundays. For reservations, contact 087 057 7482 or visit www.slow.co.za.