Tilting Heads Taco Cafe & Margarita Bar and Muse Restaurant, both situated in the trendy Stanley Street in Richmond Hill, will bring their exciting concepts to the SPAR Valley Market in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
The monthly artisanal market, which now pops up at different venues across the city, will attract visitors to Chicky’s Yard in the Baakens Valley, where delicious food choices and live entertainment await visitors.
Tilting Heads, which was established in October 2016, is a “collaboration of two or more ideas and creations”, says chef and owner Aiden Pienaar.
“I got the idea when visiting America, where I worked as a chef in Los Angeles and spent holidays in Las Vegas.”
Pienaar describes their fare as “upmarket, authentic Mexican street food with a twist”. They serve everything from handmade fresh corn tortillas to deep-fried avocado.
“People presume that Mexican food is spicy. Fact is, not everything is. Yes, we use Mexican cuisine as a backbone, but we also cater for a large range of people of all ages.”
The trendy restaurant recently expanded to double its previous size, taking over the premises next door to open a Hawaiian rum bar called “The Tiki Room”. It offers a small selection of dishes from meat skewers to fresh salmon and tuna poke bowls.
Pienaar felt the Valley Market provided an excellent opportunity for them to show what they offer. “It offers exposure, which I believe is one of the purposes of my involvement.”
Visitors can look forward to their scrumptious handmade corn tortilla tacos and their signature dish, delightful avocado fries.
Muse offer a special fine dining experience at their eclectic boutique restaurant. Allan and Simone Bezuidenhout are the creative husband-and-wife team behind the innovative and fresh dishes.
“We opened in November 2015,” says Allan. “It was collaboration between me and my wife. We’re both chefs who worked in the industry and wanted to open our own little spot.”
The couple specialise in nouvelle cuisine, using various techniques to modernise classic cooking methods. “We cook seasonally with fresh produce from reputable local suppliers. We change our menu three to four times a year,” said Allan.
Dishes they have in mind for the Valley Market include beef short rib, with hand-cut chips and chipotle aioli; smoked pork belly, maple and bacon jam, crackling and fries; fish cakes, vinegar-infused chips and herb aioli; chickpea fries with Romesco sauce and avocado dressing, as well as Macaroons.
The Bezuidenhouts say they have been looking forward to having fun and marketing their restaurant to the public.
Valley Market visitors pay R10 at the entrance at Ellis and Alabaster Roads. All proceeds go to the Love Story charity organisation. Gates remain open from 9am to 2pm.
