Something of an institution in South Africa where it was founded some 20 years ago, tashas has only recently arrived in London, opening its first restaurant in a huge corner site in the much revitalised Battersea Power Station. The brainchild of Natasha Sideris, who grew up in the restaurant business, tashas is all about relaxed dining, the freshest ingredients and engaging personal service – and with the majority of the Battersea staff native South Africans seeming to have all the time in the world even on a busy lunchtime, that’s something you certainly notice.
It’s a bright, elegant setting with floor-to-ceiling windows curving round the interior, mirrors reflecting the light and widely spaced tables (always a plus) with a spacious terrace outside. A quick glance at the drinks menu tells you all about this restaurant’s South African roots.
The sparkling wine section features two South African methode champenoise, by the glass – the Sparklehorse brut was both dry and surprisingly full bodied – and around half of the wines listed are South African, the rest being mainly European. There are South African beers and cider – even a gin – and while there are tequila and mezcal from Mexico and some fine Scotch whiskies, there’s Amarula from back home, a drink that is sometimes compared to Bailey’s but is actually far nicer and made from the fruit of the marula tree.
Their menu is less easy to pin down. For one thing, this is an all-day venue, popular for breakfast/brunch with lots of healthy options (hummus toastie, egg salad and avocado on toast) alongside such sugar surges as croissant waffles. You can pop in for a snack (though these are generous portions) – a cheezy chicken quesadilla, maybe, or a braai broodjie (with different cheeses, onion and tomato jam served up with the steak on sourdough) – and there’s a big salad menu too.
When the Major and I went along for lunch, the place was already busy but we found a spacious corner table where there were already bottles of top quality Greek olive oil and balsamic with figs, plus a small bowl of homemade pesto. There is a certain Greek influence here (Sideris’s family roots) that rubs alongside the South African like a double dose of sunshine.
Keeping that in mind, the Major went for Cape Malay prawn curry – the plump tiger prawns mixed, somewhat surprisingly, with potatoes in a rich but mild sauce with chutney pickle and coriander yoghurt. There were quite a few temptations for me (aubergine mille-fueille, salmon teriyaki) but in the end I decided to go for a fillet steak with a mushroom sauce and a Greek side salad.
This turned out to be an excellent choice and the steak was super-tender and quite delicious while the mushroom sauce was made with a mixture of wild mushrooms and unusually toothsome. My Greek salad – purple olives, bright red onion, dollops of crumbly cheese – burst on to the palate with freshness. Even the lettuce (not my favourite vegetable) had flavour.
We did have desserts. The Major went for Tarte Tatin, freshly baked (if we minded waiting 20 minutes – we didn’t) and golden with a cognac syrup to pour over the top. My carrot cake (moist yet crunchy) came with some fresh fig. While we tried the Sparklehorse fizz to start with and had a glass of wine with the main courses, you are spoilt for choice if you don’t want to drink alcohol. The Major tried a freshly squeezed juice, Orchard, with green apple, lime and ginger while I had tashas lemonade, zinging with fresh lemon and rosemary.
Tashas fits comfortably into the luxe but laidback Power Station vibe. I can’t wait to go back and try the dinner menu.
tashas at Battersea Power Station. For more information, including other locations in South Africa and the Middle East, and details of tashas cookbooks, please visit www.tashascafe.com.
