moyo Melrose Arch recently launched its signature winter menu, aptly called ‘Taste of the Wild’. The menu has a true taste of Africa, with exotic game meat prepared in unique and delicious ways.

In Swahili, moyo means “heart” – describing the love and time is put into cooking the various dishes.

moyo Melrose Arch presents their winter menu

The ‘Taste of The Wild’ menu includes four starters and six main dishes that you can share with your dining companions so everyone can get a taste of all ten dishes. “We designed this menu to be shared and become the centre of the discussion, uniting everyone through this distinctive menu,” says Sharlotte Naidu, co-owner of moyo Melrose Arch.

“We have specially created unique marinades for every type of game, ensuring tenderness and dishes packed with flavour,” explains Martin Van der Walt, executive chef at moyo Melrose Arch.

For the foodies… and the brave

I was invited to the launch of the menu, and it definitely dominated discussions around the table. My favourite from the starters was the crocodile tail pie (yes, it tastes like chicken). In fact, the three items from the starter menu I tried were all tasty. I did not have the stomach to try the mopane worms, but my colleague Tamen decided to give it a go. It was not successful.

The main dishes consist of a variety of game meat that comes from herds that are culled in order to keep numbers down and prevent disease, sourced from the best butchers and only the highest quality.

This meat is then marinated for at least 48 hours, using African spices that give the meat both warmth and depth. The Kudu skewer was a firm favourite around the table, and the eland with pomegranate molasses also got several thumbs up.

Other interesting dishes included a guinea fowl tagine and zebra loin. Not a fan of the first, the second wasn’t too bad, although I’d have liked it a smidge more cooked – I know it’s supposed to be on the rare side, but it was a bit to far that side for my liking.

Want a taste?

If you’re keen to try the moyo Melrose Arch ‘Taste of the Wild’ signature menu, pop in from 1 July 2019 and let me know what your favourite dish is.