There is no doubt that the stars have aligned for Sun International and Joao da Fonseca – aka J’Something. Sun International’s multi-billion rand development, Time Square, in Menlyn opened to the public on Saturday, 1 April 2017. With it came the realisation of J’Something’s lifelong dream to open his own restaurant.
The construction of Time Square was fast tracked to bring forward the opening of the casino and restaurant hub by six months. Something’s Cooking by J’Something, located on the upper tier of the ambitious Time Square complex, is where food and entertainment combine, where signature dishes created by J’Something himself will be served in an effervescent friendly setting. Each item on the menu, reminiscent of his childhood and favourite foods has been designed by him – and he plans to change it every three months. When his schedule allows, his guests will get to see him cook, host, serve and perhaps even sing!
The Mi Casa front man has had a longstanding love affair with food, inspired by his own mom’s love of cooking. His passion for food has seen him headline the Good Food & Wine Show, broadcast two cooking shows to over 12 million people, and cook alongside award winning chefs.
J’Something’s history with Sun International stems back to his childhood, when he, at the age of seven, moved to South Africa for his dad to take up the position of Food and Beverage Manager at Sun International’s Fish River Sun in the Eastern Cape. His mom, who owned her own restaurant for 15 years, taught him how to cook. With life coming full circle, she will be involved at Something’s Cooking by J’Something.
“It is my dream to have my mom there. She has tremendous stories to tell,” says J’Something who emphasises that he wants his guests to feel at home when they visit his restaurant, from where cooking sessions with J’Something alongside a special guest will be live streamed from time to time. On his wish list to cook alongside are Yotam Ottolenghi, David Chang, Jamie Oliver, David Higgs, Chef Ruben, his mom, Maps Maponyane, just show people that you can just have fun.
“My restaurant is all about fun and I am so excited about the live streaming ability; it is such a cool thing. I really want my guests to feel like they were entertained on all fronts, from the food and the music, to the service. I want them to feel that the time that they spend with us was memorable,” he says.
J’Something has been intricately involved in bringing his dream restaurant to fruition, from the interior look and feel, to the menu.
“With it being my first restaurant, creating the menu has been a kind of selfish thing. I want people to get a window into what I love to cook, what I have been exposed to and what I love to eat. I have had the privilege of designing pretty much all of the dishes together with Time Square’s culinary team including Sun International’s Group Executive Chef Ronald Ramsamy; Executive Sous Chef, Adrian Vaughn; Chef de Cuisine, Ramon Gouws, and Sun International’s Group Executive Pastry Chef, Sean Mann. Through this vibrant collaboration, we have been able to bring my ideas to life and elevate the dishes to the level we wanted to achieve.
“Every single item on that menu is inspired by something I have made at home for friends and family. So it is very down to earth, home food, but with finesse. It’s takes elements that when you see them on the menu, you might think that ‘wow that’s simple’ or ‘that’s cool’ and then when you get it it’s just mind blowing. We have had a lot of fun coming up with the menu and I am really excited about the fact that we will be changing it every three months. It really gives us opportunity to be creative as well as present our guests with something new, often,” he says.
The phrase “Afro-guese’ has been bandied about when describing the menu. J’Something explains that it had even been considered as the name for the restaurant.
“It really sums up the mix of cultures which have influenced my style of cooking. The ‘Afro-guese’ is also kind of who I am; a blend of the African culture and the Portuguese culture. We have taken that and made it the main theme of the restaurant, giving some innovative twists to traditional Portuguese dishes and taking South African food and portraying them in a different way. It really is my story on a plate.”
His excitement about opening his first restaurant is almost tangible.
“I am so excited to finally say, my restaurant is open. Everyone who comes through those doors is my special guest because I am nothing without people.”
Something’s Cooking by J’Something is one of 18 restaurants and bars, each unique in concept and character, that will be available to explore at Time Square.
Time Square represents Sun International’s largest investment in a casino development in 15 years. The next phase, construction of a state of the art, 8 500 seat Arena, will be complete in November this year, followed by phase three, The Maslow Time Square hotel in March 2018. The only venue of its kind in Pretoria, the arena will play host to international and local concerts, exhibitions and lifestyle events. The hotel will offer new concept in hospitality, being a 238 room specialist business hotel, offering standard to premium accommodation.
Caption:
J’Something hosted his first Chef’s Table in Time Square’s state of the art central kitchen for a small party of special guests.
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