A Table in the Corner

On this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Giles Edwards, a chef returning to the pass after time away, now working in collaboration with Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen at Le Bistrot de JAN. It’s a conversation about coming back to the kitchen on different terms, with more clarity about what matters and what doesn’t. 
Giles first came onto the city’s radar with La Tête, a restaurant that built a loyal following through a deeply considered approach to sourcing, sustainability and unfussy, exacting cooking. Before that came a formative decade in London, including time at St. John under Fergus Henderson, where ideas around whole-animal cooking and restraint took root.
The conversation traces that arc. The early pull of St. John, the grind and discipline of London, the creation and eventual closure of La Tête, and the decision to step away from kitchens altogether. It also explores what it means to return, this time with boundaries, working within someone else’s space while holding onto a clear sense of self.
This is a conversation about simplicity, sustainability and the long view. About learning, stepping back, and choosing how to come back.

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay

In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Brett Michielin, the operator behind Mozambik, one of Southern Africa’s most recognisable casual dining brands. What began as a forty-seat restaurant in Ballito, KZN has grown into more than forty five outlets across the SADEC region. But the conversation starts with something far smaller: a twist of newspaper filled with pan-roasted peanuts placed on the table when guests arrive.
Brett traces the origins of Mozambik back to the tavernas and beach bars of coastal Mozambique and the Portuguese-influenced restaurant culture of Durban. From the beginning, he explains, the idea was simple: food would take the brand part of the way, but atmosphere, generosity and service would carry it the rest.
The discussion moves through the early years of the Ballito restaurant, the unlikely partnership that launched the brand, and the mechanics of turning a loose beachside concept into a scalable franchise operation. Brett speaks candidly about the realities of growth, from training staff and building supply chains to maintaining consistency across multiple countries.
Along the way we talk about the role hospitality plays in social mobility, illustrated through the story of a bartender who rose through the company to run operations in Zimbabwe, and the broader challenges facing independent restaurants in a market increasingly shaped by larger groups.
This is a practical, wide ranging conversation about scale, culture and the long game of building restaurants, told by an operator who still chases the rush that comes when the doors open and service begins.

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay

In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Korean-born chef Sepial Shim, whose quiet, wandering path through Cape Town’s food world has taken her from cooking school to markets, pop ups and now a tiny sixteen seat restaurant in Woodstock called 'In the Meantime'.
She reflects on arriving in South Africa more than two decades ago and training as an urban designer, only to discover that cooking offered a different way of expressing meaning without words. What followed was an unconventional journey: studying at Silwood alongside her son, opening a small restaurant in Salt River, building a cult following for Korean fried chicken at the Oranjezicht market, and experimenting with fermentation as both craft and philosophy.
The conversation moves between those phases and the thinking behind Sepial’s latest project: a deliberately small restaurant where she cooks each dish herself and serves guests directly. We talk about the tension between creativity and business, the financial cost of pursuing fermentation as a passion project, and the decision to trade scale for focus in the limited years she still plans to cook professionally.
Along the way Shim reflects on Korean food traditions, Cape Town’s evolving dining culture and the quiet satisfaction of watching diners recognise the care behind something as subtle as a clear beef short-rib broth.
This is a thoughtful, candid conversation about wandering, learning and choosing to cook in a way that makes sense for one’s life, told by a chef who understands that sometimes the most meaningful work happens in small rooms. 

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay

In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Aidan Zieff, head chef of Ouzeri, one of Cape Town’s most quietly influential restaurants. Aidan reflects on a fast-moving early career that took him from local fine dining kitchens through Copenhagen stages at 108 and Noma, before returning home with a sharpened sense of discipline, flavour and restraint.
The conversation traces his path from formal, highly structured kitchens into a looser, more generous style of cooking that still demands precision. We talk about what Aidan carried back from Scandinavia, how that experience recalibrated his approach to simplicity, and why Ouzeri’s food works not because it is casual, but because it is exact where it matters. He explains the balance between tradition and instinct, how flavours are tested and rejected without sentiment, and why some dishes only work when they look imperfect.
We also discuss creative freedom, the pressure of cooking for chefs, and the challenge of running a small brigade while maintaining consistency in a room that never really empties. This is a candid conversation about taste, confidence and letting go of formality without losing standards, told by a chef who understands that generosity on the plate is usually the result of serious discipline behind the scenes.
Learn more about Ouzeri here
Every booking is a first impression. Make a good one with Novel
Message me here with comments or guest suggestions.
Treat yourself - order direct from Zuney Wagyu

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay

In this episode of A Table in the Corner, Russel sits down with Andrew Kai, chef and co-founder behind Tomson, Max Bagels and One Park, to talk about building small, culture-driven food businesses in a city increasingly dominated by scale.
Andrew reflects on his early years in London kitchens, the discipline of classical brigade systems, and the dislocation of returning home to a very different restaurant landscape. The conversation moves through markets, pop ups and tight spaces before landing on Tomson, a 27 square metre Hong Kong style Cantonese shop that feels both deeply personal and entirely of the moment.
We talk about cooking from heritage rather than trend, the difference between translation and dilution when presenting so called ethnic food, and why rice, greens and a properly roasted duck can say more than a tasting menu. Andrew speaks about sourcing Chinese ingredients in South Africa, resisting the pressure to soften flavours for comfort, and creating rooms that feel human rather than staged. 
This is a grounded, honest discussion about identity, independence and keeping restaurants small enough to matter, told by an operator who understands that community, not capital, is what ultimately sustains a room.
Read what food writer Richard Holmes has to say in his Time Out review of Tomson here
Every booking is a first impression. Make a good one with Novel
Message me here with comments or guest suggestions.
Treat yourself - order direct from Zuney Wagyu

www.rwm2012.com
On Instagram @a_table_inthecorner
Cover image sketched by Courtney Cara Lawson
All profile portraits by Russel Wasserfall unless otherwise credited
Title music: 'In Time' by Olexy via Pixabay