Eugene + Moya = Mfino

It has been a while since Eugene Botha cooked for patrons, since closing the doors at his highly acclaimed restaurant, Umami, in Dunkirk Estate, he has been experimenting with life, love and food, together with his faithful furry companion Moya – a super awesome golden retriever.

In recent years, Eugene has been living his best life out of his quaint beach cottage in Sheffield, foraging our coastline for local fresh and seasonal edibles, which he now converts into a menu at his newly opened self service eatery in Salt Rock.

Mfino is the name of Eugene’s eatery, is sweet and unassuming. There is seating for maybe six, eight at a squeeze, but that does not matter. There is a beautiful open green field in front where you can sit under the shade of a fragrant blooming tree and munch on one of Eugene’s exotic dishes.

“Everything I serve here is made by me,” Eugene tells The Bugle, “I forage with Moya, looking for Mfino (Zulu word for wild spinach), nasturtiums and anything I can turn into a dish – what I have created here is the extension of my life and I want to share it with anybody who is willing to try my food.” While Eugene is totally hands on, he encourages everyone to practice self service and to feel right at home.

Eugene is proud of his new venture and he has every reason to be, Mfino feels homely. It resembles a 70’s surf cottage. The walls are adorned with memorabilia of days gone by. Eugene shares photos of his family, his old surfing pics and there is even a pre WWII beer label collection, which belonged to his grandfather who was a fighter bomber pilot.

However, it is his cherished possession that takes centre stage here – a hand carved Alaia surfboard that Eugene shaped some years ago. An Alaia is a thin, round-nosed, square-tailed surfboard ridden in pre-20th century Hawaii. There are many stories attached to every piece of collectable adorning this tiny space, you have to see it to believe it.

Eugene’s spot is laid back and unpretentious. Built entirely from reclaimed and recycled materials; it has an air of bohemian chill. Here you are encouraged to bring your dog, sit back, play one of Eugene’s classic vinyls and wait for your feast to arrive. You don’t have to book, you don’t have to finish at any given time, you just have to ensure that you come with an open heart and a cool demeanour.

Mfino has a pruned menu, but there is something for everyone; right now the menu serves prawn with egg aioli and fresh rocket. There is a sweet potato soup served with Eugene’s homemade bread. There is the favoured butternut ravioli with burned butter sage and Mushroom risotto, which is served with fresh parmesan shavings.

There is gammon and fillet, there is spicy beef risotto served with yoghurt and apricots and off course his legendary ice creams, this week you have a selection of chocolate, cinnamon or fudge espresso. Oh and there are all the titbits that you have to taste and savour and explore but I’ll leave that for you to discover. Great place for ‘pick and go’ style take out food.

Follow Eugene on Instagram and Facebook for latest dishes @eugenebotha