Smoked Miso Szechuan Aubergine & Peashoot.
Smoked Miso Szechuan Aubergine & Peashoot.
Image: Aart Verrips

If Covid-19 has taught those in the restaurant industry anything, it’s the necessity of adapting to the times — a lesson the team at Glory has learned all too well. 

At the beginning of the month, the popular pop-up announced that its private-dining experience in the suburbs of Westdene will sadly be coming to an end. The last service will be on 27 September until which time they will be serving lunch from Thursdays to Saturdays.

But being innovative in the face of a pandemic and learning how to navigate life post-lockdown has meant the team has been cooking up some exciting new food experiences.

Since the beginning of September, the team has been taking over the kitchen at Brik Cafe in Rosebank on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings with their almost exclusively pescaterian tapas-style pop-up dinners full of the Asian flavours chef Nick Scott is known for.

“Building on a successful pop-up with Brik last year, Glory and Sasha [Simpson] from Brik wanted to collaborate again in celebration of restaurants re-opening while Brik phase in their new operating hours,” says Glory’s Caroline Olavarrieta.

Scott is also trying out something entirely new: this pop-up at Brik is Glory’s first endeavour in sourcing produce from Ichthys aquaponics — a sustainable, bio-diverse system of farming fish and plants together in a mutually beneficial system.

Ceviche Nam Jim with puffed rice cracker.
Ceviche Nam Jim with puffed rice cracker.
Image: Aart Verrips

So far, the pop-up has proven to be hugely successful, providing a bit of a sanctuary to people as restaurants have been allowed to open again. “Coming out of hard lockdown, we were a safe environment where people could reconnect with friends,” says Scott.

But this is only the beginning. Now that summer is in the air, the team wants to be in the heart of things and have a few more collaborations planned.

“It’s [our] first attempt at doing this and we’re fairly certain that this will be the direction we’ll go in,” Scott says. In October they plan to start a laidback pop-up private dining experience residency at Riva Townhouse in Bryanston and will be partnering with Nandi Dlepu’s Feel Good Series pop-up space at 44 Stanley on 30 and 31 October.

The team has a few more surprises up their sleeve so keep an eye on their Instagram account (@gloryjoburg) for more exciting collaborations.

For now, catch their pop-up at Brik which will be running until 27 September. The five-course set menu costs R250 with the option of add-on tapas and add-on mains. They still have space for the rest of the month, but seating is limited so reservations are essential. To make a booking, phone or WhatsApp 063-766-1238.

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