RESTAURANT IDENTITY

Cape Town, South Africa, Release: November 2019. For Immediate Release

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South African born Thandi Wiltshire, a local Cape Town resident, announced the opening of her sushi bar RAW. The restaurant is situated on the Kalk Bay wharf on Main Rd, Kalk Bay, Cape Town. The restaurant will be open in the afternoons and evenings for a lunch and dinner extravaganza.

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RAW has been a labour of love and a project that was born out of Wiltshire’s love for sushi and her passion for the fine dining experience. This passion is shared by renowned Japanese sushi master chef Hatsushiro Muraoka. Affectionately known as Chef Papa San, Muraoka arrived in South Africa in 1989, opened Minato’s restaurant in Cape Town in 1996. Although Muraoka returned to his home country, he later came back to the Cape and together with Wiltshire has created an authentic sushi restaurant right on our doorstep.

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As a renowned sushi chef who is well-known and widely respected; Muraoka’s techniques have always been known to stand out amongst the crowd. Despite being considered a master of his trade, Muraoka is always looking for ways to improve his techniques to give patrons the best sushi experience possible.

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Muraoka is said to be meticulous and especially careful ensuring that all locally bought ingredients are fresh and prepared to perfection. According to Wiltshire, he even adds special ingredients to his sushi rice. “I have no idea how he does it, or what he does, he won’t even tell me,” said a laughing Wiltshire.

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“As with all things, food and techniques evolve with time. As we move forward and cultures intertwine, pallets expand and people become more willing to try new things. And that’s what RAW is really about, creating an environment that houses both well known and more modern dishes to appeal to the traditional as well as the more adventurous food lovers,” Wiltshire explained.  

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RAW’s location brings customers close to the source of their cuisine. The restaurant is right above the rocks of the Kalk Bay wharf resulting in an authentic ambiance created by the waves that crash up against the restaurant windows. 

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Although Kalk Bay has many restaurants that serve sushi, RAW will be the first sushi bar in the picturesque costal community. Here, sushi purveyors will be able to enjoy traditional sushi as well as familiar Japanese dishes like Tempura and Miso soup.

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Although culturally, Wiltshire has no Japanese connection, through her décor she has created an atmosphere that encourages patrons to embrace and interact with the different cultural aspects that not only make up the cuisine but also the environment around the restaurant itself. The combination of minimalist decor with artwork that highlights the Japanese culture manage to intertwine themselves with the proudly South African attitude of the owner and staff alike.

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As the daughter of restaurant owners, the dining industry and the various structures that create a successful business has been ingrained into her conscience for many years. “Originally I wanted to stay as far away from the hospitality business as possible, but my passion for sharing both food and experiences with others is what drew me back into the industry.”

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The RAW manager, Lerato Dlamini says that the freshness of their food along with the experience of both Wiltshire and Muraoka sets the stage for a wonderful dining experience for its customers. “It is something that we are all proud of and can’t wait to share with others,” she said.

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RAW’s grand opening is set for 12h00 on the 7th of December 2019, just in time for the oncoming summer season. For bookings contact (+27 21) 788 5512 or go to www.rawrestaurant.co.za. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter @RAWRestaurant.