24 November 2006
	RESTAURANT A pinch more passion, please By Linda Stafford

It was a sad day indeed when Belgian "Coco" Reinharz closed his doll-size Ma Passion in Greenside, Johannesburg. His bid to serve unfussy but well-prepared French bistro food with the odd central African accent - he was born in Burundi and brought up in Belgium and the Congo - was an antidote to the fusiony ingredient overload of the trendy restaurant strip. So I was delighted to hear that he is back in business as executive chef of Sel et Poivre (for Salt and Pepper). Delighted, too, to taste his sprightly watercress and rocket salad with caramelised goat's milk cheese (R43), a perfectly balanced combination of crunchy, creamy, sweet and sour, followed by dreamy gratinéed crab served with sweet potato mash (R89). A second visit, on a busy Friday night, was slightly less successful, simply because I found Reinharz's slow-roasted lamb shank in port (R95) with mash lacked oomph. It was one of a handful of dishes on his "Comfort Food" menu, along with what my companion ate: piping-hot, satisfyingly crunchy potato rösti with smoked salmon (R36,50) and an all-it-should-be grilled beef fillet (R85) with Madagascan pepper sauce and chips. Though I'd have preferred to share vanilla Bourbon cheese cake with crème Anglaise (R32), he was dead set on tiramisu infused with Amarula (R29), inspired, if a trifle too sweet for my taste. HOW TO FIND IT Sel et Poivre: Quartermain Inn, 137 West Street, Morningside, Sandton Tel: (011) 884-9037 On the main menu is a starter I remember fondly from Ma Passion days: tomato, mozzarella and basil in a thin, crunchy pastry case with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (R39). The African accents are there, too. Reinharz has tried to breathe life into a restaurant not of his creation which suffers from a staid, institutional feel - love the breadsticks fashioned into an "S" and a "P". Though it has a spacious, pool-centred veranda, it needs a revamp. Or, perhaps, a dose of ma passion.