Breakfast burrito from Off The Wall. Photo courtesy of the restaurant

An eclectic pop-up concept is pumping life into the Pretoria food scene. We chat to entrepreneurial foodie Khanya Mzongwana (aka Yulu Ishii), owner of Off The Wall pop-up restaurant in the capital city.

Food journey

For Yulu, food first became a “big deal” when she found herself flipping through magazines and racing to the food section to ogle at the beautiful, mouth-watering dishes.

“I wiggled my way into the food industry by way of a short-lived, boring culinary course I completed at Damelin, which was luckily overshadowed by years of practical experience in a really wide variety of amazing establishments, such as Hacklewood Hill Country House and Ginger Restaurant.”

But it was under the guidance of Brent and Emmy Mills of 3 Fat Fish in Jeffrey’s Bay that Yulu began to come into her own artistically. “I had the encouragement I needed to truly be myself in the kitchen, and got back to basics in terms of understanding the use of ingredients.”

While she was still 21, Yulu opened a small restaurant in Port Elizabeth, The Aztec Kitchen, which closed its doors after three years (basically three decades in restaurant-industry time).

When asked about the lessons learned from this experience, Yulu jokes, “Expensive ones!” She now knows there’s a lot more to running a restaurant than just cooking great food. “Forming a reliable team of people as committed to the restaurant’s success as you are is vital.”

A gap in the wall

Not to be discouraged, Yulu founded Off The Wall pop-up restaurant in June 2013. “It was conceptualised out of a sheer need for something cool to do in Pretoria. We recognised a gap in the dining scene and felt it was missing creativity and eccentricity.” The name is inspired by Michael Jackson’s number-one hit album Off The Wall. “It’s also a 70s black American colloquialism for ‘fantastic’ or ‘out of this world’.”

But why a pop-up this time? Yulu explains, “We figured it to be a prelude to having our own space. Also, the pop-up trend is something I’d wanted to sink my teeth into for a long time. I really enjoy the challenge of adapting to a different space each time, allowing the mood of wherever we plant our feet to shape our artistic direction. It’s very exciting.”

Off The Wall’s dishes take inspiration from around the world. Photo courtesy of the restaurant

Flavour and adventure

It’s an honest, down-to-earth approach with regards to food, with dishes that are healthy and sustainable, but still approachable and innovative. Yulu’s food styling background pushes her to present everything in a playful and creative way.

Another unique aspect of this pop-up experience is the music. “I couldn’t do Off The Wall without my partner in crime and love, Sakhile Ndlazi, also known as the prolific, eclectic DJ Bubbles, who always accompanies the great food with an electrifying vinyl set.”

As for clientele, Yulu says she loves to feed families and big, happy groups. “We’ve been lucky enough to attract a very jolly crowd with an appreciation for flavour and an affinity for adventure.” The pop-up is usually set up in mostly established spaces, with Yulu playing up the strengths of whichever company she’s working with. “At a coffee shop, for example, we would offer a wide variety of beans from around the world and pair them up with appropriate accompaniments.”

While the dishes change for each pop-up event, recent signatures include slow-roasted pull-apart lamb shoulder with pomegranate, Danish feta, fresh figs and mint, and the pickled aubergine and chakalaka tortillas with coriander yoghurt.

Yulu Ishii – full of fun

Get a taste of Off The Wall

The next Off the Wall event is on Saturday 27 June 2015 at a quaint new coffee shop called Grounded At Echo, on the corner of Pierneef and 24th Avenue in Pretoria. Send an email to info@groundedat.co.za to make a booking. You can also reach Off The Wall Pop-Up Restaurant on Facebook, via email at offthewallpopup@gmail.com or on 061 257 4475.