HRW2020 – Dinner at Peli Peli

Peli Peli has put together some enticing choices for Houston Restaurant Week. We check ’em out.

Having recently celebrated their tenth anniversary, Peli Peli is an integral part of the Houston restaurant scene. No restaurant sums up Houston better than Peli Peli; the multicultural organization brings a unique cuisine (South African) from a land far a way, then serves it with a distinctly Houston twist. The result is a restaurant that we wholeheartedly recommend to foodies and casual diners alike.

For Houston Restaurant Week, Chef Ryan Stewart has put together an enticing selection of some of Peli Peli’s greatest hits, and priced them to provide a great value. If you’ve never tried Peli Peli, there’s no better time than now. We sampled selections from their HRW dinner menu, and couldn’t resist begging the kitchen to bring out one of our favorites from the HRW lunch menu (also on the Shebeen bar menu, available at all hours.)

The espetada is Peli Peli’s signature dish. A hearty serving of cubed meat is beautifully marinated, grilled over an open flame on a metal skewer, then basted with fresh garlic. The result is incredibly savory and delicious. For HRW, Peli Peli is offering the outstanding Chicken Espetada, a dish often overlooked for it’s beefy brethren.

Overlooking this option is a mistake, because the tropical marinade really brings out the flavor of the grilled chicken. Paired with their superb spin on green beans, this should be at the top of every diner’s “must try” list.

Leaving the land for the sea, the Sandy Bay Seafood platter presents a cornucopia of seafood for the hungry foodie. Grilled shrimp, scallops, calamari, and beautifully prepared mussels are paired with a selection of Peli Peli’s delicious sauces, and the result is like Disneyworld for your tongue.

The sauces here are front and center, and bring a burst of flavor to every bite. Peli Peli’s sauces are unique, delicious, and very accessible even to non-adventurous eaters; this is a perfect choice for anyone who loves grilled seafood.

But what if you can’t decide between seafood and beef? The Ribeye Marina is another great option. An 8 ounce ribeye is grilled to temperature and topped with Gulf shrimp and calamari, and finished with an elegant white wine reduction sauce.

We had to try one option from the HRW lunch menu; fortunately it’s always available, since it’s featured on Peli Peli’s clever Shebeen bar menu. Dubbed the Crispy Fried Chicken Sandwich, the generous slab of chicken breast is breaded, deep fried, and topped with Peli Peli’s addictive peppadew remoulade sauce. Houston is experiencing a renaissance of fried chicken in 2020, and this sandwich should be on your short list.

No trip to Peli Peli is complete without sampling the creations from their talented bar staff. We loved the Cape Town, an South African twist on the classic martini. Cucumber vodka, lemon, and a hint of mint elevate this cocktail out of the 1950’s straight to 2020.

The other cocktail we sampled is the interestingly named Oude Fashioned. As you can guess, it’s a take on the classic Old Fashioned, with Clement Coconut, Angostura bitters, Toasted coconut, and orange providing a distinctly tropical note. If Jimmy Buffet drank Old Fashioneds, this would be his drink.

We found a lot to like on the Houston Restaurant Weeks menu at Peli Peli… it’s not surprising, because the menu is a well priced version of their “greatest hits”. Don’t miss this perfect time to introduce yourself to the best South African cuisine in the Houston area… or to revisit some of your favorites. We can’t wait to get back.