South African Chef Opens Up a New Houston Restaurant In Former Churrascos Space — Chef’s Table River Oaks Changes It Up

Paul Friedman, the South African-born, self-taught chef who introduced many to the ingredients of his homeland at his popular Houston restaurant Peli Peli, has opened a new restaurant in the three-decade-old former home of the Cordua Brothers’ South American restaurant Churrascos on Westheimer Road.

The veteran restaurateur who cut his teeth in the business at the age of 20 after a South African military service stint says this latest restaurant called The Chef’s Table River Oaks marks his 60-second creative concept. The first thriving The Chef’s Table restaurant actually opened in 2021 in the Vintage Park development in Northwest Houston.

The Chef’s Table River Oaks comes from Friedman and his son and partner Kyle Friedman, a construction contractor who’s lent his expertise to the project, one designed by Tramonte Design Studio. The new floor plan dramatically reorients the nearly 8,000-square-foot venue, pairing the noise-dampened main dining room appointed with ebony-paneled walls and plush banquette seating alongside a bustling bar, secondary dining space and a thoughtfully landscaped patio.

Colonial and immigrant influences over the centuries imbue South African cuisine with a range of influences, from those of the Dutch settlers to the Cape Malay, the descendants of slaves brought by the Dutch from Indonesia and Malaysia. Then, of course, there are the roasts and puddings of the British colonists and European settlers. This includes the French, whose impact on the wine industry in South Africa can still be felt. And don’t dismiss the Indian laborers who brought with them spices, curry dishes and chutneys so integral to the food found in South Africa today.

The Chef’s Table River Oaks Menu

Those influences all play a role in Friedman’s wide-ranging menu at The Chef’s Table River Oaks, which incorporates indigenous proteins imported from the Mother Continent, including ostrich, impala, sole, kingklip and their version of jerky made in-house, an appealing soft, chilled semi-dried beef called biltong ($12 for 3 ounces).

Specialties include starters such as vleispastei (bobotie, $16), a layered dish comprised of curried minced beef, topped with a puree of carrots, leeks and potato, wrapped with a pastry crust. The charred octopus ($28) is a laborious preparation of octopus that’s cooked sous-vide before it’s grilled to order and napped in a bright chimichurri sauce tossed with roasted potatoes basted with lemon-scented butter.

Moving onto mains at The Chef’s Table River Oaks, you’ll find Karoo lamb porterhouse ($58), a pair of grilled chops served over five cheese spiked whipped potatoes, ostrich filet chateaubriand ($58), whole deep-fried jerk snapper ($68) tossed in a light chickpea and rice spiced flour dredge Durban chicken ($36) in a mild yellow curry with a sambal of toasted coconut.

But the visual star might be the Portuguese Pendurada ($58), a beef kabob hung vertically from a pendulum-like stand brushed with garlic butter.

Friedman also oversees the import of South African wines from Anura Vineyards, a family owned winery in the Simonsberg Mountains known for its work with a dozen different grape varietals. Making an annual pilgrimage there, the chef also organizes a guided tour of South Africa for Texas food tourists focused on the country’s cultural history, with an emphasis on its culinary and winemaking heritage.

The Chef’s Table River Oaks is open 11 am to 10 pm Mondays through Saturdays, and 10 am to 10 pm Sundays. It is located at 2055 Westheimer Road.