South African culture, flavors fused at upscale restaurant

The ambiance at Peli Peli is apparent from the moment one walks in the door, hears live piano music and takes in the 30-foot high ceiling made to resemble an Acacia tree.

When owner and executive chef Paul Friedman was 12 years old and growing up in South Africa, he visited a national park and saw a pride of lions eating under an Acacia tree—this image would drive Friedman to open a restaurant in which people can enjoy a meal under a shady tree.

Several decades and 57 restaurants later, Friedman runs Peli Peli—Houston's only South African restaurant—inspired by the cosmopolitan vibe of his home country.

"People from all over Europe lived there," Friedman said. "It was like a big melting pot."

The restaurant, which opened in 2009, got its namesake from 15th century Africa, when the Portugese arrived and used the pepper named piri piri to cook chicken and seafood. The spice is one of many Friedman uses to make the flavors of Africa come alive in his restaurant, but he typically mixes them with guava, pineapple or mango to create his own custom dishes.

"We became friends many years ago, and I was always amazed at how he was so detail oriented in the kitchen," said Thomas Nguyen, Peli Peli co-owner.

Friedman's background with cooking dates back to some of his earliest childhood memories when he would watch his nanny cook around the kitchen. He opened his first restaurant in South Africa with his mother's life savings, and then opened others there and in Europe before coming to America. When he found a two-story location at Vintage Park in 2007, he came to Houston and began to work on making his dream of dining under an Acacia tree—also referred to as the tree of life—a reality.

About 10 percent of the menu at Peli Peli is authentic South African cuisine, while the majority is a fusion of other cuisines with South African flavors, from the marinades to the seasonings.

"You get an explosion of flavor, yet it's steak, chicken or seafood," Friedman said.

Inspired by another moment from Friedman's childhood, the espetada ($38), or marinated prime beef, is cooked in crushed red pepper, bay leaves, red wine and garlic and marinated for two days. It is then served on a custom-made stand with a garlic sauce drizzling down the sides.

A newer menu item, the Cape Town skillet ($34) features prawn, shrimp, calamari and mussels sauted in a frying pan and served with African rice pilaf.

"It's absolutely delicious, but messy," Friedman said. "Be prepared to suck your fingers afterwards."

There are several variations of steak on the menu as well, ranging from the safari steak to the garlic filet to the Madagascar peppercorn steak.

"Everyone loves steak, but they've never had it the way we prepare it," Nguyen said. "We want to make sure that [for] people [who] do try us out that we give them the best experience we can."

Owner recommendations

• Espetada–Marinated prime beef in garlic herbs and spices is served on a custom-designed skewer. Served with spinach and roasted potatoes. ($38)
• Chilean Sea Bass–Pan-seared in a house-made butter sauce, the sea bass is served on sauted spinach and topped with lemon butter sauce. ($32)
• Sticky Toffee Pudding–Cake with ice cream, caramel sauce. ($12)
• Prawns–Tiger prawns in a spicy butter sauce and served with African rice pilaf. ($28)

Sunday brunch

Brunch is served every Sunday from 10:30 a.m.–2 p.m. The following are a few of the offerings:

• South African Eggs Benedict–Two eggs served on English muffins with Canadian bacon and Hollandaise sauce. Served with homemade roasted new potatoes, bacon, sausage link, fruit and a French toast stick. ($16)
• Flat iron steak and Peli Peli scrambled omelet–Flat-iron steak with an omelet, hash browns, fruit, bacon, breakfast sausage and a French toast stick. ($20)
• Garlic filet tips and South African Eggs Benedict–Marinated prime beef tips in garlic and spices, served on a bed of spinach with South African Eggs Benedict. Comes with sides. ($22)

Peli Peli, 110 Vintage Park Blvd., Ste. P, Houston, 281-257-9500, www.pelipeli.com

• Mon.–Thur. 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
• Fri.–Sat. 11 a.m.–11 p.m.
• Sun. 10:30 a.m.–10 p.m.