Exploring the booths at Food & Wine, I’ve looked forward to South Africa ever since last last year’s Bunny Chow. It was a delicious vegetarian stew, and I was excited for another vegetarian dish. I was happy to see a Spinach and Paneer Cheese Pocket make its way onto this year’s menu.
For $3.25, I was beyond surprised by the size of the dish. While not a thick pocket, this is a big dish for Food & Wine, especially considering the price.
There was a nice amount of filling in the crust without either overpowering the dish. The pastry has a flaky consistency, with the interior hosting a soft filling. The spinach’s flavor held up well, and the paneer added more of a textural element in its creaminess to the dish. There was also a bit of a curry sauce in the filling that wasn’t too spicy hot, but flavorful. It was noticeable, but it melded well with the spinach and paneer in that it wasn’t too strong to those who may be a bit shy to its elements.
As I said, there was a lot of filling in comparison to the pastry. It was very nicely balanced, and I didn’t feel there was too much of any ingredient.
Whether or not you’re vegetarian, or perhaps like spinach or curries or maybe a slightly cheesey element, you can’t go wrong with this. If you like Spanikopita, be sure to give the pocket a try. It’s a slightly different take on some classic elements, and might be a great way to introduce yourself to some new variations!
If you’ve tried South Africa’s Spinach and Paneer Cheese Pocket, let us know what you thought of it!
Want to see what else we’ve been eating at Food & Wine? Check out these posts and stay tuned for more!
Poland: Zapiekanki
China: Mongolian Beef in a Steamed Bun, Mango Tapioca Pudding
Greece: Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey
I really looked forward to the bunny chow last year, but was ultimately unimpressed with it. I’m glad they changed the vegetarian option this year. Knowing that the dish has a noticeable curry flavor makes me even more excited to taste it.
We are going to be there in exactly 2 weeks, and I look forward to reading as many of your review posts as possible before we get there. So informative and helpful in deciding what we’ll try! 4 down…
I’ll find out tomorrow if I can go to F&W and if I can, I am so looking forward to this! I love sag paneer so this sounds right up my alley.
Melissa – Personally, I liked the Bunny Chow. While it wasn’t very strong on the overall flavor front, I did still enjoy it. I’m sure you’ll like the new dish though!
Sharon – I have many more on the way, so stay tuned and thank you for reading!
Cherry – Fingers crossed that you can go to F&W! Let us know if you get to go!
That does look good! Hope they will bring it back next year, so i can try!
It sounds like everyone who has tried it has enjoyed it, so hopefully it will return!
Yea! I got clearance and I can go!
23 more days.
How wonderful! I’m so happy you’ll get to come down and enjoy the festival this year!
Had the Spinach & Paneer pocket on this past Monday. (October 1) It was the best new thing I tried at F&W all day. I definitely hope they keep this one around for next year!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it too! I also would love for it to stick around.
Had the Spinach and Paneer pocket today too. My daughter liked it and was hoping that the recipe made it into the cookbook. No such luck. I would love to have a recipe if anyone can find it.
This was fantastic. Had it yesterday and it was very filling and flavorful. Definitely worth the price you pay. Have to tell you, we were sharing a table with a mom and daughter and we were laughing because the mom was asking to take a bite from her daughter’s pocket and the little girl was not happy about giving it up. Mom had to promise to buy her another one. LOLOL.
That is so cute!! But really, it’s probably the best value of the festival. So happy that a young one is partaking in the festival and enjoying it!