“The Thinking Man’s Beef Jerky.” Don’t think of Biltong as Beef Jerky because it’s not, it’s something much better.
Appearances always matter and when I walked into Jonty Jacobs there was such a pleasant smell that I could not help but just stand there and just take everything in; the smells, the biltong hanging in the corner, the owners happily smiling behind the counter, the chef, and the staff greeting us very pleasantly. The shelves all contain South African goodies like Mrs. Balls Chilli Chutney, Nando’s hot sauce and Romany creams, amongst many other products like truffle products, caviar, and dried fruits and teas.
Jonty Jacobs offers prepackaged droewors (dried beef sausage), boerewors (South-African style sausage), and sosaties (marinated and skewered meat) available in different meats, cuts, and slices. For those that do not know, Biltong is fine cut beef that is rubbed with vinegar and spices and then hung up to dry naturally. The Biltong from Jonty Jacobs is American-made and contains no additives.
The owner of Jonty Jacobs is Monique Daniels, who is South African but was raised in Australia. She brought on South African Chef and entrepreneur Hugo Uys, who I also had the chance to meet along with Monique and her husband, to consult on the menu. While it’s still a new business, I’m always interested in what owners of businesses are planning for the future. When asked if there were any plans to expand, Monique’s answer was “San Diego.”
Jonty Jacobs is located at 114 Christopher Street in the West Village and can be reached at 646-490-5312. You can also check out their website at www.jontyjacobs.com to see more of their products.
Twisted Talk: Have you ever tasted Biltong? Are you planning on checking out Jonty Jacobs? Discuss below!
