Dish
Published: 01 Dec 07
Category: Contemporary classic
It opens onto a courtyard that at present is a concrete wasteland, but once neighbouring shops and restaurants open, and the flats around the square fill up, it promises to be vibrant, especially on warm Durban evenings.
The menu style is food we know and love, with classy twists. We agonised over starters. There's garlicky snails in poppy-seed phyllo with blue cheese, pumpkin and feta ravioli, sautéed mushrooms in pastry with truffle oil or even a cappuccino of cannelloni bean soup with onions and pancetta. There's one gang who go for the trio of prawn tails: two coconut crumbed, two in phyllo and two crisp battered with their own dipping sauce. Fortunately each has different favourites.
We all eyed the salmon. Now the Lady from North Devon told how salmon suppers were cooked since the first Baron's days during the English civil war. The whole fish goes into the kettle, is covered with water, brought to the boil and simmered for exactly three minutes. It's then allowed to cool in the water. It's served with steamed green asparagus in a butter sauce. And by the time the season was over, everyone at Tawstock House was heartily sick of these delicacies.
But this not being April, she went for the home cured gravalax - the pick of the evening. The fish more than matched a Norwegian health guru's cherished family recipe, while the horseradish cream and pickled ginger trumped the more conventional mustard sauce. My duck spring rolls with Chinese five spice and wasabi mayo and plum sauce were very good, while McDonald's hearty bowl of mildly curried crab soup was delicious.
For mains the lady demanded duck, with a citrus basting and gingered sherry jus. It was very good, the gingery sauce inspired although the duck could have been pinker - but then the lady had threatened the kitchen that it was going back if the skin wasn't crisp. She approved. I enjoyed McDonald's oxtail with pearl onions, carrots and leeks in a white wine sauce. It gave the dish a tasty summery lift, but he felt it was oxtail "lite", and wanted the whole rich red wine affair.
My grilled quail and prawns should be two dishes, although it's probably intended as an upmarket version of the traditional Portuguese combo. The prawns were a good size and perfectly cooked, but the quail a touch dry, the rosemary and orange basting not coming through. The mountains of rice and potato wedges would have defeated an army.
Otherwise there's seared salmon with wasabi butter, a traditional slow-braised lamb shank with onions and butter beans and a selection of grills. I'd like to give the gnocchi with crab, tomato, lemon and mild chilli a try, and would also settle for a prawn curry in tamarind tomato chutney with all the trimmings.
For dessert, the crème brûlée got the thumbs up, while pistachio nut brownies or banana fudge spring rolls with a chocolate dipping sauce are certainly popular.
There are some lighter options for lunch, which include calamari and chourico, chicken and prawn samoosas, a homemade burger or chef's sandwich. Salads include mixed seafood, or roasted beetroot, or spinach, pancetta, broccoli and croutons.
You won't find much missing on this tight but well compiled winelist with usual hotel mark-ups. Although more options by the glass would give DISH the edge in that after work/pre-cinema nouveau slot.
Average price of a three-course meal: R150
br />Address: Royal Palms Hotel, 6 Palm Boulevard, Umhlanga
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Mon – Sun. BYO R20.
Tel: 031 581 8181
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
It opens onto a courtyard that at present is a concrete wasteland, but once neighbouring shops and restaurants open, and the flats around the square fill up, it promises to be vibrant, especially on warm Durban evenings.
The menu style is food we know and love, with classy twists. We agonised over starters. There's garlicky snails in poppy-seed phyllo with blue cheese, pumpkin and feta ravioli, sautéed mushrooms in pastry with truffle oil or even a cappuccino of cannelloni bean soup with onions and pancetta. There's one gang who go for the trio of prawn tails: two coconut crumbed, two in phyllo and two crisp battered with their own dipping sauce. Fortunately each has different favourites.
We all eyed the salmon. Now the Lady from North Devon told how salmon suppers were cooked since the first Baron's days during the English civil war. The whole fish goes into the kettle, is covered with water, brought to the boil and simmered for exactly three minutes. It's then allowed to cool in the water. It's served with steamed green asparagus in a butter sauce. And by the time the season was over, everyone at Tawstock House was heartily sick of these delicacies.
But this not being April, she went for the home cured gravalax - the pick of the evening. The fish more than matched a Norwegian health guru's cherished family recipe, while the horseradish cream and pickled ginger trumped the more conventional mustard sauce. My duck spring rolls with Chinese five spice and wasabi mayo and plum sauce were very good, while McDonald's hearty bowl of mildly curried crab soup was delicious.
For mains the lady demanded duck, with a citrus basting and gingered sherry jus. It was very good, the gingery sauce inspired although the duck could have been pinker - but then the lady had threatened the kitchen that it was going back if the skin wasn't crisp. She approved. I enjoyed McDonald's oxtail with pearl onions, carrots and leeks in a white wine sauce. It gave the dish a tasty summery lift, but he felt it was oxtail "lite", and wanted the whole rich red wine affair.
My grilled quail and prawns should be two dishes, although it's probably intended as an upmarket version of the traditional Portuguese combo. The prawns were a good size and perfectly cooked, but the quail a touch dry, the rosemary and orange basting not coming through. The mountains of rice and potato wedges would have defeated an army.
Otherwise there's seared salmon with wasabi butter, a traditional slow-braised lamb shank with onions and butter beans and a selection of grills. I'd like to give the gnocchi with crab, tomato, lemon and mild chilli a try, and would also settle for a prawn curry in tamarind tomato chutney with all the trimmings.
For dessert, the crème brûlée got the thumbs up, while pistachio nut brownies or banana fudge spring rolls with a chocolate dipping sauce are certainly popular.
There are some lighter options for lunch, which include calamari and chourico, chicken and prawn samoosas, a homemade burger or chef's sandwich. Salads include mixed seafood, or roasted beetroot, or spinach, pancetta, broccoli and croutons.
You won't find much missing on this tight but well compiled winelist with usual hotel mark-ups. Although more options by the glass would give DISH the edge in that after work/pre-cinema nouveau slot.
Average price of a three-course meal: R150
by Frank Chemaly
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Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Mon – Sun. BYO R20.
Tel: 031 581 8181
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
