Society
Published: 25 Oct 05
Category: Cosmopolitan
tings of cascading mother-of-pearl discs mingling with art
deco reproductions; historic sepia family pictures vying for attention from
a group of plates decorating the walls; and so it goes on. Is Society trying
to shift the terrain of present public taste away from minimalism?
Dark green walls with tropical leaf patterns and one wall dedicated to the restaurant logo of a rather fancy bird of paradise complete the picture of a once-upon-a-time elegant place somewhere on the Florida Keys.
At last the graceful old lady called Hollis House is full of buzz and activity again.
Featuring a cosmopolitan style cuisine, Society also has a sushi and sashimi bar where you can watch your order being prepared. And fresh and very tasty it is too. My sushi roll cut into eight pieces comprised tuna, prawn, salmon and avocado; a delicious and filling portion.
A tower of röstis, prawns and strawberries with a "touch of chilli" was a special starter but hopefully will not ever become a menu item. Deep fried and oily (old oil), the röstis were completely dried out, not crisp as intended, and the chilli was too much - even the strawberries could hardly cool my palate. However, the presentation was beautiful in an angled soup plate, quite special indeed. In fact the entire meal achieved top marks on presentation as well as in anticipation on reading the menu.
Strawberry soup with litchi sorbet and mascarpone cream sounded tempting, but had no depth and was desperately sweet. I wonder whether the pineapple, almond and mint springroll with star aniseed syrup would come up to expectations?
The winelist is structured in such a way that you might choose to match each course with a glass.
You could also go the "grand route" of Dom Pérignon, Spier Private Collection Viognier and Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir (all by the bottle only).
A 500g crayfish done in a Café de Paris sauce on orange risotto for R100 was to be our main attraction. A huge square platter arrived with an overall impression of hues of "brown". The unimpressive sauce had robbed the crayfish of any taste of the sea and camouflaged any special taste in the risotto. The reaction at two other tables when their crayfish arrived and was tasted was as flat as ours.
Dessert came in the form of strawberry tartlets - nice but not particularly memorable.
Three course dinner: R140.
Address: Hollis House, 178 Florida Road, Berea, Durban. Tel 031 312 3211/3. Open seven days a week from noon. Booking essential. BYO R20. Street Parking.
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
The same goes for the décor, an assembly of pieces seemingly gathered from many different homes or second-hand shops. The shabby chic assortment of chairs; light fit
Dark green walls with tropical leaf patterns and one wall dedicated to the restaurant logo of a rather fancy bird of paradise complete the picture of a once-upon-a-time elegant place somewhere on the Florida Keys.
At last the graceful old lady called Hollis House is full of buzz and activity again.
Featuring a cosmopolitan style cuisine, Society also has a sushi and sashimi bar where you can watch your order being prepared. And fresh and very tasty it is too. My sushi roll cut into eight pieces comprised tuna, prawn, salmon and avocado; a delicious and filling portion.
A tower of röstis, prawns and strawberries with a "touch of chilli" was a special starter but hopefully will not ever become a menu item. Deep fried and oily (old oil), the röstis were completely dried out, not crisp as intended, and the chilli was too much - even the strawberries could hardly cool my palate. However, the presentation was beautiful in an angled soup plate, quite special indeed. In fact the entire meal achieved top marks on presentation as well as in anticipation on reading the menu.
Strawberry soup with litchi sorbet and mascarpone cream sounded tempting, but had no depth and was desperately sweet. I wonder whether the pineapple, almond and mint springroll with star aniseed syrup would come up to expectations?
The winelist is structured in such a way that you might choose to match each course with a glass.
You could also go the "grand route" of Dom Pérignon, Spier Private Collection Viognier and Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir (all by the bottle only).
A 500g crayfish done in a Café de Paris sauce on orange risotto for R100 was to be our main attraction. A huge square platter arrived with an overall impression of hues of "brown". The unimpressive sauce had robbed the crayfish of any taste of the sea and camouflaged any special taste in the risotto. The reaction at two other tables when their crayfish arrived and was tasted was as flat as ours.
Dessert came in the form of strawberry tartlets - nice but not particularly memorable.
Three course dinner: R140.
By Mechthild Yorke-Mitchell
Address: Hollis House, 178 Florida Road, Berea, Durban. Tel 031 312 3211/3. Open seven days a week from noon. Booking essential. BYO R20. Street Parking.
Food:
Wine list
Ambience:
Service:
Value:
