SW1’s unique twist to Asian food works well
SW1 Shop 5, Flanders Mall, 14 Flanders Drive, Mt Edgecombe 031 502 2215 Hours: Mon to Sat: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 4.30pm – 9pm I’M A bit of an idiot. At the end of an enjoyable evening I put the bill in my shirt pocket and then forgot about it. By the time I remembered, the shirt had been washed. So, I am relying on memory for some of the details.
We joined friends at this restaurant, which the waiter said had opened in November. There is a sister restaurant, The Wok Box, in MacKeurtan Avenue in Durban North.
Situated in a shopping mall, the restaurant sells itself as a “meet-to-eat store that will touch on the best that South East Asia has to offer, done with our own unique twist”.
The ambience is functional, with the seating similar to an American diner, which I think gives greater privacy.
We ordered beers and soft drinks and were invited to make our choice from the menu, which included a printed version, classics written up on one wall, and a specials menu chalked up an opposite wall. In my case, looking at the specials meant swivelling one’s neck, rather like an owl.
Someone helpfully suggested I should stand up to read the menu but I’m shy about these things.
We decided to share three starters between the four of us and chose the crispy chicken and coriander wontons that came with a home-made chilli jam; a combination chicken, prawns and calamari beach salad on a bed of crispy spinach; and, finally, rice paper rolls with basil salsa.
All three were delicious. The wontons were really good; my wife loved the beach salad; and the rice paper rolls were great, especially with the salsa.
Among the other starter specials were fresh tuna salad and spicy duck spring rolls.
The mains specials included a lamb curry, fresh grilled tuna steak, cashew beef fillet with peanut sauce, tempura prawns and grilled line fish with coriander and coconut salsa.
The classic menu included crispy chilli chicken; spicy peanut chicken with wok noodles, Peking BBQ chicken, crispy pork, wasabi sirloin, crispy pork belly and crispy calamari.
My wife chose the fresh grilled tuna steak which I thought was outstanding. Our friends chose the tempura prawns and the crispy duck with honey and lemongrass, and I chose the steamed fresh line fish with chilli and lime. The prawns were a bit cheaper, but the other three dishes were between R140 and R150.
We all tried a bit of each other’s meal and they all won approval. The duck was full of flavour, the prawns plump and the linefish was delicious, with a pleasant bite from the chilli. Two of us chose the eggfried rice to go with our mains. Someone also had more of the crispy spinach.
I finished off my linefish but all three of my companions were unable to finish their mains and asked for doggy bags. We had brought our own wine and sat there very happily, chatting and sipping our drinks.
The cappuccinos were also very good.
The bill for the four of us, including beers and soft drinks, three starters, four main courses and some coffees came to R988. The main courses were the heavy hitters on the bill.
Our waiter said the restaurant was picking up nicely and, while we were there, there were several other tables of diners.
We could see why.