Exotic eating at warm, authentic Japanese restaurant
DURING the evening I was a bit surprised at the number of diners at a beachfront hotel Japanese restaurant on a midweek night, and wondered if these were holidaymakers or early Durban July visitors.
This venue has a lovely ambience, warm lighting, great decor, elegant finishes. These I noticed as we were ushered to a table after walking in without a booking.
We were immediately given menus but it took a little longer to order our drinks, lime and soda (R30) and beers (R30 each).
For starters my wife went for miso soup (R33), with wakame seaweed and tofu, while my son chose the deepfriend calamari heads (R45), and I had a skewer with three pieces of grilled salmon belly (R35).All three starters were really good – the soup had superb flavours, the calamari heads were deliciously crunchy and the salmon had a crispy skin that contrasted with the fat and flesh of the fish.
This is a great restaurant for watching people.
The waiting staff were attentive, the chefs were busy conjuring up dishes virtually on the laps of diners sitting around their work stations, and then there were the diners themselves.
When it came to mains, from the teppanyaki à la carte menu my wife chose the seared tuna and salad (R145), while my son settled for fried noodles (R78) and extra shrimp (R30). I chose chicken pieces (R130) with potato wedges and salad.
The tuna was superb, as it should be in a restaurant like this, the noodles went down well, and my chicken had a pleasantly spicy and sweet flavour. The wedges and salad were also enjoyable. We ordered some wine by the glass, not cheap at R60 each.
For dessert I chose the Chakin crêpe (R70): vanilla ice cream wrapped in crêpe with fresh fruit and orange sauce. Fun, and I loved the fresh fruit.
We finished with two filter coffees (R20) that ended a very satisfying meal.