Peri-peri chicken and prawns... what more could you ask for?
No Way Jose Where: Open:
Call:
1 Village Way, Sunningdale Tuesday to Saturday, noon to 9pm, Sunday, noon to 3pm.
031 020 1752
THE Poet loves the chips. They’re large and round and like fat potato crisps, except they’re hot and cooked like chips. So she organised for a gang of us to go to No Way Jose for dinner this week.
Known for its homespun Portuguese food, this neighbourhood eatery is popular with residents of Durban North. It’s a simple eatery with a bar counter and TV on one side (a loud cheer went up when the Dolphins won) and it spills onto a small verandah.
Our waitress was charming and saved the place from feeling like a bit of a barn. She also helped when a mixture of odd lighting, strange colours on the menu, and no glasses meant I couldn’t read a thing.
We soon had our drinks. We decided to share some starters. Everything you would expect on a Portuguese menu is there: peri-peri livers, calamari, beef or chicken trinchado, and caldo verde – the famed potato and kale/ collard greens soup. But the weather was too hot for soup.
The shrimp rissoles (R90 for three) were generous, and were nice, crisp and tasty. The chourico (R85) came flaming to the table, complete with a crisp Portuguese roll and some very powerful chilli sauce. The chicken giblets (R75) were good in a mild lemon and herb sauce. We ordered another roll to mop up the sauce.
Mains take in a number of ways with chicken, fish and prawns, either peri-peri or lemon and garlic. Mussels come in a creamy garlic sauce, and fish can be either hake or kingklip. Sardines are available. If you want, there’s steak, topped with fried egg, or beef or chicken espetada. Prego rolls also feature, and trinchado can be had as a main course.
Naturally, there’s any number of combos. Sides can be hand-cut chips, rice, Portuguese salad or milho frito, which is basically fried polenta squares. It’s a fairly basic menu.
Two of our party went for a special of six large prawns (R210), two went for half-chicken with chips in lemon and garlic (R95), another had half-chicken and salad with peri-peri (R95). I opted for the peri-peri half-chicken with four large prawns (R220).
The chicken was succulent and tender, and the peri-peri sauce mild, yet tasty. The prawns were a decent size and worked really well with that peri-peri. The Poet was right. The chips are worth the visit. We all enjoyed our meals and were well satisfied.
Desserts, too, are simple. Our waitress sang the praises of some delicious double caramel ice cream they were serving as a special. Otherwise, there is cheesecake and ice cream and chocolate sauce and, yes, home-made pasteis de nata do feature. I ordered the last slice of their home-made crème caramel (R50), which I enjoyed. But none of our party were prepared to risk the added calories of double caramel ice cream, no matter how hard the sell.
Food: 3½
Service: 3½
Ambience: 3
The Bill: R1800 with tip (for six)