Little meat on the bone

in Durban’s Morningside has had something of a makeover since I was last there – and yes, it’s been a while. Gone are the starched linen tablecloths, in favour of the red check. There’s mod red chairs, red on the walls. It think it’s meant to look a little more relaxed and informal – to me it just looks red.

The menu too is more casual – Marco’s has seemingly merged with Mamma’s next door. The Mamma’s light menu is available here.

Starters might include smoked salmon carpaccio, crispy calamari, bruschetta or melanzane. There’s an antipasti platter to share.

I opted for Marco’s own take on coquille St Jacques. It was mixed seafood in a spicy cream sauce with pepper and a dash of tomato. Well, the sauce certainly had flavour and the seafood portion was generous but unfortunately the sauce had split and it was drowning in a layer of butter. Too long under the grill I suspect.

Lionel’s zucchini fritte should have been a light, crisp dish. But here it was disappointing. There was nothing crisp about it, the batter devoid of salt and the dipping sauce a bowl of mayonnaise.

There are any number of ways with pizzas including baby potatoes, rosemary, tomatoes and lemon zest; or crispy pancetta, tomatoes, chilli, garlic and avo; or salami, zucchini, artichokes and fresh basil. There’s an option with langos or even creamed spinach, and calzone (the folded pizza) makes a rare appearance. Plus all pizzas and pastas are available in two sizes.

Pastas take in the likes of line fish with chilli, garlic and white wine; or meatballs, pancetta, Parmesan and black pepper. There are options with mussels and clams, or chicken livers. The mushroom tagliatelle was memorable the last

ARCO’S

time I visited although it’s now done with mozzarella.

Mains take in the likes of lamb shanks, or fillet with either mustard or blue cheese sauce, baby chicken, and veal limone. We both headed towards the specials.

Lionel’s tagliatelle with fillet strips in a blue cheese sauce is not a dish I would have ordered. Steak and blue cheese simply does not work for me. It was disappointing. The dish was devoid of salt, the pasta the wrong side of al dente and the sauce so heavily creamed it shouted down the blue cheese.

My oxtail on buttered gnocchi didn’t make amends. The oxtail, while pleasant enough, had very little meat on the bones, the gnocchi could have been lighter, desperately needed salt and was swimming in butter. I gave up when I bit into half a bush of sage that had been used to garnish the gnocchi and then had the oxtail dumped on top.

We skipped dessert, although the lemon meringue served at a neighbouring table looked substantial – and sweet.

Monday to Friday and Sunday lunch, Monday to Sunday dinner.

Starters R35 to R95 (for an

Opening hours:

Prices:

antipasto platter); mains: R62 to R129; desserts R35 to R42.

Could do with some work. The beers arrived without glasses, the glasses then arrived wet.

031 309 8581

Service:

Telephone:

N TOmore enjoyable fare. My sister ducked out of St Anne’s to join me for lunch at Jaxx Restaurant in the Quarry Centre in Hilton this week.

Jaxx is a very simple affair offering firm favourites, good local ingredients and fresh cooking. Everything is plated beautifully. And it offers good value.

And on a warm spring day, it was packed. The locals obviously know a thing or two. It’s a light and airy restaurant with tables spilling on to the deck. On cold winter’s nights there’s a fire that roars inside, but when we visited it was all happening outside.

The menu is small but interesting. There’s a breakfast selection and some simple toasted sandwich options. There are salads but mains take in the likes of steaks, linefish, and the pork pie served with pickles and the like. The prawn pasta sounded interesting, as did the simple seared calamari starter.

OI had previously had their lamb burger with mint and feta and that won praise. A friend’s oxtail on that occasion was also notable.

I opted for the lamb curry, served with chutney, raita and sambals – and a poppadom on the side. It was a flavourful affair, perhaps without the fire of its Durban cousin, but with all the right spice notes. The lamb was on the bone, but the meat was generous. I took half of it home.

Lynn was fulsome in her praise for the hake strips served in light batter with home-made tartare sauce on the side. The good side salad was served with a little jug of dressing on the side. Lynn liked the fact that everything came on the side – obviously something about