Friday Nights: Cafe 1999

When the best restaurants in Durban are discussed, Cafe 1999 generally gets mentioned, and has done so for the past ten years. It was with some anticipation then, that we booked a table for Friday night, and having practiced my rusty parallel parking skills in the road opposite, headed inside.

With a restaurant that aspires to inspire as this one does ('iconic dining since 1999' is their tagline), first impressions do count. Cafe 1999 falls somewhat short on this count - it is situated in a small shopping centre, alongside several other restaurants, and does not have much in the way of street appeal. Entering the restaurant, the underwhelming feeling continues. There is an almost conspicuous lack of decor, with one wall completely bare, and the other containing only a long mirror. Tables are simply set with a tea light candle and a diminutive salt and pepper set of the sort that commonly graces tables at the Wimpy or perhaps your Gran's. Clearly the food here is left to speak for itself - not necessarily a bad thing.

The atmosphere is bustling, with waiters flying between closely spaced tables, and the clatter of conversation mostly drowning out the music, which is more Cafe del Mar than Katie Melua.

An amuse bouche is brought to the table, a single fish cake served on a spoon with a few microleaf herbs. Simple, but tasty.

Some reviewers have commented that the wine list is on the pricey side. We ordered a bottle of Ken Forrester Reserve Chenin Blanc  ('you can always trust old Ken', reckoned the waiter) which cost R175 (retail R75). The wine list is well picked, but short, so you might struggle to find something familiar. The Ken Forrester was lovely.

We each ordered a starter - one deep fried camembert (the peppadew jam is the revelation here) and one calamari and tentacles with chourico, beautifully crumbed and hinting at lemon, garlic and rosemary. After ordering starters we heard the specials, and promptly ordered the tuna sashimi starter too, which was probably the best of the lot. Raw tuna, served on a bed of avocado puree, and interspersed with pickled ginger and shards of crispy wafer.

For our main courses we selected a beef fillet on basil pesto capellini and, unusually for me, a chicken dish of thighs crusted with coconut and coriander and served on ginger sweet potato mash. The chicken was delicious - the sweet, smooth mash contrasting nicely with the crisp, salty crust of the thighs. The beef fillet was rare as ordered, tender and well seasoned, but unfortunately cold. We sent it back to the kitchen, from where it returned only marginally warmer - a bit of a downer.

Finally, for desert we settled on the chocolate brownies, a restaurant staple, with the white chocolate and poppy seed ice-cream the deciding factor. I often find desert to be the most neglected course when eating out, but was pleased in this instance to find the chocolate brownies intense, crusty, warm and oozing - everything a brownie should be, and the ice-cream a worthy accompaniment.

So, is it as good as it should be? Perhaps, reluctantly, I would have to say 'no'. The food was generally excellent, although the cold main course, and especially the way it was handled was disappointing. The menu is fairly short, and while full of interest, stops just short of throwing caution to the wind and being a little adventurous. Service was generally good, excepting the incident already mentioned. And as for decor - would it kill to get a few decent salt and pepper set on the tables?

I give it 1997/1999.

Cell phone camera does not do justice...