Durban boasts a trio of new restaurants – from a trendy hangout to a kid-friendly frozen yoghurt bar.
UNITY BRASSERIE AND BAR
A casual watering hole rather than a restaurant, this brasserie strikes a balance between an all day eatery and a late-night drinks and nibbles venue.
Perch at the bar for a snack or share one of the handful of tables with friends. Oozing marrow bones, tangy chicken livers and perfect salt-and-pepper squid are among the snackable nibbles. Burgers are handmade using meat sourced from a specialty supplier in the Midlands and grilled to perfection and served with chunks of blue cheese and caramelised onion.
Special mention must be made of the micro-brewed beer, dubbed Cowbell, which is brewed exclusively for Unity by Robson’s micro-brewery. The welcoming atmosphere coupled with ethically sourced produce from small local suppliers has secured a fiercely loyal following.
Shop 4, Silvervause Centre, 117 Vause Road, Musgrave, Durban; tel: (031) 201-3470. Open from Monday to Saturday from noon until late.
HAI.BO
Hai.bo, which has taken over Bean Bag Bohemia's former space, is a trendy café that looks set to be the new hipster hub on the Florida Road strip.
It is divided into a downstairs café with pavement seating, a DJ box and a long bar, and a fine-dining venue upstairs. The casual downstairs café menu caters for easy nibbling with familiar dishes that have been given an African edge, such as a meat platter with tshisanyama spices, mussels in beer, pizza, burgers, and a nod to Durban’s favourite street food – the bunny chow, served three ways (prawn, chicken and mutton) and substantial enough for two to share.
Upstairs offers fine dining options such as traditional crab curry, madumbi potato cakes with slowcooked lamb and sheba sauce and leg of lamb with coffee and cardamom.
18 Lilian Ngoyi Road, Greyville, Durban, tel: 072 674 4609. Open daily from 11 am to 2 am.
WAKABERRY
You can imagine Willy Wonka feeling quite at home in this extraordinary frozen yoghurt parlour. Press the buttons of the self-serve “froyo” dispensers and create your own flavours. At least six different flavours are always available and may include the likes of cream soda, toffee, berry, lime, cheesecake and condensed milk.
The real fun part is deciding on the toppings, though. Take your pick (and ladle them on yourself) from candy, chocolate, Coco Pops, biscuits and more grown-up choices such as low-GI muesli, fresh fruit and seeds.
Prices are calculated by weight and a medium serving, including toppings, will set you back between R20 and R30. The kid-in-a-candy-store appeal is irresistable, especially when the treat is virtually guilt-free (98% fat-free) and full of tummy friendly live yoghurt cultures.
217 Florida Road, Morningside, Durban; tel: (031) 303- 4157. Open daily from 10 am to 11 pm.
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