Food24 check out... hai.bo

 

 

I am back from my bout of internetlessness, a condition that renders me a raving lunatic. AND it’s been full moon too, which is always an interesting time of the month for a Scorpio PUN INTENDED!  During my blackout I have been a busy babe though, I attended the opening of hai.bo the latest addition to Durban restaurant/ bar/ café stable, rescued my computer (and all the data) from the Inter-abyss and entertained a house guest.

After applying the dolly-filler, coiffing the bouffant and donning a new pair of heels I hopped into my little black chariot to attend the launch of hai.bo.  On my way down to the venue I reminisced about BBB, the previous occupants of this address and I felt an attitude of note coming over me.

My sympathies go out to that band of Super Her-Ou’s that undergo cellular morphology to turn into their alter – my neck grew 2cm longer, my head was ‘effe back ge-tilt’ and the only way that my narrowed eyes could focus was by looking down my airborne nose!  Ooh she was fierce!

A “This-had-better-be-good-or-I’m-gonna-Whoop-YoAss” attitude possessed my boday.  It soon became evident that the ‘liquorice-all-sorts’ of guests and I were wearing the very same attitude!  BBB fans were a group of like-minded people that were cosmically drawn to one another like a pile of fridge magnets.  We needed neither secret hand-shakes nor blinged out membership cards for we were family!

Fabulous décor with more than the requisite amount of bling greeted me at the end of the red Patrone carpet along with platters of delicious offerings from hai.bo’s various menus.  A quick deckie of said menus revealed a whole load of tantalising dishes that promise to add a little Afro-Asian pizazz to the ennui that is Durban’s palate. 

Four fab play areas

Haibo has four play areas ,Fine & Private Dining (upstairs), Bistro/ Tapas Bar (downstairs),  Outdoor/ café and side walk dinning and a Sports bar.

As familiar faces emerged in the crowd, warm and knowing smiles were flashed out the corner of glittering eyes, tense shoulders deftly lowered and the fabulously hounds tooth clad Theuns Smuts (hai.bo group COO) held our hands and talked us through the hai.bo ethos.  This is definitely a great space – meeting friends for a casual drink and then moving on for din dins upstairs is definitely on the cards.

We are just going to have to see what food arrives at our elbows; and just how ‘quirky and unique’ the services that Hai.bo promises us are going to be and let’s see if Hai.bo is going to restore this Victorian Grande Dame to her rightful title as Durban’s Diva. One thing is for sure though, the minute that Kevin Ellis elegantly mounted that bar and wrapped his spangled sexy legs around the stripper pole there was a collective sucking in of breath and a silent exclamation, ”Haibo!

Mission accomplished I’d say!

Hai.bo was visited by Janice Tripepi - check out her insane food blog here.