A brief stop-over in Durban to visit my sister on one excruciatingly humid Saturday left me scratching my head: as a Capetonian, there’s nothing I like to do more than sample new seaside restaurants, but where to take my sister Helen for supper?
After much deliberation with my Food24 colleagues, Moyo at uShaka Marine World came up tops. It overlooked the beach, promised a relaxed vibe and, if trips to Moyo Spier and Moyo Blouberg were anything to go by, their menu would offer us a wide choice of styles of food.
As with all my previous trips to Moyo, we started off with a platter of their homemade breads and dips. There’s no room for unadventurous tastebuds with this starter; a rich combination of spicy dukkah and humus with breads made from coconut and sesame seeds. For those of you with small stomachs, the flavour here can be almost too much to handle. You’ll get full quickly so pace yourselves!
The main meals at Moyo uShaka, unlike Moyo Spier, can be ordered from an a la carte menu. I chose the grilled linefish (it was a Dorado day) with mash potatoes and grilled vegetables, paving the way for Helen to tuck in to the dish we both had our eyes on: the fillet steak stuffed with spinach, peppadews and feta. Now I know you might think us crazy, but we have this strict policy of never ordering two of the same meal from a menu, so that we can sample as many tastes as possible. But believe me when I say you won’t be doing yourself a disservice by ordering two plates of this signature dish.
The fish was prepared just right, and for diners who prefer milder flavours than the regular fare on offer at Moyo (think curries, African potjies and spicy meat dishes), it had just enough variation in flavour without being overpowering.
We were also treated to a sampling of Baba Ghanoush (a creamy dip made from aubergine) from their Egyptian-themed menu which left us wishing we had saved some bread for dipping! Eating it by the spoonful was the only option left to us!
Dessert (for which there was very little space left – something about our eyes being bigger than our stomachs) included a white and dark chocolate mousse and Egyptian orange cake.
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Ten points to the team at Moyo uShaka for catering to our needs so well. The service was attentive and friendly, and our table had some of the best views of the ocean.
As with all Moyo’s, the entertainment on offer – drummers and dancers, face painting and the traditional washing of hands – makes for a truly memorable experience.
Moyo was reviewed by Cathryn Reece, community and technology manager News24,
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