A little bit of Monroe magic right in the heart of Durban

Cafe Monroe

Where: Silvervause Centre, Silverton Road, Berea

Call: 031 110 0428

Open: Tuesday to Saturday noon to 9pm, Sunday noon to 3pm

FOR A not quite so landmark birthday, the gang celebrated at the Berea’s newest restaurant, Cafe Monroe.

Situated in the old Cafe 99 spot, it is the brainchild of Craig and Margo who have had a number of restaurants in Franschhoek before Covid-19 struck and they returned “home” to Durban.

Craig is a generous and affable host, and I really enjoyed Margo’s simple yet bold cooking.

The menu offers some exciting food options in an upmarket but comfortable bistro setting. The restaurant has smartened up quite a bit with a comfy lounge area complete with old black and white movies rolling on the outside wall.

Service too was good and friendly. The great thing about being part of a large birthday gang was I got to taste most things on the menu.

The seafood soup served with a poached egg (R75) had a lovely depth of flavour, while the trio of snails (R75) looked so lovely. These were served with a blue cheese sauce, in garlic and in lemon and chilli, with pretty little parsley crostini for soaking up the juices.

The mushroom croquettes (R70) were beautifully crisp, tasty and served in a lovely spinach cream, while the phyllo prawns (R95) were a winner. This was garlic prawns on a lovely vegetable risotto topped with a tomato salsa and layered between shards of phyllo pastry to give it crunch. Certainly an inspired dish.

The fried calamari (R85) was an enormous portion with a good light crisp batter, while the grilled version came in a tangy sauce I didn’t quite get to the bottom of, but enjoyed. It was served with a lovely crisp raw vegetable salad that had fine julienne beetroot and carrot.

The birthday boy went for the trio of salmon (R105). This was a light salmon mousse with coriander crostini, salmon tartare with onion, capers, fresh herbs, Japanese mayo and lemon, and grilled salmon with toasted sesame seeds and garlic hollandaise. All three were lovely and distinctive. The tartare just popped into an explosion of flavours. He felt the mousse had been a shade bland, but I enjoyed it. It probably only seemed so after the other two dishes.

My crispy duck wontons (R95) were a treat. These were served on a bed of “meaty” carrot and lentil ragu with slices of honey poached pear. Other options included a trio of veg samoosas, or a Caprese, or roasted vegetable or rare roast beef salad.

For mains, many opted for the beef fillet (R185) with duchess potatoes, butternut purée, roasted vegetables and red wine jus. All were more than satisfied, the steaks cooked exactly to order.

I had been tempted by the duck breast (R195) with potato fondant, seasonal veg and a five-spice orange glaze. The meat was succulently pink, the skin crisp and the sauce delicious. One of our party quietly ploughed through a special of lamb shank (R260) served in a traditional red wine casserole sauce. It looked delicious, but he wasn’t sharing. But he was licking the plate… well just about.

In the only quibble of the night, one enjoyed the flavours of the seared tuna (R195) with sautéed spinach, seaweed wrapped sushi rice, Japanese mayo and a home made pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce, but felt the tuna itself could have been hotter.

Beef short rib with Asian dressing and rustic fries appealed. There are also options of lamb chops and ostrich fillet and Mozambican chicken with potato rosti. But I really enjoyed my simple pasta (R145). This had rare zested beef medallions with fresh veg on a bed of linguine tossed in lemongrass, garlic, chilli, coriander and soy and drizzled with a sesame and lime pesto. All those wonderful Asian flavours came together with quite a kick of chilli to form a simple yet immensely rewarding dish. Full marks here.

We never got to try the small dessert menu that included the likes of a deconstructed crème brûlée that a friend had raved about all week.

Instead we munched our way through Clint’s famous carrot and blueberry cake. Next time.

Food:4

Service:4 Ambience:4

The Bill: R4 333 for 11 people including a corkage deal arranged in advance.