Mundo Vida
Where: 1 South Beach Rd, Umdloti Beach
Open: Monday to Saturday 11.30am to 9pm, Sunday 11.30am to 6pm
Call: 031 568 2286
On a lovely sunny Sunday The Poet suggested lunch and with its wonderful views of the ocean, we decided to head for Mundo Vida in Umdloti. The Advocate was only too happy to join us.
Despite the obstacle course to get there, we were soon happily sitting on the deck sipping gin and tonics - a beer for Vivek - in hand, admiring the setting. Mundo Vida is an upmarket but still comfortable space, where families can relax and friends unwind. We were soon catching up.
The food since the sale of the restaurant a couple of years back has taken on a decidedly Asian twist, which makes things interesting, although many of the famed seafood dishes remain untouched for loyal fans.
Starters include calamari with a Singapore style dipping sauce, a popular plate that has been on the menu for years. There’s also Thai lemongrass shrimp, something we enjoyed on our last visit, and fishcakes with avo and an Asian dressing. There’s also Vietnamese rice rolls filled with lemongrass beef or steamed prawns, and yakitori chicken wings. Tataki, a Japanese milk bread stuffed with fried leeks and cream cheese and filled with either seared beef, tuna or salmon also sounded interesting. There’s also a collection of poke bowls and bao buns. A Beach Garden salad also appealed. Done well I love the crispy spinach in this dish.
For starters we shared a special of some good spicy Vietnamese style pork belly skewers in a nice sticky sauce, and duck pancakes with cucumber and spring onion and Hoisin sauce. These were enjoyable although I would have preferred the duck to be hotter and the Hoisin sauce less jammy. I also prefer to build my own as these were heavy with shredded carrot - something I would have left out and that wasn't on the menu. But we munched away happily.
Mains include Korean style beef brisket with bone marrow jus, wakame salad and fries, and pork belly with red dragon sauce and Asian vegetables. Sichuan lamb ribs are served in a pepper and lemon sauce with Asian slaw. More European style offerings include duck in cherry sauce, a fillet with beurre blanc, and a veritable selection of grilled seafood - prawns. Langoustines, line fish etc. Their steamed langoustines are another famed dish.
The Advocate and I both settled on the whole red roman, which was expertly cooked and topped with a good lemon butter. It came with good chips and a fresh veg selection. An enjoyable if somewhat messy dish, picking through the bones. It was also a massive portion. There was enough for dinner the next night..
Vivek enjoyed the tasty half chicken peri-peri served with more of these good rustic fries. A light eater, The Poet opted for a starter, the home-made chicken dumplings served with a soy, chilli and mirin dipping sauce. I found these disappointingly bland and the dumplings very glutinous. They were saved by the chilli in the dipping sauce.
We finished with more gin and tonics, cappuccinos and because everyone was watching their sugar, just a scoop of the home-made chocolate ice-cream for me. Rooibos panna cotta, the ubiquitous brownies and a lemon drizzle cake were the options, but I was happy with a few lovely rich mouthfuls of chocolate.
Food: 3 ½
Service: 3 ½
Ambience: 3 ½
