Durban — Some of Durban’s finest dining establishments will serve up sumptuous festive fare for their well-heeled diners this Christmas.
On the menus are taste-bud tantalising dishes including everything from baked oysters to flamed Mozambican prawns, crayfish thermidor, gammon, wild herb marinated lamb, hot Durban crab curry to mini Christmas puddings, brandied crème anglaise and raspberry macarons.
The plush Oyster Box in uMhlanga is setting the tone for a festive experience offering feasts on Christmas Day with live music by top entertainers. The hotel’s Grill Room and Ocean Terrace, which are both fully booked, will serve lunch with a price tag of R2 900 per adult and R1 900 per child.
There’s a Christmas cocktail on arrival. Starters include Beatrice Royale (a vegan dish named for the vegan British princess), baked oysters in aged cheddar mornay; flamed Mozambican prawns with charred lime; or vintage prawn cocktail with fennel and grapefruit salad, avocado, cognac sauce and lumpfish caviar.
Then they can look forward to a scrumptious carvery that includes roast turkey with walnut and sage stuffing, grilled pork chipolatas and cranberry-rooibos jus; or pineapple glazed gammon with apple sauce; or beef short rib with horseradish cream sauce; or curried lamb shoulder with garlic naan; mussels in a champagne and chive cream with dehydrated garlic and dill pesto; or a seafood bake of prawns, mussels and calamari in a seafood velouté with phyllo pastry.
The guéridon trolley service in the Grill Room has home smoked gammon, soya and honey glaze; wild garlic marinated leg of lamb with red wine and mint jus; and wagyu roast beef.
The culinary adventure ends on a sweet note with mini Christmas puddings, brandied crème anglaise, cinnamon and milk tart ice cream, red velvet macaron and a cheese platter.
Next door to the Oyster Box, the Christmas buffet lunch at the 60-seater Beverly Hills Hotel’s Sugar Club Restaurant is fully booked. Christmas lunch is R2750 per person.
The starter selection on the buffet includes a smokey log of oysters; parsley and parmesan baked mussels, traditional prawn cocktail, Greek-marinated calamari; Rooibos tea smoked turkey breast; savoury s’mores with brie, prosciutto and honey; smoked salmon and charred baby gem salad; upside down onion and herb tart with herb crème fraiche, charred cauliflower and pomegranate salad; chicken, bacon and pistachio terrine; and spicy chicken with charred pineapple and avocado salad.
This is followed by soup and a carvery of cherry and sage glazed roast gammon, pistachio and dukkah crusted roasted sirloin; lamb Wellington; orange, bourbon and cranberry roasted chicken; apple, walnut and feta stuffed turkey breast.
The main menu also includes curried oxtail with baby potatoes; hot Durban crab curry; Mediterranean roasted chicken breast with olives, feta and herbs; seafood paella with mussels, prawns, chorizo and chicken thighs; slow braised lamb shank and Italian-style whole baked fish.
There’s a wide selection of desserts. Christmas lunch at the Radisson Blu Hotel’s Fire Lake restaurant is R1700 per adult and R850 per child. Diners will be treated to live entertainment while dining on a buffet spread.
Included on the menu are starters, a carvery of hot dishes and desserts. Featured on the buffet are smoked salmon with red onion, deep-fried capers and lime cream; deep-fried cajun calamari with tartar sauce, Asian slaw and toasted sesame seeds; rosemary mustard leg of lamb; rare roast beef; Kassler loin and honey cider; turkey with cranberry jus; grilled kingklip with saffron mussel sauce and a range of desserts.
The Chefs’ Table in the heart of the uMhlanga village offers a four-course menu with a glass of bubbly on arrival for R1495 per person. For a two-course kiddies’ menu it is R695 per child 12 years and under.
Listed on the four-course are choices of smoked mussels with charred sweetcorn, cauliflower, paprika and smoked fish velouté; warthog neck tortellini; tamarind and coriander spiced beef; crayfish thermidor. Mains include beef fillet Wellington; turkey Ballotine, pork neck gammon, and Karoo lamb duo. Mains are accompanied with side dishes. The menu ends with a choice of puddings.
Sunday Tribune