9TH AVE. WATERSIDE: A GREAT DURBAN RESTAURANT WITH A SEAFOOD PLATTER I WON’T FORGET
The Cost - $40 per person. The restaurant invited us for this meal.
The Atmosphere – Located on a pier near Durban’s famous Golden Mile, 9th Ave. Waterside occupies a two-story building with the main dining area on the ground floor and the restaurant’s adorable cocktail bar upstairs. Both spaces feature large glass windows that allow for views of the harbor and are decorated beautifully, with the main dining area furnished with elegant, upscale wood tables and chairs. Formal attire is not required but you’ll definitely find many of the guests dressed up for a night out or special occasion. Reservations are highly recommended, especially for weekends and peak dinner hours.
9th Ave, Waterside is a very well-established restaurant in Durban, South Africa’s third largest city. It features a seasonal menu with several meat and seafood dishes in addition to vegetarian options. The restaurant has won a number of awards for its cuisine over its two decade existence and attracts both tourists and locals for its dinner service.
The Order – Scallops, Platter Fruits de Mer, Caldhame Duck Trio, Beignets, and Malva Pudding.
The Fantastic - The best dish of the evening was the Platter Fruits de Mer, a fancy way to say Seafood Platter. The platter, which consisted of seafood that had been freshly caught, could be ordered for one or two and we chose to order it for one given that we ordered the duck as our second main course. Despite that, the platter could have easily fed two people. Our platter came with fish, prawns, langoustines, grilled calamari, and fried calamari and it was accompanied by sides of salad, french fries, and a biryani style rice. The fish of the day was kabeljou, a meaty white fish caught off the coast that is commonly known as kob in South Africa. The fish was grilled and had a very nice flavor to it – normally the fish is the least interesting part of a seafood platter but not in this case. But while the fish was delicious, the star of the show was the grilled calamari, which was exceptional and even better than its fried counterpart. The fries and salad were good but it was the biryani style rice, which I was initially shocked to see as an accompaniment, that was the best side. Overall, I really thought this seafood platter was incredibly well done and while it was a pricey entrée at 690ZAR (~$37), it was worth it.
The Great – The Scallops was the only appetizer that was ordered and it was quite good. It had a pea mousse that was artistically spread on the black slab on which the three nicely sized scallops were served. To the side of each scallop was a hefty pile of trout roe and a smoked tomato salsa with some horseradish. The pea mousse and smoked salsa brought a lot of freshness to the dish while being delicate enough to not overpower the scallops, something that is too frequently done. It was a great way to enjoy the meal and went nicely with a glass of bubbly.
The Caldhame Duck Trio is one of 9th Ave. Waterside’s most popular dishes and it too earned our Great rating. Given the name of the dish it wasn’t surprising that the duck came served three ways: a pan-seared breast, leg in an orange jus, and a confit croquette. The breast was the best of the three as it was excellently seared and went so well with a bit of the beetroot puree that it sat on top of. The second best preparation was the duck croquette which was only lightly battered and packed full of duck meat, making it feel less heavy than a more traditional croquette that can often contain large amounts of potato and a heavier shell. The duck leg was also very nice despite its third place finish and it went very well with the sweet potato fondant that was also on the plate.
The Malva Pudding, a typical South African dessert that originated in the country, was the better of the two desserts we had. The cakey pudding is served warm and was topped with a custard as well as a coconut and lemongrass ice cream which was incredible. The pudding tasted almost like a spice cake and its combination with the uniquely flavored ice cream was a hit. The custard and the warmness of the dessert made the malva pudding a rich, comforting way to end the meal.
The Good – The Beignets came three to an order and were served with some fruit slices and a scoop of homemade citrus ice cream which had a creamsicle like taste. The beignets were good, but they didn’t blow me away and I didn’t love the combination with the ice cream. With some other interesting sounding desserts on the menu, I’d try a different one next time.
The Verdict – 9th Ave. Waterside really delivers a lovely experience – from its location on the pier and the views of the harbor, to the well done, contemporary and beautifully presented dishes that are freshly prepared using high quality ingredients, the restaurant is a great place to dine in Durban whether celebrating a special occasion or just going out for a great meal.