Fifty years of great value

Lord Prawn

Where: Umhlanga Plaza, 2 Lagoon Drive, Umhlanga Rocks

Open: Daily noon to 10pm (9pm Sunday)

Call: 031 561 1133

Fifty years is a real milestone. In the cut throat and ever changing restaurant industry even 20 years can seem like a lifetime. So when Ingrid Shevlin and I heard that Lord Prawn had just turned 50 we had to pay it a visit. What was the winning formula? And according to its story, not only does it feature the same ownership, but some of the original staff are still with them. Now that’s really something.

The restaurant opened on Durban’s beachfront in May 1975 with the aim of bringing the best quality and best value seafood to the public. Twenty years later it moved to its current site in Umhlanga and has kept its bevy of loyal customers since.

Disclosure time here: It was opened by two Chemaly brothers, so we’re probably related, somehow. In fact I was half hoping to chat to the owner to see if we could connect any branches of the family tree, but it was his day off. That will be for another visit.

Ingrid and I certainly enjoy a trip down memory lane. The restaurant has some wonderfully retro features from the tablecloths and overlays, to the fanned napkins in the fork and the table set with fish knives. In fact it reminds me a bit of the original Langoustine in Sarnia which the folks used to take us to as kids in the late 70s, and where we developed the taste for crumbed prawns dipped in garlic butter at a very young age. And where later as a preteen got fed too much wine by an older cousin. I think mother would come to regret expanding our culinary horizons so early.

But Lord Prawn is a comfortable space and we’re welcomed warmly. On a sunny Sunday we chose the balcony where most of the action is. I met two friends who have come for the special of a kilogram of prawns platter, a steal at R399. They’re just about to tuck in and get messy.

The menu covers everything seafood and so many different combinations of it, a veritable array of platters for one two of four, which you can add to if you want. But there are some dishes for land lovers: a selection of steaks, some ribs, baby chicken and veal piccata feature. And there are some salads which don’t contain seafood, and some starters like deep fried camembert, crumbed mushrooms and chicken livers.

But we’re here for the goodness of the sea.

I’m tempted by the lobster bisque. It’s something one rarely sees on menus and made well is a thing of great beauty (watch this space next week). Then there's seafood St Jacques, another dish from the 70s, and even a prawn cocktail. Oysters can be au naturel or done as oyster shots, drowned in a bloody Mary. I need to try this next time.

Instead I went for the retro avocado Ritz (R125), served as it would have been 50 years ago in half and avocado on a bed of shredded lettuce. None of this delicately fanned avo creation to reduce ingredients that you would get today. The avo was nice and ripe, the prawns generous and plump and juicy and the sauce had some real pepper bite. It wasn’t just pink. Ingrid went for the smoked salmon (R115) with onions, capers and horseradish. It was served on a plate shaped like a fish and on a bed of shredded lettuce. I always like some cream cheese or creme fraiche with smoked salmon, but the horseradish lifted it.

For mains there’s a seafood pasta which looked good at the next table, and a seafood paella. Prawns creole also tempted. There’s a catch of the day, kingklip, sole and good old battered hake and chips. We shared a combo of sole and grilled prawns (R255) which in another retro touch came with both chips and savoury yellow rice, and complete with a trio of sauces - garlic, lemon butter and their own peri-peri, which was spicy rather than just hot. We were very happy.

And then intrigued we had to share the seafood boil. Which is kingklip, prawns, clams, mussels and chourico with new potatoes and little rounds of corn cooked in a bag with spices and in its own juices. Our waiter described it as a sort of seafood potjie. I was thinking more of something from Louisiana. There’s a ladies boil which we had (R299) and then a lord’s boil which includes a crayfish (SQ) which a tourist at the next table was munching on heartily while his date was left with the prawns.

It arrives at the table in its bag and the waiter cuts it open to give you all the lovely aromas before decanting it into a platter. It really would have been more than enough for the two of us to share. The spice profile was more North African than the cayenne and tomato I was expecting and while it overpowered the clams somewhat, it worked well with everything else and we really enjoyed it. The rounds of corn were a great addition. And yes, this too came with both chips and savoury rice.

The dessert menu also harks back to its founding with options like cassata, Italian kisses (can you still get them in the days of mini Magnums?) and Cape malva pudding and apple crumble. We opt to share a tiramisu (R90) which while not classic, had enough coffee and enough booze to be enjoyable.

And the value was excellent.

Food: 3 ½

Service: 3 ½

Ambience: 3 ½

The Bill: R1060.40 for two