Durban's 9th Ave Marina is stepping up

9th Ave Marina

Where: 2 Maritime Place, Durban Harbour

Open: Daily noon to midnight

Call: 031 940 4628

Food writer Ingrid Shevlin and I were invited to the newly renovated 9th Ave Marina for a delightful lunch on Sunday

We’re guests of the charming couple Nipho and Liyana Tembe, who have recently added the restaurant to their Liyana group, which includes Zula Beach in Richards Bay and the soon to open Mist in the old station building at Gillitts. They were happy to show us around the beautifully redecorated restaurant and wanted us to try items off the new menu. 

It’s a dramatic make-over of an iconic venue with waves of bronze and sand colours picking up the very shoreline the yacht mole would once have had. It’s comfortable and elegant. There’s a grand piano waiting to be put to use. Both our hosts are musicians - Nipho a dab hand at the keyboard, Liyana a singer.

The selfie mirror is in hot demand, with groups of well dressed young women vying for the prime spot. Upstairs is a relaxing lounge and the private dining room. There’s even a tapas menu to accompany it - lovely snacks to accompany a serious cocktail range. 

I’m greeted warmly by manager Phoebe, whose face is incredibly familiar. 

“You wrote about me,” she says.

“Hope it was nothing horrible,” I reply.

On her phone she shows me a 10-year-old review of Fish at the Florida Park Hotel where she was a manager. And, big sigh of relief, I wasn’t horrible.

She asks about my nieces, young girls she was very kind too on that visit, today grown women.

We peruse the small but interesting menu, one that has finally a bigger range of seafood dishes on it.

Starters naturally take in the sea with oysters, a classic prawn cocktail which tempted, and crispy squid with romesco sauce and pickled cauliflower. There’s also mussels in a spring onion, white wine and coconut cream sauce, and a seafood bisque spiced with fennel and Cayenne. Ingrid’s eye fell on the langoustine agnolotti (R235) which was two large fresh pasta pockets stuffed with langoustines in a rich saffron infused bisque like sauce and topped with grilled langoustines and trout caviar. It was the stand out dish of the day. She all but licked the plate.

The mushroom tortellini also tempted - this a medley of mushrooms with smoked butter, parmesan and truffle foam and truffle oil. I watched a young chef making butternut ravioli in the open kitchen, which is then topped with candied walnut crumble.

Instead I settled on the meatiest dish on the menu - the tongue and tail (R165). This was thin slices of moist, tender tongue with horseradish cream, paired with an oxtail and bone marrow croquette and sauce Diane. It was a lovely dish, even if the horseradish could have had a little more bite. The oxtail croquette was delicious and the good old fashioned sauce Diane (which is at its most basic Worcester sauce and cream) paired well.

Mains offer a full selection of steaks and a rack of lamb. There are also some salads including a Caesar and pear and walnut for those looking for something lighter. I looked no further than the duck duo (R375). This was a suitably pink slice of duck breast with good crispy skin, and a nicely unctuous confit leg section. It sat atop a bed of lentils with a good orange jus. The menu read cranberry but this I preferred. It was garnished with beetroot and carrot puree and lovely little baby carrots. This was good cooking.

Fish options include a seafood platter - for one or two - a seafood pasta and prawn risotto. Norwegian salmon comes on a bead of bulghar salad with heirloom tomatoes and almond crust. Ingrid opted for the line fish - kob - done in a light coconut cream sauce. I like kob, but am not a fan of coconut, but somehow this didn’t intrude too much. Ingrid was very happy. It came with crisp cubes of pomme Anna and more of those sweet baby carrots.

Desserts include baked cheesecake and malva pudding. I fancied the Earl Grey poached pear with orange creme fraiche but the kitchen apologized saying it wasn’t available that day. There’s a cheese board and selection of home-made ice-creams and sorbets. I enjoyed the dark chocolate namelaka (R115), a cannoli filled with dark chocolate mousse and blonde chocolate cremeux with salted caramel ice-cream. Sadly with Ingrid’s creme brulee (R130) the custard had split. They soon brought her a scoop of good strawberry sorbet.

We finished a lovely lunch with coffee and little chocolate brownie petit fours. I look forward to their Gillitts opening.

Food: 3 ½

Service: 4

Ambience: 4