Fish
Where: 84 Ridge Rd, uMhlanga
Open: Monday to Saturday noon to 9pm, Sunday noon to 8pm.
Call: 031 561 2912
I’VE always liked Fish uMhlanga ‒ it’s so singular and focused and fresh. It’s refreshing to have a restaurant solely dedicated to serving fresh fish, and there’s also a deli counter where you can buy to take home.
It’s also kept simple as part of that focus. The decor is broadly nautically themed in shades of blue and white, with the odd boat, or shell or buoy or gaff on the wall. Tables are of a simple blue and white check but comfortable. It overflows onto the pavement. I’d been wanting to come back here for some time.
We arrived early and it was busy. Most of the spots around it were suffering from a lacklustre Tuesday night syndrome. Only two tables, right on the edge of the pavement, were not reserved, so the motto is to book. We grabbed one quickly, and ordered a bottle of wine from the small but reasonably priced wine list.
These may not be grand or boutique bottles, but they cover most bases. It came in a bucket that clips neatly on your table and with a separate pot of ice.
The menu has always been simple. After all, fish should be kept simple. There’s hake and calamari and prawns or any number of combinations of the three. Sides include the traditional chips or rice, but might include a Greek salad, potato salad, mushy peas or slaw. Sauces include tartare, lemon and garlic and peri-peri.
The day’s fresh linefish options are chalked on a board and that day it was red roman, musselcracker, Norwegian salmon and kingklip. The musselcracker was talking to me. There’s also a tuna option, the fresh tuna simply seasoned, rolled in sesame seeds and seared. That tempted my friend. There’s also squid heads, fish cakes, oysters, sole and a prawn curry.
Every time I come here I keep meaning to try this but invariably end up going for the linefish.
We decided to share a seafood platter (R510) as it meant we could try most of the offerings, and we could actually afford it. I kid you not but one uMhlanga establishment has a seafood platter that sets you back an eye-watering R2 900. Okay, it includes a crayfish, and you don’t have to sit on the pavement, and you can get the swankiest of wines (at even swankier prices). But comparisons are odious.
There’s something about the idea of a seafood platter that is so appealing, there’s a decadence and opulence about it, trying all these different treats from the sea. There’s also that tactile feeling of tucking in with hands, ripping off shells, and juices dripping down your elbow. The platter arrives and always looks impressive. Until you now have to try and finish it. A task that utterly defeated us. This could easily serve three or four.
There was a fillet of hake, and red roman, a fish cake, grilled calamari, fried calamari rings, mussels and 8 medium-sized prawns atop a bed of rice and chips with lemon wedges and lemon butter sauce.
The fish cake was enormous and could be a meal in itself. And it was all fish and nicely spiced with a good hint of chilli. The calamari rings were crisp, and for once didn’t taste of rubber bands, and the grilled calamari in a garlic sauce was enjoyable. Both fillets of fish were properly cooked, the soft textured red roman a treat I’d forgotten about. If there was a criticism, the sauce the prawns were cooked in was too salty, but the rice helped. It just meant I couldn’t indulge in that wonderful messy habit of gnawing on the shells. And the chips (I have said this before) still need work. When you’re selling such beautiful fresh fish, the chips just complete the picture. But we enjoyed ourselves.
And if you really want value, their lunchtime special is exceptional. A seafood platter for one that includes hake, a couple of prawns, mussels and calamari with a glass of wine for R109.95. I think you would struggle to beat that.
Food: 3 ½
Service: 3 ½
Ambience: 3
The Bill: R659 (incl a bottle of wine)
The Independent on Saturday