Steak & Oyster
The Advocate and I ventured through uMhlanga this week, only to find that our scheduled meeting location was complete. On a Tuesday in mid-month, they needed help finding a table. A great sign is this in these times of uncertainty. However, it is the result of providing good value.
So we walked down the street and stopped by the Steak & Oyster, a new restaurant created by removing the franchise from Turn & Tender last year.
It is a modern, innovative, and elegant restaurant but also comfortable. The waiter quickly takes us to a tranquil area where we can chat. A nice glass of cabernet will soon be in my hand. The Advocate prefers the Scotch. The waiter also gives us a vast board displaying the day’s meats: the wagyu steak, T-bone as well as rib-eye, rump, and a vast tomahawk. It is worth considering what they are.
Steak & Oysters is an eatery for steaks with a limited menu offering a range of ways to enjoy oysters and sushi. I did not carefully review the sushi menu, but it covered the bases. It offered six distinct kinds of oysters, including traditional at-home. I was shocked to see an oyster platter priced at R2 300 before realizing it contained the Veuve Clicquot bottle. Why not offer the two most renowned Aphrodisiacs? It is not like I would believe this nonsense; however, it does make for a practical selling pitch.
The one I had was I tried the Oysters Rockefeller (R190 for four). Traditionally, they are served with spring onions and parsley with butter and breadcrumbs before being cooked under the grill. They were served made with spinach and Hollandaise sauce and then gratinated with Parmesan. I loved these, and they, indeed, were pretty. However, a note to the chef: pea shoots do not make an appropriate garnish for oysters. They completely alter the taste.
The Advocate sampled the chicken livers (R70), and it was a large portion. The chicken livers were only cooked, and the sauce was hot, with more of a pepper taste than a chili bite in the back. The Advocate wiped it all down with two large slices of toast. Other starter options are sticky beef rashers, bone marrow, chicken bread slices, and salt and pepper Calamari. A lot of us went to sushi. There is also a limited selection of salads.
Mains had a couple of intriguing choices that are rare on Durban menus. Cottage pie is one that was tempting. Then The Advocate settled instantly for the beef Wellington (R280), which was a hit – but he could not finish. It was served with a side dish and a tasty mushroom sauce.
There is an oxtail, a lamb curry pot, and chicken schnitzel. There is also peri-peri poultry, Norwegian salmon, and a variety of other fish to only a handful, and a wide selection of lamb chops and steaks, pork ribs, and some hamburgers. There is nothing new here.
A steak platter for R1 300 includes an extensive assortment of steaks and side dishes for everyone to share: fillet, sirloin, rib-eye, rump T-bone, lamb chops, and wors.
I chose the 350g rib-eye off the bone (R235) cooked to the perfect medium rare. It was oddly cut into pieces. It was dressed with a superb café of Paris butter. I had Bearnaise sauce (R25) that was more like an unflavored cream, with no Tarragon flavor, and was not required with that delicious butter. Then there were the potato roasts (R20), which were lovely, crispy, and very generous.
The potato is an entire section that includes fries and mash as well as sweet potato mash and potato bake. The sides are also attractive due to the addition of pap and Dombolo, a traditional creamed spinach, onion rings, or a green salad.
