Arts&Pleasure Page 13THE INDEPENDENT

on Saturday 6 April 2013

BILL RYAN

NEWLY spruced up andwith a large andinteresting menu,Cape Town Fish

Market at Durban’s SuncoastCasino, open from 9am to 11pmdaily, has welcomed not onlyrefurbishment but also newmanagement in recent times.

Offering a good, interestingmix of Japanese and SouthAfrican food – everything frompasta and prawns to potjie – thevenue allows a variety ofdining experiences within onelocation.

You can eat at the sushi bar,experience the up-closecreation of teppanyaki, opt forthe restaurant, or enjoy thevibe and sea view while diningalfresco on the veranda.

The new teppanyaki venuehas a communal hibachi tablethat allows diners to interactwith the chefs as they preparemeals using only traditionaltools of the trade.

A fine, glass wine cellar inthe restaurant showcases aproud collection of SouthAfrican wines, and the oystertank (oysters cost R19 each),crayfish tank and fish marketdisplay a variety of fresh fare.

When I visited recently Iwas impressed by the layoutand diversity of offerings onthe menu but the print size, be

warned, is extremely small – sodon’t forget to take your glassesif you need them.

I was tempted by a lot ofthings, most notably the HoutBay platter for two (R398) – amix of grilled crayfish, eightgrilled prawns, mussels, filletsof fish (280g), fishcakes,calamari strips (125g) and babysquid (150g). Another item thatcaught the eye was the FishHoek platter for one (R115),offering four prawns, mussels,fish cakes and deep-friedcalamari strips (125g).

And we were very nearlypersuaded to opt for either theprawn curry (R69) or theseafood pasta (R55) featuringmussels, linefish morsels andprawns in a creamy garlicsauce, served with penne.

But I simply could not resistthe sushi, which looks soyummy in the pictures on themenu. My partner and I optedfor the largest of the platters,the Kobe Deluxe, for R275.

It seemed a little meagre atfirst glance, but proved to bemore than ample. It offers threesalmon roses, two gift-wrappedsalmon, four salmonmakimono, a rather enjoyablecrabstick salad (and I usuallyloathe crabstick), six sashimi,five nigiri and two rainbowrolls. It was delicious – and wewill be back to try it again.

Also available is the Ena

Deluxe platter (R110), whichoffers edamame (a fancy namefor boiled green soybeans,which are tastier than theysound), spicy tuna and avo roll,prawn nigiri, two tuna sashimi,two salmon sashimi, salmonrose, bean curd nigiri, aCalifornia roll and a wasabiparcel. Then there’s the Kobeplatter (R165) featuring prawnnigiri, two tuna nigiri, threesalmon sashimi, salmon nigiri,three tuna sashimi and beancurd nigiri.

We also sampled theteppanyaki noodles with

seafood as a side dish to share(a good portion for R69) and itwas also enjoyable.

If you have a visitor to SouthAfrica with you, it might be funto have them sample one of thetwo potjiekos dishes on themenu. They are slow-cookedwith Dutch-Malay spices.

A R69 option is the EastCoast potjie (R69) featuringmussels, linefish morsels,prawns, calamari andvegetables, all slowly simmeredin a sauce with a bite. The WestCoast potjie (R55) containsmussels, linefish morsels andvegetables slowly simmered ina garlic sauce.

Among other standoutmenu options are chickenschnitzel (R76), various seafoodcombos, a mix of vegetarian,soup and salad dishes, and agood old surf and turf (R109) oran executive version of that(R155).

Our big letdown was ashared pud. We ordered a full

portion of the cheesecake –rather hefty at R42 for a sliceonly a little bigger than acigarette box. And it wasn’tgood – one of those bland, from-a-box cakes with a cardboard-like, damp base and a smear ofstrawberry coulis that almosthinted of cough mixture.

The restaurant offers apopular Sunday lunch buffet,from 12.30pm to 4pm, offering awide variety of starters, salads,mains and desserts.

The cost is R145 and themains selection is wide,including fish, meat andvegetables.

It is also worth noting thatthere’s a buy-one-get-one-freespecial on the hake and chips(R59) every Monday, the sushion Tuesdays and the calamarior baby squid on Wednesday. Nosharing is permitted.

There are also children’sand breakfast menus.

For bookings or more detailstelephone 031 368 3320.

Fusion Cafe, Berea: A recenttaste adventure includedDelheim wine pairing with food from Fusion World FoodCafe in Silverton Road.

Winners included a 2012Delheim Heerenwijn(sauvignon blanc/chenin)paired with a mini ostrichwonton and a peach andpassionfruit reduction. Thewine was a perfect fit.

Another excellent dish wasthe ceviche (pickled fish salad),nicely complemented with theestate’s 2012 sauvignon blanc.

Find of the evening wastheir 2012 gewürztraminer thataccompanied the smoky searedduck breast and Thai redcoconut curry. The wine cutthrough the spicy curry.

The highly rated 2008Delheim shiraz was servedwith the lamb-filled breyani-spiced arancini (rice balls) anddhal masala.

A great way to spend anevening with a table of friends.The cost was R225 each.

Shamrock Inn, Durban

North: We recently enjoyed apub lunch at the Shamrock Innin Mackeurton Avenue. Someitems are marked down to R50on Mondays. We enjoyed thefish and tasty chips but thewaitress missed a trick. The billcame to R137. We paid with aR200 note, but she did not giveus usable change for a R20 tip.

Amsterdam, Davenport

Road: This is a great pub,popular with youngsters.Invited to watch a bandperform on a recent Saturdaynight, I tasted some of thenachos on another guest’s plate.Disappointingly soggy. Partyanimals recommend the bunnychows and rotis – they help tosoak up the alcohol.

Lupa Osteria, Hillcrest:

Traditional Italian restaurantscan be classified as “trattoria”,“ristorante” and “osteria”. Theosteria was the least formal,offering lodging and simplefood and wine. The modernosteria sticks to the basics ofpasta, pizza, a few selected meatdishes and desserts. Thechalkboard indicates the day’sspecial.

At Lupa, past master ChrisBlack has managed to retainthat simple flavour but addedhis well-known spin ofexcellence and style. It offers asmall, focused menu, a well-balanced wine list, casual,stylish decor, and top-classservice.

Nice touches include usinglarge tins of tomatoes aspedestals for the antipastoplatters, putting them withineasy reach of everyone at thetable.

Another departure from theusual Chris Black-stylerestaurant is the inclusion of asection for “little lupas”.Families are encouraged.

Your secret diner took aparty of six on a busy night –the 140-seater was full – but theservice never flagged.

A substantial mealcomprised antipasto plattersfor the table which includedoutstanding proscuitto shavedon the premises, pastaAmatriciana, spaghettiBolognaise and simple grilled,and very tender calamari withside orders of wilted spinachand fries followed by a rich, fullchocolate Budino and coffee.

Simplicity and quality wasthe offering and it lived up toexpectation.

Including wine, a beer, twowhiskies, a cocktail and thetip, the bill came in at R200 ahead.

SIHLE MTHEMBU

OPENING on Tuesdayat the KZNSAgallery is anexhibition by

student photographers titled“Durbanity and inner citystories” that looks at howpeople interact with the city.

A dozen students of theDurban Centre forPhotography have been tutoredby veteran photographer PeterMcKenzie to record the city in afresh new way.

“What we try and dothrough this programme is

introduce a shift in mindsetand we want our photogra-phers to make images that lookat the social and culturalidentity of the city,” McKenziesaid.

The photography projectinvolves theory and practicalelements. Students are taughtthe philosophical elements ofimage-making and are givenseveral practical assignmentsto practise their craft.

Ntombenhle Mbongwe, 27,has already won the KZN leg ofthe “Jobs of the world”competition for her series ofphotographs looking at the way

informal traders interact withcustomers in the city’s markets.

Mbongwe said she wanted tocreate photographs thatrevealed something about thelives of people that many of ussee every day but know nothingabout.

“There is a very interestingrelationship that people havewith each other in places likethe Warwick markets.Sometimes they communicateby using signs and specialwords and I wanted todocument that and reveal whatthat life is like.”

Mabusi Cebekhulu, 23,

noted that although she hadworked as a photographerbefore, the programme allowedher to be more decisive abouther work. There is a strongemphasis on a documentarystyle of image-making asopposed to random snapshots.

Nokwanda Mdluli, 25, fromInanda, who is doing a series onhomeless people, said beingpart of the collective hadallowed her to look at socialissues beyond news headlines.

“We often becomedesensitised to a lot of thingsthat happen around us, andoften as a young black woman I

feel out of place in the city,”said Mdluli. “But havingventured into different areasand documented people’s liveshas opened my eyes to thepeople behind some of thethings that are affecting oursociety.”

McKenzie said it was adeliberate decision to fightagainst the Instagramgeneration. “A lot ofphotography feels like instantcoffee,” he said. “We want tocreate a body of work that isthoughtful and considered as away of rising above thatmediocrity.”

WANTED: Sweet little oldladies, for chorus line.

This is the order fromtheatre company KicksArt,ahead of its upcomingcomedy, The Ladykillers.

The company needs “fiveor six ladies over the age of65” to make up a smallchorus of “sweet little oldladies” that appears in twoscenes of the comedy.

KickstArt, in associationwith Pieter Toerien, ispresenting the SouthAfrican premiere of theWest End hit, a classic blackcomedy. A sweet little oldlady, alone in her house, ispitted against a gang ofcriminal misfits who willstop at nothing. It is at theElizabeth Sneddon Theatrefrom May 23 until June 16.

From the writer ofFather Ted, GrahamLinehan, it is a hilariousand thrilling newadaptation of the celebratedEaling comedy The

Ladykillers, directed bySteven Stead.

The ladies are needed atthe theatre from 7.30pmwhen curtain goes up untilabout 9pm, from May 22 toJune 16. Performances are at7.30pm Tuesdays toSaturdays, as well as 2.30pmon Saturdays and 6pm onSundays. You should be keenon the theatre, preferablywith at least some amateurstage experience, and ofcourse be a bit fit and up forthe challenge.

You don’t have to sing ordance, but you do need to beable to act and keep acharacter. If you areinterested, e-mail Stead atkickstart@letni.co.za and hewill reply by the end of thismonth.

THE previous models werelooking a bit long in thetooth and once it hit the

showrooms, Mazda bakkieenthusiasts breathed a sigh ofrelief after the much-hypedlaunch of its stablemate, theFord Ranger.

It’s a pity that there’s aperception Mazda plays secondfiddle to its big brotherstablemate, because itsprevious models, althoughslightly dated, had a reputationfor being solid and reliable.

If that reputation isanything to go by, the new BT-50is sure to find much favouramong current enthusiasts.

They won’t be disappointedeither.

The one we tested had the

3.2- litre common rail dieselmotor pushing out 147kW and470Nm of torque. With littleturbo lag and lots of grunt, itwas a pleasure to drive in townand on the open road.

Slide it into sixth gear on thehighway, activate the speedcontrol and you pretty muchonly have to take it out of gearwhen you approach yourdestination.

It’s a big bakkie, and gettingthe whole family or a group ofschool children to yourdestination won’t pose anyproblems.

We didn’t have the 4x4, so Iused it pretty much like mostpeople in this market would –ferrying kids around, going towork and general driving.

Oh yes, and any bakkie thathasn’t got the garden refuse-removal badge can’t really be considered a proper bakkieyet.

Almost all cars in thiscategory qualify as lifestyle

vehicles. Some are better anddo more than others, and theBT 50 fits that category. As aneveryday runabout it ticks allthe right boxes, but it will takeyou a while to get used to itssize, particularly if you’recoming off a sedan base.

Once you get used to that,though, aided by park distancecontrol, parking is a breeze.

It’s not just big from theoutside, either. Inside there’smore than enough luxury andspace. Even with the driver’sseat all the way back there’senough room for a largeteenager to sit comfortably.

Many people have aperception that ride comfortequates to road handling.That’s not true, and whilesitting behind the wheel feelslike you’re on the couchwatching the Boks, it remains abakkie and was never designedto go screaming aroundcorners.

That being said though, it’s

no slouch and smoothly movesthrough all six gears andhandles dirt roads with aplomb.It has all the driving aids youneed to keep safe, and a soundsystem that would make someexpensive saloons envious.

Consumption in a combinedcycle was closer to 11litres/kmthan 10, which considering itssize is more than acceptable.

Styling is a personal issue,and although I enjoyed thegeneral feel of the vehicle, Iwasn’t overly excited about thelook.

First impressions of thelarge curved front looked a bitlike some of the Chinesebrands on our roads and therear light cluster with lights onthe back pillar and tailgatelooked out of place.

Overall, though, it’s a verydecent package but I don’tthink it’s likely to make asignificant dent in itsstablemate’s overall salesfigures.

The new MazdaBT-50 impressesWillem van dePutte

ALL-ROUNDER: The Mazda BT-50 is a decent ride but won’t dent the sales of its Ford stablemate.

EXPLORERS: Ntombenhle Mbongwe, Nokwanda Mdluli and Mabusi Cebekhulu arefeatured in the Durbanity exhibition which opens on Tuesday. The show examinespeople’s live in the city.

Drive

Food

The Secret Diner

Nibbles & Niggles

A big and beefy beast MAZDA BT50 HIGH RIDE 4x2Engine: Five cylinder 3.2 litre diesel,147kWFuel requirement: 50ppm low-sulphurdiesel.Fuel consumption: It’s a big bakkiewith a big motor,so expect around 10.5-11 litres/100km on a combined cycle.CO2 emissions: 242g/km

Big chancefor littleold ladies

Young photographers snap up the heart of the city

Catch afine mealat casino

NEW LOOK: The revamped Cape Town Fish Market at Durban’s Suncoast Casino.PICTURE: SUPPLIED

Win Win WinTO PUT yourself in line to win avoucher for a meal for two atCape Town Fish Market atSuncoast Casino,SMS“IOSCape”and your name to33963 by 9am on Monday.The winner will be notified bytelephone.