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» F1 Columns » Restaurant Reviews
| RESTAURANT REVIEWS AQUA - Here fishy, fishy, fishy
Sibaya Casino I don't claim to be a renowned gastronome nor a Michelin star chef, what I am, though, is someone who revels in the glory of first-class food. Whether it's prepared by a top chef who has been classically trained in the finest restaurants in the world or a novice who is just mucking about is irrelevant. What matters is the use of good quality, seasonal products, presentation and most importantly taste. So with these simple rules in mind I enlisted the help of Mumsy-dearest and off we went to sample the wares at Aqua in the Sibaya Casino complex just outside Durban. The restaurant spans three levels and boasts heavenly views of the ocean. The top part of the premises is home to the tepanyake section where very adept-looking Japanese chefs (what are they called in Japan, I wonder) man the sizzling hot grids. The lowest level hosts a large circular bar and the middle tier comprises of the more formal dining area. The restaurant is decorated in blues, greens and yellow and has a bit of an east-meets-ocean feel with two huge circular glowing fish tanks, glass fish decorating the walls and a chandelier-type central decorative piece comprising yet more fish. The overall effect is serene and calming - mother nature at her best. But let's face it this was not a design expo but a chance to fill our rumbling stomachs with delicacies from the sea. There is a set menu which consists of a starter, main and pud for R130 a head - not too expensive given some of the prices that are charged at top restaurants. There is also a limited sushi and tapanyake menu. Fresh, warm rolls (white, brown and decadent onion and parsley) were first to grace the table. Being a devotee of sushi (I wonder if there is a type of dessert sushi) Mumsy-dearest and I opted to start with an 18-piece combo roll medley to share priced at R120. The wasabi cleared my sinuses and I thought we were off to a grand start - until the starters were embedded on our forks. I'm not a fussy eater by choice but a kindly doctor insisted that I give up certain culinary delights to save myself from health-hell. So in following with the rules I ordered the 'langoustine cocktail with baby spinach, toasted sesame seeds and a salad of pear and marie rose sauce'. Mumsy-dearest went for the 'tempura of calamari and pineapple' which was described as fried calamari rings with chilli and parsley, a salad of mango and pineapple, chilli jam and crème fraiche. I have never been to Japan but being a fanatic of the cooking channel I know that a tempura batter does not resemble breadcrumbs which is exactly what the calamari rings were very thickly coated in. There was no sign of chilli jam and the crème fraiche also failed to make an appearance. The langoustines were nicely cooked but the marie rose sauce tasted like it was a mixture of bottled mayonnaise and tomato sauce whilst the baby spinach was replaced with rocket - and I was so looking forward to doing my Popeye impression! Having ordered the tempura of rock cod as a main I was a little concerned that my fish would be drenched in breadcrumbs (which is not particularly encouraging for someone who isn't allowed to eat anything with yeast). Thankfully my fish was coated in a much lighter batter but I still have my doubts about its authenticity as a tempura batter. Perhaps I have an overactive imagination that conjures up pictures of vivid colours and luscious textures but when I go to a quality restaurant I expect that first bite to be like a cosmic explosion in my mouth. A plethora of flavours cascading onto my taste buds making me tingle in anticipation of the next tantalising bite. Mumsy-dearest's main of pan-seared yellowtail on a ragout of balsamic lentils with a lemon beurre blanc and orange carrots seemed to match this criteria more than mine because the first bite changed her expression into a dreamy euphorious look which smacked of pure rapture. Somewhere between her waxing lyrical about her yellowtail and my idle toying of rock cod batons the head chef joined us to explain that the reason for the calamari not being traditional tempura was that the batter disintegrated during the cooking process but they were in the course of updating their menu. Nice touch but sounds like a challenge to come back and put them to the test. Being told in no uncertain terms that sugar was my enemy I opted for a frothy cappuccino and watched in jealous silence as Mumsy-dearest polished off a trio of crème brulees - toffee, vanilla and chocolate. She was in sugar-heaven but unfortunately the vanilla one had a bit of a runny texture so a word of advice, bake it for a little longer next time!
All in all a pleasant if not exceptional experience. The service was impeccable (finally a restaurant which waits for everyone to finish before clearing the table) but the ambience was lacking due to the sheer size
of the restaurant and the fact that there was only one other table dining with us. It has the makings of a good venue but there are still some teething problems which need to be eradicated. So maybe I'll pay another visit in a few months just to double check that the chef was true to his word and the menus have been updated!
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