Business breakfast meetings are part and parcel of city living. We asked food guru Anne Stevens for her favourite morning venues.
Mangetout, Dunkirk Estate, Salt Rock Telephone: 032 525 7803
The sadness of the demise of Umami in the stylish modern clubhouse at Dunkirk was tempered by the fact that the venue has been taken over by a seasoned team – the Reys of Food Matters fame. Although evening meals twice a week are planned, the focus is on café food, the venue opening at 8am. Breakfasts are served all day, with true Rey panache. Apart from all the traditional items, there’s Welsh rarebit (a rare treat, if you don’t mind the pun), and exotica like scrambled eggs with black truffle and truffle oil, and a mushroom topped with creamed spinach, a poached egg and Hollandaise, served on a tomato, onion and herb sauce. Added to all this is a great view of indigenous forest and, in the distance, the sea from big windows that fold back. Oh, and Jacqui Rey’s fabulous home-made muffins.
Sage at Christina’s, 124 Jan Hofmeyr Road, Westville. Telephone: 031 267 4730
There’s a new hand at the helm of this cookery school restaurant, with Sean Webber taking over from Christina Martin’s daughter, Michelle Barry, as managing principal. It will be interesting to see what future course the menus take, but breakfasts are unlikely to move away from being hedonistic treats. The Eggs Benedict has always been among the best in town, but a frittata with potato, paprika, mushrooms and bacon beckons, as does a fluffy omelette. For a change try toasted health bread with avo and feta, or French toast with bacon, cheese and tomato. The not-so-hungry can nibble on a Continental selection which includes good croissants and home-made muffins. The vibe is relaxed, the service usually of a high standard. There are also set business/function breakfast menus.
Makaranga Garden Lodge, 1a Igwababa Road, Kloof. Telephone: 031 764 6616
If it’s a peaceful start to the day that you’re after, you really can’t do much better than sitting on the terrace at Makaranga, looking out over the lovely gardens. There are 12 hectares of lawns, trees and flowers, so if you’re not pushed for time, they offer the chance to work off the Eggs Benedict. Which, of course, features among the hot dishes. All items are a la carte, and range from the standard cereals, croissants and muffins to the traditional English breakfast. Eggs Florentine here translates into creamy scrambled egg with Danish feta and baby spinach, set on crispy bacon and toasted seed bread. There’s also a bagel with smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers, and a soufflé omelette with choice of fillings. The hotel prides itself on catering for people in wheelchairs, making it exceptional among Durban venues.
Dish, Royal Palm Hotel, 6 Palm Boulevard, Umhlanga Ridge Telephone: 031 581 8181
This trendy boutique hotel is pitched at the businessman, and its signature restaurant is geared to ensure they start the day the right way. There’s a continental breakfast, a selection of hot dishes, or a combination of both for R125. Eggs Benedict is a long-time passion of mine, but is served up and down town these days. At Dish there is a tantalising and uncommon option in the form of poached haddock on toasted rye bread with wilted spinach and a paprika cheese sauce – nursery food that’s come of age. French toast with bacon, a tomato and onion compote and (yuck) maple syrup is another option, and vegetarians (even vegans) are catered for with soya bean sausage served with tomato, mushrooms, potato wedges and chilli beans. The room is streamlined and modern, and there are also tables outside in the piazza area