Lee Jones is the GM of Durban’s beloved restaurant, 9th Avenue Waterside. Shelley Seid spoke to him about guests, Gordon Ramsay, and the best seafood platter in town.
Q: You’ve been with 9th Avenue for five years. How did it all begin, and how did you first get involved?
A: Chef/owners Graham and Gina Neilson were regulars at the restaurant I worked at previously, and I applied for a job at 9th Avenue not knowing they were the owners. It was a nice moment when we recognised each other. I waitered for six months and then moved into management.
Q: What is the ethos of 9th Avenue?
A: The original owner, Carly Goncalves, set the tone when he opened in 2001 – uncompromising standard of food and service, aligning with local suppliers, using best quality produce, and looking after your staff. Gina drummed that into my head from day one.
Q: What is the secret of the restaurant’s success?
A: 9th Avenue is a comfortable place. At the old location we overlooked a parking lot which may have been an eyesore, but the moment you walked into the restaurant, you felt at home. It has always under-assumed and over-delivered.
Head chef Wesley Aucamp and I are like-minded. Our motto is “accommodate, feed and educate”. People are our guests, not customers. We are looking after them in our home, introducing them to new taste experiences and going the extra mile to ensure their satisfaction.
Q: I believe your move to new premises at the Durban Yacht Mole was so successful that you had to turn away a celebrity chef due to lack of space?
A: I’ll never live it down. Gordon Ramsay was in Durban and phoned from the Marine Parade to see if he could pop in for lunch. He didn’t identify himself, and he didn’t get his PA to phone. We were fully booked but had we known it was him we would have made a plan. Apparently, he ended up at Surf Riders Cafe.
Q: Seven months after opening at your new location the country went into lockdown. How was that for you and the team?
A: It was nerve-racking having invested so much and having no clue what to expect. We used the time to plan and re-evaluate how we operated. We ran a soup kitchen, delivering food to different campsites. It gave staff a little extra income apart from their UIF.
Graham also sold tickets to braai classes for after lockdown. The support from our regulars was amazing. People put far more than the cost of the tickets into the account. Some old regulars who were living overseas “bought” tickets. It was really heartwarming.
Q: How would you describe your local clients?
A: One thing Durban people know is flavour. They are not pretentious and they are loyal. As soon as they feel comfortable in a place they will stick with it. Durban people also want a decent portion. Our overseas guests are amazed that a confit chicken comes with a breast and a leg, whereas overseas you’d probably get half a breast and a lentil.
Q: What’s your favourite thing on the menu?
A: There are items still on offer from the original menu from 2001, for example our gorgonzola, pear and pecan salad and our butternut ravioli. They are so popular we wouldn’t dare remove them. However, I must say the seafood platter is my choice. It is, without doubt, the best you’ll find in Durban.