Well, puns are allowed at Halloween and it certainly was Halloween at the Oyster Box at the Chaine des Rotisseurs dinner. Kevin Joseph and Wayne Coetzer came together to ham up a dinner with a difference.
After being given a lethal brandy cocktail by a waiter with blood dripping from his eyes and a fork through his cheek, we proceeded to the ‘funeral’ where a coffin took centre stage, with a real life cadavre inside. There were two graves from which protruded bony hands, and screens with ghoulish projections. Rows of mourners in period dress sat in solemn rows.
Everyone wore black tie and masks, some of which were truly revolting, and the cocktails flowed. After a lot of shrieking from women at the sight of the cadavre, we proceeded to dinner in the Pearl Room through a tunnel of cobwebs, darkness and grabbing hands.
Dinner was of course themed. Themed but delicious….oysters R.I.P. with chilli, creme fraiche and paired with Ladismith Byr brandy, followed by Blood Bath…blood orange, oxtail broth and sweetbreads…sorbet with a candied eye on top, and the ‘piece de resistance’ Dead Men’s Meat Loaf. The organic lamb, pan jus, and swine’s carcass were to die for…..the best pork I have ever eaten.
All of the above were paired with a different glass of brandy, and the Chaine went all out to impress. I was lucky enough to be sitting next to Wayne Coetzer, who my readers will know I regard as the World’s greatest General Manager, and so the evening was even better than it might otherwise have been.
What a class act the Oyster Box is, and what a show they put on. La Chaine honoured the Oyster Box, only the third hotel in South Africa to be so recognised. Halloween was a blast, and it hasn’t even happened yet!
1 Comment
Looked like such an interesting event! Would love to see more pics! Well done Oyster Box, most certainly a leading destination and proudly Umhlanga Ridge.