17 hours ago
Looking for value? Ask a local
Home-made steak and stout pie with chips, peas and gravy.
Image: Frank Chemaly
Crossways
Where: Cnr Dennis Shepstone and Old Howick Road, Hilton
Open: Monday to Thursday 11am till late (kitchen 9pm); Friday and Saturday 11am till late (kitchen 9.30pm); Sunday 11am to 9pm (kitchen 4pm, Pizza kitchen 8pm)
Call: 033 343 3267
It takes something to fill a large restaurant on a chilly Monday evening. But a fire is blazing in the hearth and the locals are out in force.
Monday is pizza special night. Any two large pizzas, excluding seafood come in at R159 - and that includes two complimentary drinks. And boards carrying large pizzas are flying out of the kitchen, they look really good, nice crisp thin bases and generous toppings. The value is incredible.
Similar specials on Tuesday take in their pastas. On Wednesday it's burgers, Thursday mix and match and Saturday, steak egg and chips. Sunday's special is a traditional roast with all the trimmings for R120. The inclusion of complimentary drinks offers exceptionally good value. In addition, pensioners get a 10% discount on main courses.
Sadly neither Mom or I feel like pizza.
We're at Crossways pub in Hilton. I didn't realise the extent of the operation only having eaten in the pub itself, which spills out onto a wide verandah. People were actually sitting there despite the cold. The heaters must have been working overtime. But behind the pub is the main diningroom. There's also a small 'pizza' dining room with the oven taking pride of place which was full. And at the back is a large garden which would be excellent for summer braais.
Friendly staff soon found us a spot near the fire, a Scotch for Mom, a good glass of red for me.
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Snails in garlic butter and gratinated with cheese.
Image: Frank Chemaly
The menu is substantial, taking in many pub classics. Light meals include wraps, salads and toasties. There's a selection of snack baskets, ideal for soaking up the booze in a communal setting in the pub. These can include anything from calamari and scampi, to spicy chicken wings, riblets, crumbed mushrooms, jalapeno poppers, boerewors, and lamb chops. They all come with chips and onion rings, and offer good value.
Starters include everything from a soup of the day, to a variety of ways with nachos. There's the predictable chicken livers, spicy or mild, deep fried brie, and a mussel pot, along with many of the items that make up the baskets. There's also an anti-pasto board and bruschetta.
Pepperoni balls with a tomato relish. These were croquettes stuffed with pepperoni and cheese.
Image: Frank Chemaly
We opted for creamy garlic snails (R89), gratinated in the pizza oven, which we really enjoyed. You could smell that lovely cheesy topping as it hit the table. We mopped it all up with toasted French loaf. The pepperoni balls (R74) - croquettes stuffed with pepperoni and cheese - sounded great on paper, but somehow didn't work in practice. The pepperoni sort of over powered everything. But perhaps that is just me. When I took some of the potato only and dipped it into the excellent roast tomato relish, it worked. So maybe patatas bravas would be an option.
For mains there's burgers which feature a home- made 150g patty topped with options like cheese, bacon, pulled pork and featuring an array of different sauces from Jack Daniels to guacamole and sour cream, to mushroom or spicy mayo. You can also build your own. They're all a good R30-R40 cheaper than their Durban equivalents.
Then besides the pizzas in evidence everywhere, there's a range of pastas, and then a selection focussed on real pub grub. Think sausage and mash, fish and chips, eisbein and chicken schnitzels. There are a number of steak options - including a beef and reef - and Natal style curries including chicken and prawn, beef, lambs and veg.
Oxtail served with mash.
Image: Frank Chemaly
I opted for their home-made steak and stout pie (R150) which was sizable and enjoyable, even though the stout didn't really come through fully. The chips could have done with a second frying and the gravy was on the Bisto side of things. A pity.
Mom's oxtail (R179) lacked the deeply umami flavours one expects of oxtail although the meat was tender. It was more like a bean stew with pieces of oxtail. It was served with a good creamy mash. All things a few technique tips in the kitchen could fix.
