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IOL News
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Squeamish about the SQ factor
A starter of chicken wings. Image: Ingrid Shevlin Tyler's Where: Marine Walk Shopping Centre, Jabu Ngcobo Drive, Umdloti Open: Daily 8am to 9.30pm Call: 067 416 5298 I have never been a fan of the intimidating SQ on a menu. I understand the need for it with items that are difficult to source and may vary in price substantially. And it's usually kept for the extreme end of the seafood market. But it's always awkward enquiring prices of dishes before you order them - and it's something I want to know before making a massive mistake. It considerably lengthens the ordering process too. Then if you baulk and then decline, and go for the chicken peri-peri, the staff think you're a cheapskate. And if you go balls to the wall anyway, you can just imagine the bottle of wine they're going to try up-sell you. Our little lunch group, food writer Ingrid Shevlin, the Fat Frog Lady and myself, are at Tyler's, the upmarket steakhouse in Umdloti that is attached to the seafood restaurant Tightline. Having enjoyed a memorable meal at the fish outlet when it first opened, we were eager to try. A piece of grilled musselcracker with lemon butter sauce. Image: Ingrid Shevlin Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ And then came steak prices in SQ, proceed by gramage. Our waiter is quick to display a platter of steak options, a T-bone, sirloin on the bone, ribeye, rump, fillet and a nice juicy looking piece of sirloin. The menu we were given had some steaks priced for their eventual cut weight, others were SQ. The one online shows price per 100g, which suggests one should be able to order a steak for 100g if you just wanted a small tasting morsel. But no that was not to be. The sirloin wasn't even on the menu. We're also told about some sort of braai day special that included lamb chops, which weren't on the menu, and chicken wings and a whole lot of other stuff coming off the open braai outside. It was somewhere between R500 and R600 ahead, but the packed restaurant was so noisy I never got to the bottom of it. The 300g rump grilled medium rare. Image: Ingrid Shevlin Two meaty lamb loin chops Image: Ingrid Shevlin While debating mains we opted to order starters from a limited selection. Jenny and I would share a braaibroedjie of tomato, onion, cheese and chutney (R70). We enjoyed. But we're both big fans of melted cheese. We also shared the chicken wings, with cajun spice, chilli and garlic which were good and succulent (R98). Ingrid instead chose prawns in a saffron, lemon and chilli butter (R149) which were enjoyable. Options included beef tartare, and skinny lamb "choppies" as well as a dish of oyster mushrooms. There was also a Caesar salad . For mains there are options like a burger (single or double) prego roll and a chicken flattie but the rest was focussed on the steaks and sides and sauces. Which left Ingrid as a non-red-meat eater with very little option. Until, that is, she saw a waiter bringing around a tray of fish from the restaurant next door. She collared him. The cuts of steak all laid out to tempt one. Image: Ingrid Shevlin She would have the grilled musselcracker. This was then taken to be weighed and at 332g (who needs a piece of fish that size?) it came to R494,68. She decided to be damned. It was a beautiful piece of fish, perfectly grilled with a simple lemon butter, but way more than she could finish. She ordered tallow potatoes as a side (R55) These were new potatoes semi mashed and cooked in beef fat. Enjoyable, but not earth shattering, and their grilled veg (R49) which was butternut heavy but did include some nice courgette slivers and a gem squash. Jenny and I decided to share. We'd order a 300g sirloin and a portion of two lamb loin chops. In most steakhouses sirloin being in the same price zone as rump, we weren't to worried. Then our waiter came back to quote on our chops (R254.80) and said there was only a 400g sirloin available. It came in at R540-something. I did more than baulk, and bluntly told him I could buy almost a whole side of sirloin for that. We settled for the 300g rump (R245), which was perfectly grilled and came with a lovely béarnaise sauce (R43). The nice meaty lamb chops too were good. The cauliflower cheese as a side was also enjoyable, while sadly something sweet had been sprinkled on our chips. Prawns in saffron chilli and gralic. Image: Ingrid Shevlin Desserts are limited - a waffle, a crème brûlée and a chocolate croissant pudding (R98). We shared the latter which came with good chocolate ice-cream. The flavours we enjoyed, just that the dessert had a strangely glutenous texture. Food: 3 ½ Service: 3 Ambience: 2 The Bill: R1761.48 for three (included just two glasses of wine)
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Smart addition to Umhlanga promenade
The new Surf Riders Cafe Cabanas in uMhlanga village. Image: Ingrid Shevlin Surf Riders Cafe Cabanas Where: 10 Lagoon Drive, uMhlanga Rocks Open: Daily 6.30am to 10pm Call: 031 065 3444 Ingrid Shevlin and I were invited for a prelim recce - a few days before they opened. And what a transformation the Cabanas has undergone. The venue which many will remember as the site of the original Razzmatazz, that was decades ago, and more recently Bellezar, has been completely refitted with floor to ceiling windows to take in the breathtaking sea view. It's light, modern, stylish and airy. There's a cocktail bar, a private deck and a lower outdoor deck that looks over promenade. And yes there are even some gold plated taps in the newly renovated washrooms. We were impressed. Salmon on ramen noodles with Asian greens Image: Ingrid Shevlin Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ A burger with cheese and bacon and cheese sauce, topped with onion rings. Image: Ingrid Shevlin The main menu is everything you've come to expect from Surf Riders - home-made burgers piled high with sauces and toppings - in fact chef Samantha Small Shaw brought us out one to try. The patty was juicy and fresh, topped with bacon, cheese and cheese sauce and made all the more dramatic by a tower of onion rings. Neither of us are big on burgers, but yes, we were impressed. If I'm going to order a burger it needs to be something like this. And then there's a selection of gourmet hot dogs, and thin crust pizzas with an array of tempting toppings. Small Shaw also offered us one of her signature dishes - the salmon ramen. These were ramen noodles in a spicy but balanced Asian sauce with crisp stir-fried Asian veg and a lovely lightly cooked piece of salmon on top. It was topped with a jammy boiled egg. What was not to like. And then she insisted we try her milkshakes. The caramel version topped with popped corn and honeycomb got out seal of approval. But there are strawberry, and lime, and even bubble gum versions which would be a hit with the kids. Jalapeno poppers were croquettes in a crisp crumb. Image: Quinton Meijer A toasted Korean fish sandwich. Image: Quinton Miejer Then last week the Glass Guy and I went out to give it a second try. On a balmy Friday night the restaurant was buzzing. Families munching on pizzas with the kids slurping up those same shakes. Groups of friends knocking back wine and plates of calamari. It had a lovely vibe. We sat on the outside deck and soon had a GnT in hand looking out at the array of ships waiting to come into Durban harbour. The specials menu was limited, although I am sure it will expand as the restaurant finds its feet. And I'm sure a full dinner menu will soon become a regular item. Starts included the likes of chicken livers and a mussel pot and what we tried were some very good jalapeno poppers. These were less poppers than croquettes with a lovely crisp crumb and good dipping sauce. The Glass Guy - jalapenos are his thing, not mine - was in his element. We also shared a Korean fish sandwich which I really enjoyed. Toasted Brioche bread topped with spicy sauces, crisp fish fillets and fresh Asian slaw. It was enormous and wonderfully messy to eat. Fried calamari in a spicy dipping sauce, with chips. Image: Quinton Miejer Beef fillet basted in bone marrow butter with a rich mushroom sauce. Image: Quinton Meijer For mains they were out of the lamb rump that was on the menu, so I opted for the fillet, pan fried in bone marrow butter and served with a rich mushroom sauce. What a treat, even if the chips that were supposed to go with it somehow went awol in the kitchen. The Glass Guy enjoyed his crumbed calamari which was a generous portion. I stole a few of his chips, which were good. We'd had more than enough to eat, so weren't tempted in the ice-cream and shake department, but instead enjoyed an excellent coffee, looking over the ocean. Food: 4 Service: 3 Ambience: 4 The Bill: R899 for the Glass Guy and myself
