Photos: OysterBox Website
There is a reason people spend fortunes on styling restaurants. Sometimes the decor is there to reassure, at other times to challenge our assumptions. From waiters in tuxedos, crisp white table cloths to the best foods, The Grill Room situated at the Oyster Box, Umhlanga Durban is one of the best restaurant and a must visit when in Durban. Their attention to each and every meal they prepare has made them to be the best restaurant for almost 70 years.
To dine at the restaurant a reservation needs to be made well in advance and there is a specific attire that you need to uphold to. Even though the Grill Room is famously known for their cuisines but their atmosphere makes you want to come and experience the restaurant. The melodic music, the light in the restaurant and not to mention the décor.
My friend and I walked in at 20:00 and our plan was to have mains and leave, little did we know we would be sitted at the Grill Room till late. Bryon (our waiter) ushered us to our table and brought the menus. We started the evening with the OB (Oyster Box) still water and Bryron shortly brought some cheese breadsticks along with salted and biltong butter. For our mains we ordered the mainlands beef fillet and the carving trolley service they serve different foods Monday to Friday and on that Friday they were serving roasted chicken. For drinks we ordered a bottle of Tokara Zonder white wine. While we waited, we received two complimentary dishes from the chef.
The first complimentary dish was a pre starter which was the amuse bouche (grilled halloumi cheese with pepper and crème cheese and almond tuile). The dish was a small bite with a mouth full of flavours. The pastry was fluffy and light and the grilled halloumi cheese and crème cheese combination were exploding with salty, mild, sweet flavours and the texture a bit rubbery and soft. The hint of the almond tuile was light and crispy. Who knew a small dish like that would have so much flavours going on at once?
They brought a palate cleanser (pineapple and litchi sorbet). It tasted like 100% litchi and pineapple neutral-flavoured popsicles. The flavours of the litchi and pineapple were sharp, not too sweet and cold.
Byron brought the wine and the main course. The Mainlands fillet (béarnaise sauce, truffle shavings, steamed vegetables). The fillet was cooked to perfection the fillet was cooked well on the outside and moist and red on the inside. The vegetable were steamed just right. We added a side dish which was the hand-cut fries and they were beautiful. Perfect size, skin still on the potato and fried well.
On a Friday the carving trolley service serves roasted chicken (free range chicken, creamed spinach, champagne butter sauce). They carved a couple of slices on to the plate, the roasted chicken was juicy and tender, the champagne butter sauce went well with the chicken because of the sauces subtle flavours and buttery texture. The cream spinach was creamy and rich. Everything in the plate complimented each other very well. The trolley was busy circulating around our table and we were told they prepared a full chicken for us, I was simply amazed because they just charged R195.00 for the trolley service. We told Bryson that we were already full and what they gave us was already enough.
When we thought we were done for the night and the surprises were finished the presented us with a small treat before we left. A dark chocolate peppermint mousse. The mouse was light and airy, with a bite of bitterness from the dark chocolate and the peppermint infusion brought a subtle, cool minty flavour to the mousse.
The Grill Room is definitely all about fine dining. The food, décor and service were definitely outstanding. This is a perfect place to dine when you simply want to celebrate an anniversary, a birthday party or just simply want to enjoy a feast fit for royalty.
