With all the fuss surrounding the opening of the new Oyster Box next door, it's easy to overlook the other grand old lady of Umhlanga hotels, the Beverly Hills.
Which is a mistake. When executive chef Shaun Munro took over its kitchens earlier this year, he revitalised the menu in The Sugar Club, lifting it from the staid to the sexy.
Now he has done the same to ELEMENTS, the coolly attractive restaurant that opens out on to two terraces with a sweeping view of the sea. All white and aqua, it's a calming area that works particularly well in summer.
As does the new menu. The pleasant but essentially pedestrian hotel fare has changed, the accent now on light flavours and stunning presentation.
A portion of fried whitebait came to the table in a sundae glass, accompanied by an impeccable remoulade (jazzed-up tartare) sauce.
A Caesar salad served on a big plate was equally visually appealing. And given a new dimension without losing the essence of the dish: the cos lettuce was there, so were the shaved parmesan and the creamy dressing, but the croutons were big, round cutouts, the egg came in the form of pickled quails' eggs and the anchovies were crumbed and fried. Lovely.
These are not touted as starters, but rather light meals, which is what they are. A vegetarian mezze platter was ideal to share, but would have made a satisfying lunch on its own.
There were dolmades, pickled mushrooms, aubergine wrapped around haloumi, a citrusy hummus, minted tzatziki, Peppadew dip and spicy olives served with pita.
Standout among those were the dips and I'd imagine they are all made in-house, although I wonder about the aubergine cigars. Also falling into the light section are a meaty antipasto plate, including carpaccio, a wholewheat pancake with ratatouille, mushrooms, feta and cheese sauce and marinated calamari salad. I like the sound of a salad incorporating smoked chicken and prawns in a masala spiced mayo dressing, and a chilled avo soup with rye croutons and smoked salmon tartare.
Among the mains I've tried I'd pick the bucket of prawns. Two were crumbed, two in tempura batter, two grilled on skewers, and two wrapped in pastry, all sitting on a bed of chunky chips and served with a very garlicky aioli and sweet chilli sauce.
The friend who ate it vowed to return soon with her husband. I'd also order the lamb burger, which was dense without being indigestible, served on toasted focaccia with melted camembert, tzatziki, chunks of sundried tomato and crisp pommes frites. It was a grown-up version of a much-abused popular food item.
Which is what you could also say about the fish and chips: it was hake, but thick-cut and moist, in a crisp batter. My benchmark for fried fish is Cruise Café in Knysna, and this was very nearly as good, which is remarkable. I doubt you'll find better in Durban (if you do, please let me know).
Options include a steak roll, lamb curry bunny chow style or with almond basmati, linguine with a creamy chicken and cheese mix, grilled linefish (swordfish this week), beef fillet with mustard butter and lamb cutlets with apricot tomato couscous. Among desserts I'd probably investigate a pear crumble or white and dark chocolate tarts.
But a sickly multicoloured sundae incorporating ice cream, pieces of halva and Turkish delight and chocolate sauce doesn't work for me. In fact, it rates pretty high on the ick scale. Which brings me to a real complaint. A week or so ago we lunched and chose wine from a comprehensive list. This week we were offered a shortened, more expensive selection that had not one sauvignon blanc on it. How is this possible in a five-star hotel?
It was only after I stamped my foot several times that staff "found" a bottle of Durbanville Hills. I had two glasses - at R50 each. Since sauvignon blanc and bubbly are the only wines I drink, this really deters me from going back to the Beverly Hills for a meal.
It's a pity, because if I had sampled the new menu before compiling my latest restaurant guide, Elements would certainly have been awarded more than one star.
Prices: Light meals R65 to R125; main courses R75 to R130, unless you're constructing your own seafood platter and looking at crayfish and langoustines (R150 and R40 respectively).
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 10.30pm.
Telephone: 031 561 2211.
There's a new cookbook on the shelves, in time for Christmas, and in buying it you would be benefiting a charity, StreetSmart, which focuses on street children.
Featuring recipes from 20 of the country's top restaurants, On a Plate is an appealing, glossy production.
On the negative side, my impression is that many of the concoctions are chefs' recipes for chefs: they are not easily reproduced in the domestic kitchen, even for a dinner party.
On the plus side, I finally have a formula for Ile Maurice's fish vindaye. Other KZN venues featured are Café 1999, Ninth Avenue Bistro, Jewel of India and Hartford. Some dishes that appeal are a mustard crumbed rack of lamb (Ninth Avenue), spicy sesame prawn toast (Haiku), prawn risotto (Terroir), pork and apple sausages (Bread and Wine) and slow-braised lamb neck (Grand Provence).
The full proceeds from the sale of the book go to StreetSmart and it is available from the restaurants featured, or go to www.southafricaonaplate.co.za