Anne Stevens said, “let’s do lunch. And suggested Maritomo’s, a spot she had always enjoyed but hadn’t had to opportunity to visit recently.
And I was certainly game. Maritimo’s being one of the few spots in Umhlanga that I hadn’t visited recently.
On a beautiful summer’s day we headed straight for the deck above the promenade with it’s views of the ocean rolling in. There can be few better spots to enjoy the fruits of the sea.
And the menu is big on seafood – all sourced fresh. Chef Andras Fenyves may include some of the hearty staples from his native Hungary, but seafood here is king.
For starters there’s calamari, mussels and oysters. The calamari is tossed in an interesting tomato and corriander yoghurt. A crab soup sounds like a must in future.
There’s snails in blue cheese sauce and camembert in phyllo, and that hearty Hungarian spicing comes through in the chicken livers.
Anne looked no further than an old favourite – the prawn cakes. These tasty parcels plump with prawns are served with a Thai cucumber salsa and light curry cream. Approval all round.
I was steered towards a special of the day – the bouillabaisse. This “humble” French soup was rich and had a good depth of flavour and it was generously packed with seafood.
For mains, pan fried veal with porcini mushrooms and Parma ham makes an appearance, as does duck breast with red wine jus and dauphine potatos. There’s fillet with a classic cafe de Paris butter, and a tribute to the chef’s time in Vienna with a pork schnitsel. Beef gulyas takes a trip further down the Danube, back home. Come a winter’s night I definitely want to try it.
There are burgers and prego rolls for those looking for something a little lighter – and a small selection of curries and pastas.
Seafood may include a variety of platters and combos complete with crayfish, or thermidores, or just good ol’ fish and chips. I opted for the fresh line fish which was beautifully fresh and beautifully cooked. There is simply nothing better. Heaven on a plate.
This simple mantra is after all what made celebrity chef Rick Stein famous – and if you want to go fishing, you can catch him at the Durban Good Food & Wine Show this weekend.
I also liked the way that all mains were served with interesting vegetables. Mine with a stack of grilled aubergines, mushrooms and tomatoes, Anne’s with stuffed courgettes. A good creamed spinach accompanied our meals.
Anne opted for the pork belly which was a generous portion and was served with crispy onions. It was enjoyable. And more than enough for another meal at a later date.
For desserts, creme brulee, pancakes, and a cheese board all feature, but the highlight was undoubtably the apple strudel – one of the best I’ve eaten south of Vienna.
It may not look like the most exciting dish on earth, but it tasted exceptional. All to often when we see a strudel on Durban menus we’re treated to thick stodgy pastry, slushy tasteless pie apple and lashings of sugar glaze. Not so here – the pastry was light and crisp, the apple firm and packed with flavour and just a simple dusting of icing sugar. It was served with a good custard – a double bonus.
So if you want a real treat one afternoon – pop in for strudel.
Maritimo’s
Cabana Beach
Lagoon Drive
Umhlanga
031 561 5672
Open: Monday to Sunday, lunch and dinner.