The Secret Diner
Tiger’s Milk
Where: Suncoast Casino, Suncoast Boulevard, North Beach
Open: Daily 11am to 8.30pm
Call: 031 940 4276
Level 2 and the lifting of alcohol restrictions sees the restaurants at Suncoast opening and we decided to try the gastro pub Tiger’s Milk, the Durban offering of the Cape Town-based chain.
Known for its great selection of craft beers, it’s a party venue of note with most of the eating area downstairs and a pub and veranda overlooking the sea upstairs. There’s space for live music, which I think still has to wait for the ever-elusive level 1 Covid-19 restrictions.
Despite the howling gale outside, we were welcomed warmly and found a comfy spot around the pub. The vibe may have been a shade subdued compared with the normally pumping Saturday night, but there were still a number of customers enjoying themselves and a nice buzz of activity. We certainly didn’t feel lonely.
The selection of starters could also form pub snacks for those enjoying their selection of craft beers. There are also a number of For The Table platters which take in sliders or combinations of chicken and ribs or mac-and-cheese bombs or even their rockstar chips, loaded with crispy onions, bacon bits and cheese sauce. Beer battered jalapeños and smoky chicken livers also feature.
We enjoyed a special of nachos topped with all that cheesy, tomato, guacamole and sour cream stuff (R89) and some deep fried calamari served with garlic aioli (R79) while sipping our Tiger’s Milk lagers and watching the full moon rise over the sea.
Famed for its burgers, these are substantial and deliciously messy affairs with a great tasting homemade beef patty, cooked to order. I had tried its suitably named Triple Bypass (R135) via Uber Eats recently. It was topped with cheese, bacon
and truffle infused mushroom sauce. Its Moaning @ Midnight includes mature cheddar, fried egg, bacon, baconnaise and bacon jam.
For those wanting vegan options, there’s the Pretender with a patty made from lentils, beans and nuts, or the Tree Hugger with mushrooms, aubergines and feta. There’s even a mac-and-cheese patty.
There are steaks and sauces, a substantial selection of salads with the Crouching Tiger appealing. It is seared tuna, edamame beans, cashew nuts, cucumber, cabbage, pineapple, avo and sesame seeds in a creamy wasabi dressing. There’s also sticky ribs or even a craft beer-battered fish and chips, and a small unashamedly Tex Mex offering as well as a selection of pizzas.
We progressed to trying a mojito off the cocktail menu which also went down a treat.
On our friendly waiter Sandile’s suggestion, I opted for the peri-peri chicken (R129) rather than the crispy southern fried variety. Served with slaw and one side of your choice, this was deboned chicken thighs served on skewers and marinated in a spicy peri-peri before being cooked on the grill. I certainly enjoyed it, all the more so for using the leftovers in a sandwich for lunch the next day. I chose the onion rings, which were unfortunately slightly oily, and the batter needed some salt.
My friend tried the pulled pork tacos (R99) with cumin and apple slaw, jalapeños, hoisin sauce, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Another delicious, finger licking, pub grub treat.
We did skip desserts. On his first outing back to Suncoast since the reopening, my friend was craving a Krispy Kreme doughnut, specifically the New York Cheesecake option.
Food: 3 ½
Service: 4
Ambience: 3 ½
The Independent on Saturday