Where:
The Village Table, The Pearls, Umhlanga
Open:
Monday to Sunday: 8am to 10pm
Contact:
087 288 4235
The first thing that strikes you as you walk into The Village Table restaurant at The Pearls in uMhlanga is the naturalistic feel of the place. The outdoors has been brought indoors, a new trend in the design space, with a combination of fauna and flora.
There are a number of enormous pot plants inside, along with floral-inspired couches and butterfly-themed wallpaper. The shabby chic-inspired interior design is also a winner, especially by nightfall with the bouncing light-ball fixtures hanging from the ceiling. It looks good, lively, elegant and the food is a winner, too.
The service is on par with well-trained and unobtrusive waitrons who don’t bug you every three seconds. The atmosphere of the place is relaxed and you can almost hear the waves of the Indian Ocean bouncing off on the shores of uMhlanga Beach behind you.
We ordered chicken livers and crumbed, fried halloumi served with balsamic vinegar for starters. The halloumi was divine. The chicken livers were hot and pleasantly chunky. The bread was a bit too crunchy, though, even after dipping it in the sauce.
For mains, I ordered a traditional rump espetada and added some mushroom sauce.
My partner went for creamy chourico chicken and mushroom pasta, which had her nodding in approval. She said the pasta was good, the sauce a tad too rich but still enjoyable.
The steak, a 400g serving which I requested rare, was succulent and juicy, served with mushroom sauce.
The restaurant does offer banting alternatives on request.
For dessert we ordered chocolate mousse with cream. It was an indescribable experience. “100%” my partner said.
Will we be back? “I really like this place,” said my partner. So I guess we will.
Food:
4
Service:
5
Ambiance:
4½