Cindy Crawford should have stuck to modelling. Britney Spears should have stayed away from the big screen. The Hoff should have… well, I don’t even know what to suggest… My point is that sometimes you should just stick with what you know. And that’s just how I felt about my final V&A Waterfront, “Master of the Trade Route Challenge” competitor: The Greek Fisherman.
I do love me some Greek.
The Greeks love feeding people as much as us Jewish people do, so obviously the menu is no small feat. After about 45minutes of deliberation we decided to share three starters (we also love eating).
The sautéed Haloumi with quince jelly (R49) was divine. The oily, salty richness went perfectly with the sweet but tart flavour of the jelly.
Next up, golden sautéed mussels and scallops, served with homemade mayo and skordalia, a smooth, creamy potato and garlic puree (R69). A generous portion and I loved every mouthful. The slightly curried scallops and mussels were tender and the skordalia had so much flavour but was still incredibly light.
When I see oysters on a menu, it is hard for me to resist. They are my absolutely weakness. We shared (ie. I ate the majority of) 6, large, beautifully shucked oysters for R70. I pretty much inhaled them without thinking and forgot to take a photo, so:
——-> Imagine oyster photo here <——-
For our main, my friend had grilled calamari (R129) in garlic and herb butter with “chips” that were actually wedges created by angels. Once again, an enormous portion smothered in plenty buttery sauce with crispy wedges. What doesn’t taste great in garlic butter?
Thankfully the calamari was amazing, because my main was awful. As a part of the competition, TGF created a fusion dish combining Greek and Asian cuisine, and sadly, it fell flat. Fillet of beef kebab, basted with ginger, honey, garlic and soy, served with rice noodles. It looked and smelt great, but the noodles were one congealed pile and the basting was “raw”, so was fibrous and overpowering. Such a pity because it was possibly the most tender beef I’ve ever eaten (one bite of).
The fusion menu was R120 for the main and mini dessert platter. On it we had stunning ouzo soaked strawberries; life-changing little Greek doughnuts; and traditional baklava. The strawberries and doughnuts were magical. I’m ashamed to admit that I could have probably, no, definitely, eaten more.
The ambiance is great. It was full, the staff are friendly, there was lovely music and atmosphere and everything you want from a restaurant. Also, considering the portion size, I don’t think it’s that expensive. Sure, it’s not the cheapest, but that’s not their market. I wish I had gone to The Greek Fisherman without having to judge the competition. All the food was incredible, except for that darn fusion dish.