Coimbra – Glenashley

After speaking to some friends and having a chat to Lee and Shelton, we (Jivika and Jeremy) decided to give Coimbra Restaurant and Bar in Glenashley a try for a quiet night out. We started planning this evening well in advance. Having become parents months ago of a bouncing baby girl, we arranged for Zia to spend the night with Jivika’s parents.

Upon arrival at Coimbra, we received a friendly greeting and were asked where we would like to sit. Since we had a reservation (which seems wasn’t needed cause it was fairly empty) I expected to be taken to a table that has been reserved for us. The manager however took us to a table right at the door and the massive windows overlooking Glenashley and the Indian Ocean with the ships waiting their turn to enter the port. Most certainly one of their best tables. The music playing set a really nice atmosphere making you feel almost like you’re holidaying in a Mediterranean country. Sadly the the decor is a complete let down with the only thing even remotely resembling Portugal being the wall mounted photographs.

After ensuring we were seated, the manager left with the promise that our waiter will be there shortly to look after us. The waiter arrived and Jivika asked whether they serve cocktails, to which the reply was that he’s not sure, but he thinks they only do Margaritas. After some convincing, the waiter left to ask the barman what he could make. Once he returned, he confirmed that he did ask and Margaritas is the only cocktail available. With that, we settled on a bottle of JC Le Roux Le Domain, which arrived promptly. The waiter retreated into the shadows while we enjoyed the bubbly and looked through the menu.

Seeing as the smoking laws in South Africa no longer allows smoking in restaurants, I (Jeremy) decided it’s about that time and got up to go and have a smoke outside. As I was about to get to the reception desk, I noticed another waiter walking with a tray and two cocktails on the tray. I stopped him and asked him if they are indeed cocktails and he explained that they were in fact a Sex on the Beach and a Cosmopolitan. This got me slightly upset and I asked him to please inform our waiter that they do serve cocktails. The Manager noticed this and hurried over and simply said that he will get it sorted, no apology offered whatsoever. Returning to the table I finished my glass of bubbly and decided I will have a Long Island Iced Tea to see how it compares to my first ever Long Island Iced Tea I had in the Big Apple, leaving Jivika to polish the bottle of Bubbly. I motioned for our waiter who scoffed closer, we also decided to order some starters.

Starters
I (Jeremy) decided to have the Portuguese Sausage (Chourico) and Jivika settled on the Garlic Snails (Caracois). The starter of Portuguese Sausage came with a little bit of a surprise. I never noticed that the choice on the menu says “grilled or on the flame” and our waiter neglected to ask how I want it. It came literally on the flame! The dish arrives on a specifically made “bowl” with a layer of oil of some sort set alight and the sausage placed on the “supports” over the flame. The sausage itself (mixture of meats) tasted amazing. It reminded me of the cheese griller’s my late grandmother made back in the day. The snails was as good as they can be, drenched in garlic butter, served with cut up slices of bread. Very Good!

Main Course
Jeremy ordered the Portuguese steak (Bife a Portuguesa) and Jivika ordered the Frangui Prawns (Galinha e Camaroa).
The steak came exactly as ordered, medium! This is something I’ve started giving up on in recent times since it seems no-one knows anymore how to prepare a steak medium. The steak was topped with bacon and a baked egg. Caution though, the bacon itself is salty as hell, they then add salt to the steak and egg during the cooking process. Still though, it was a really good piece of meat. Succulent and juicy, you get the choice of rice, veggies or chips (any two of these). I opted just for the veggies, butternut and spinach. Both of these were prepared amazingly well with the butternut being sweet, but not too sweet and the spinach being earthy yet tasty and not boiled to a pulp.

My Frangui Prawn dish was a combination of a grilled half a baby chicken and 4 grilled prawns – both cooked in a delicious spicy Portuguese marinade. I chose to have mine with a side of rice and a Garden Salad. This dish was cooked to perfection and served with a tangy (fairly hot) peri-peri sauce in a little separate bowl. I very carefully just added only a few drops of the sauce to my food as I was keen on enjoying it and not dying from way too much heat! lol  Just a word of advice for those of you who, like me, expect this to be a good amount of food for one – that half a “baby” chicken is more like half a fully grown chicken! As this was just a little too much for me to finish, but also too good to leave behind, I asked for mine to be packed in a takeaway.

On a side note, NEVER order Madeiran Skewers (Espetada a Madeirense) if you’re a fussy eater. Instead of using the world recognized hygienic method of the meat arriving mounted on a stand, its carried in by the waiter at waist level, with his hands being full of everything else he’s serving.

We opted to shy away from the desserts unfortunately as we were way too stuffed and shortly after our meal I received a call from my mom who couldn’t seem to handle a fussy baba who wanted her parents. And that folks is how our evening out came to an abrupt end. Next time out little Zia feasts out with us. 🙂

On a side note and to explain why we’ve decided to remove a few stars here:

1. The service was really and truly disappointing, with the waiter not knowing much about the menu or what they’re actually capable of; not to mention him needing us to prompt him to ask us the “normal” questions.
2. When Jeremy excused himself to visit the little boys room, he returned explaining how he was very suddenly sobered by the heavy scent of Jeyes Fluid in the toilets. Strong enough to make him have to breath through his mouth.
3. To wash down his meal Jeremy ordered a glass of Coke, and after sipping from it noticed that there were tiny little black ants floating around in the glass. Upon complaining to the waiter, he apologised and removed the coke. When we’d asked for the bill, it appeared that we were still charged for the ant infested coke!

Therefore we award Coimbra a disappointing 2 stars on this review. Should the owners decide to beef up the decor, service and maybe supply people with an actual cocktail menu Coimbra could be the next 5 star review for us. It certainly has what it takes to up their stars in the review.

You can find Coimbra at Glenashley Views, 36 Newport Avenue or contact them on the following numbers:

Tel. 031-562 1415 or Fax: 031-562 1417 click here for their website

Coimbra Restaurant – Durban North

Every once in a while you come across a restaurant that has been around for years but for some reason you always seem to pass it by. Well Coimbra Restaurant in Durban North is just such a place.

It all started after I, Shelton received an SMS from Lee saying that she had had a terrible day at work and I needed to take her out for supper. As I was having drinks with some of my work colleagues I asked for a couple of recommendations. The Coimbra Restaurant was emphatically recommended by a colleague. Her and her Husband would travel from Westville just to go have a meal there. The decision now made, we showered, got dressed and headed for a new destination.

We were heartily greeted at the reception desk by one of the managers, and this being a Portuguese restaurant he had taken his role seriously and sported a thin, but elegant handle bar mustache. After being shown to our table we encountered the only potential problem for the evening. The entire air conditioning system had packed up. Not a big issue if it’s the middle of winter, but we are in the middle of the hottest time of the year and things could get a bit uncomfortable when indulging in some of the peri-peri flavoured meals on offer. Mother Nature however, alleviated any worries of heat exhaustion coupled with severe dehydration.

Coimbra Restaurant in positioned with fantastic views over Glen Ashley and in the not too far distance the Indian Ocean. Our table was situated at one of the doors to the outside balcony and a gentle sea breeze kept things pleasurable and the view complimented the relaxed atmosphere of the Restaurant. The subdued, but not dark, lighting and softly playing music soon had us relaxed from another stressful week at work.

With hardly time to survey the scenery our waiter for the evening, Ian, made an appearance, handing out menus and clearing the table of excess cutlery and crockery. A quick look at the wine list and a bottle of Guardian Peak Shiraz was ordered.

After a lengthy decision making process about what to order from the comprehensive menu, Lee settled for the Garlic snails and I had the New Zealand Mussels as starters. Not being a snail eater I had to go with what Lee said about the shelled mollusc’s and to this end she was well satisfied. The mussels were delicious and 12 medium sized mussels dabbed with garlic and a splash of butter was soon finding their way to my empty stomach.

For mains Lee settled for the Prawn and Calamari combo with French Fries and a salad and decided that the peri-peri chicken and prawn combo would satisfy my desire for something spicy. And I was not to be disappointed. This must be one of the few places where you get a choice of two side orders.

The meals arrived and I realised that starters might have not been a good idea. The plates were literally piled with food and very well presented with out all the hoity-toity arty food presentation I tend to find annoying as more emphasis seems to be placed on presentation rather that filling your stomach (we are there to eat after all, not study art work).

The chicken was tender and well flavoured as were the 4 queen size prawns and if those 4 prawns were anything to go by I will be ordering a full portion next time. The peri-peri, whilst very tasty, is not all that spicy so even those with tender tongues can enjoy the flavours of Portuguese cooking. The salad was fresh and crisp and the French Fries cooked to perfection.

Lee complained that her meal was a bit on the bland side having ordered hers in a more gentle lemon butter flavouring. She did say that the calamari was very tender but the prawns needed more zing. After sampling some of my chicken, she agreed that the peri-peri route was definitely the way to go.

The final aspect of my review is about the service. Here the Coimbra excels. At no time did we have to look around for our waiter and he always seemed to know exactly when he was required yet didn’t have that annoying waiter bit were you are asked every two minutes if everything was OK. Everything was handled professionally and efficiently and he deserves a special mention. Well done and thank you Ian.

So if you looking for a place to enjoy a great meal with wonderful views, or a spot to enjoy a couple of sundowners with a few friends, I can highly recommend the Coimbra Restaurant.

A temporary 4/5 stars are awarded. I’m sure with the aircon working a 5/5 is definitely on the cards for Coimbra.

Coimbra (Glenashley). Shop 1A 36 Newport Avenue Glenashley Durban, Kwazulu-Natal. Tel: 031 562 1415. Email: coimbra.restaurant@telkomsa.net …

Cuba Lounge – Gateway Shopping Centre

My wife’s cousin from Aus is here on a little visit, so we decided to head over to Gateway shopping centre for a few drinks and something to eat. Once we arrived there, we walked over to the eating area that’s located close to the fountains.

We knew we would find a few nice eating places there. While we were standing there, close to the outside / curb side tables of Cuba lounge (which I have a bad 1st impression of) we started talking about what we feel like eating. I said something to the effect of “I don’t particularly care, as long as there’s food” when the waiter popped up and said “We have food and there’s no queue”. That was enough to make all of us sit down and eat there.

We had a seat and awaited the menus and the drinks menu. Owing to the fact that Jeremy was the designated driver he stuck to the non alcoholic drinks, namely Appletizer. Jivika being pregnant, had a alcohol-free Strawberry Mojito which was definitely worthwhile. Kasha had the Pineapple Daiquiri, Yach the Olmeca Berry Sours & Akira a Forbidden Fruit cocktail, all of which went down extremely well in the Durban humid heat. The biggest irritation to Jeremy was the new smoking laws of South Africa, no smoking allowed within 30m (yes, 30 bloody meters) of the entrance to a restaurant. I (Jeremy) would love to see this law being enforced in the townships of SA.

With the arrival of the menus, we paged through and made our decisions. I (Jeremy) settled with the rump steak and chips, ordering it as usual medium.

When the steak arrived it was slightly over cooked, with the medium section only in the extreme middle of the steak. I tried looking for the telltale “cuts” in the steak that the chef / griller uses to gauge the cooking progress of the steak but alas there was none, which makes the chef / griller seriously good or a complete novice. Personally I am leaning towards the latter since the steak was over cooked. The chips, well, there’s not much we can say about chips / French fries since a chip is a chip is a chip. All in all, the food was good, it might have something to do with the fact that we were virtually starving by the time we arrived there and the service from the waitress Mbali Majola made the experience all the better with excellent service and a sense of humour to match.

I (Jivika) together with my cousin Kasha decided to have the prawn stir-fry. Akira settled on a burger and Yach on the battered fried calamari. Yach’s calamari was divine and Akira really enjoyed her burger. Both Kasha & I agreed that we’d had much tastier stir-fry dishes elsewhere, as this dish was particularly bland with the only veg being stripped bell peppers.

All in all, the atmosphere was really good and with Dbn’s sun out and a very light breeze, it was the perfect cocktails day! Not being able to fault the service, atmosphere or decor included in this the fact that they are pretty reasonably priced. Cuba lounge Gateway scores a 4/5 losing 1 point for the food quality. I will most certainly return there, just a note though. Should you decide to go there after 18:00 ensure you are not dressed to casual (i.e. Shorts and sneakers) as they will turn you away.

To contact them, click on the following links or phone them on the number listed below:

Website: Cuba Lounge
Tel: 031 584 6444