The Secret Diner
Mundo Vida
Where: 1 South Beach Road, Umdloti
Open: Friday and Saturday 10am to 9pm, Sunday noon to 5pm
Call: 031 568 2286
Many a milestone birthday has slipped by uncelebrated during lockdown.
While one friend was only too happy the big six-o slid by unnoticed, my sister was looking forward to her 50th, my niece to her 21st (planned for the second day of lockdown) and many others had to suffice with a phone call.
In some cases, even if you wanted to celebrate, the wine had run out, with one friend telling of her 40th birthday dinner being scrambled eggs on toast in her pyjamas and a video call to her mom.
Sometimes we got inventive. There was a meeting for coffee on the promenade during the morning exercise period and a small discrete picnic at a nature spot. There was even a takeaway breakfast on the Point canals.
So when a friend suggested a few of us meet for lunch to join him for his 50th, it was something to celebrate. It coincided with one of his favourite restaurants reopening last weekend.
Mundo Vida in eMdloti was open, surviving for months on ready-made meals to eat at home.
The weather gods too played ball. You couldn’t wish for a brighter, stiller, warmer winter’s day from which to enjoy that magnificent ocean view out on the terrace. And it was buzzing. We really are so lucky to have restaurants like this.
The menu, as in many restaurants, has been pared down to a few well known and much loved dishes. When restaurants can’t be packed to capacity this makes sense and cuts down on stock, wastage and kitchen work.
For starters, some of us enjoyed the crisp battered squid heads served with a spicy Asian dipping sauce. The fish cakes too were tasty, light, and a sizable portion. These could easily be a light meal.
A friend’s salad of the day was beautifully presented and dressed, while the prawns gratinated in a cheesy sauce were delicious with all that crispy, crunchy cheese stuff going on. I certainly enjoyed the mussels in a creamy garlic and parsley sauce served with fingers of toasted bread.
For mains, unfortunately the day’s special of confit duck had already run out. Two of our party were ready to go and raid the neighbouring table with “it’s mine”.
Its famed peri-peri chicken could be teamed with prawns or calamari, my friend opting for the later, which was very good.
Two of our party raved about the massive lamb shanks served with mash and a thick gravy and veg of the day.
Others opted for monster slices of succulent pork belly nestled on a bed of butternut puree. More thumbs up.
The fish curry had a wonderfully mild aromatic flavour.
My grilled kingklip served with some first-class chips, fresh veg and a lemon butter sauce was beautiful in its simplicity.
If there was one criticism it was that the king prawns weren’t quite up to their plump juicy selves. But they were enjoyable, served with chips and a peri-peri dipping sauce. I do believe in these Covid times, good seafood is becoming increasingly hard to source.
For dessert the guys enjoyed their crème brûlées. I tried the affogato – vanilla ice-cream topped with espresso and amarula cream – an ice cream and cappuccino sauce you could call it. Here, unfortunately, the ice cream had crystalised. It tasted like it had suffered from one too many rounds of load shedding.
We enjoyed coffees and cappuccinos, and relished great company and finally an opportunity to celebrate.
Cheers to the birthday boy.
Food: 3½
Service: 3½
Ambience: 4½
The Independent on Saturday