Cargo Hold, uShaka, Durban

Cargo Hold is the flagship at the marine world of Durban’s uShaka beachfront, a multi-purpose mall, theme park and aquarium. The setting of this restaurant is unique and actually well conceived: inside a “phantom ship wreck” you sit on one of a few decks with views of the sea as well as the famous fishtank where a variety of inhabitants cruise, the sharks benignly ignoring the others. The fittings are industrial-nautical, like being “below decks”, the escapist mood is only ruined by the truly awful muzak.

Wine list pretty standard and corporate, but prices good. Service neat and switched on, dressed in nautical theme, they strike a formal note by taking your name and using it during the meal, my “ambassador” was also very confident with his suggestions re linefish. Starters include pot stickers, prawn toasts, mussels, open prawn samoosa, peri-peri calamari, mussels in pernod and leek cream, risotto cakes – all around R40. Mains predominantly feature fish and prawns, cooked various ways – Thai, salsa, pesto and feta on mushroom risotto, Mozambican chilli…  seafood platters weigh in at R595; other mains like pastas, lamb, chicken, beef grills are R85 to R110 with Moroccan, Mozambican and Mauritian embellishments.

Bread served with array of extras to the butter: sundried tomato pesto, pesto, sesame seeds and whole garlic… soft bun bread. Starter of prawn toasts was good, crisp with flavours of sesame and spice on bed of rocket. Simple but right. My main of kingklip on mushroom risotto was however a clumsy dish, soggy hyper-cheesy rice, previously frozen fish bland and topped with a “crust” of feta and caper that’s more a putty than crust. Whole dish a grey-brown colour and dull. The head waiter appeared with concern, once I expressed my dislike of the dish – so all in all the kitchen not at standard of good service. They took the main off the bill, waiter actually seemed disconsolate that he’d recommended it… coffee ok.

The Phantom Ship, uShaka Marine World, 1 King Shaka Avenue 031 328 8065. Daily lunch and dinner.

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