Shelley Seid liked Unity so much she returned the very next day 'to be fair'

. THE INTRODUCTION:

Durban is a notoriously difficult town for restaurateurs. The city is littered with the corpses of fine-dining establishments, trendy eateries and solid steakhouses. To make it past a decade is a genuine achievement, more so for a restaurant like Café 1999 which advertised itself as "hip and happening" - at the turn of the century.

A couple of months ago, while the rest of the world was responding to the economic downturn by cutting back, co-owners Sean and Marcelle Roberts - she is also the head chef - opened a second restaurant in the same tiny centre that houses Café 1999. It's called Unity and it's a winner already. While 1999 is a more upmarket, fine-dining establishment, Unity offers casual fare and has what Sean terms "a bar vibe". It's more conservative at lunch though, and has already become a favourite meeting place for the Berea ladies. At night, Unity pumps - so much so, says Sean that they need another 100m² of floor space.

. THE PROPOSAL:

Unity Brasserie & Bar is a good-looking venue. It's dominated by the magnificent bar counter, and manages to feel trendy, classy and relaxed at the same time, probably a result of the low ceilings, black-tiled floors and wall-to-wall windows.

Besides daily specials on the blackboard, the menu offers a fair range of imaginative items. Appetizers include a boerewors platter, chilli chicken wings with a blue-cheese and sour-cream dip, and roasted bone marrow on toast. For mains you can choose from curries, burgers, bangers and mash, and pies - the sort of food you would expect in a bar - and pork/beef ragu and chicken caesar salad, which aren't. There is an exuberant cocktail menu with drinks called "Fortune Favours the Brave" and "Long Island Iced Tea" and a small, carefully chosen wine list.

. THE CONSUMMATION:

I decided to do lunch on Thursday and then, to be really fair, on Friday too. Marcelle has a reputation for choosing top-quality ingredients and although Unity is relatively inexpensive, the meat is organic, and the fresh produce local. On Thursday, I decided on a beer-batter fish and chips, a bargain at R65. The batter was perfect and peeled away effortlessly from the fat piece of perfectly cooked hake underneath. My Thursday companion had the Unity veg burger (R38, can you believe it?), a giant chickpea and feta patty served on a giant roll with avocado, tomato relish and rocket. Half the burger went into a doggy bag - for her budgie, apparently.

On Friday, companion two and I decided to share the antipasta special of local cold meats with pickles, bread and cornichons/gherkins (R69) and a Cajun calamari salad (R65) that was fairly bustling with spicy calamari pieces. This level of restraint opened the gap for a dessert and we ordered the chocolate Amarula malva pudding with ice cream (R35). It is decadent enough to have an age restriction. Apparently the nutty mud pie with cherry ice cream is just as debauched.

. THE CONSEQUENCES:

Friday's lunch, that included the most expensive starter on the menu, a main, a pudding and two cappuccinos came to R199. Good value, and the hearty portions will see you through till the following morning.

. THE CULPRIT

Executive chef Marcelle hand-picked Rowan Chetty, a Christina Martin graduate, to head the kitchen. He began working in April, helping her with external catering until Unity opened at the beginning of June. The menu is a result of their combined talents, with Rowan particularly keen on developing the desserts - so thank him for the chocolate Amarula malva pudding. Hopefully when I go back for a third try, his spring berry mousse with fresh strawberries will be on the menu.

. WHERE IT HAPPENED:

Unity Brasserie & Bar, Silvervause Centre, 117 Vause Road, Berea. Phone 0312013470 (No wheelchair access)